Santa Rosa sideshow draws several hundred before police break it up

A sideshow Wednesday night in Santa Rosa’s Roseland area drew several hundred people in what was described by authorities as an impromptu celebration of Mexican Independence Day, before police broke it up and issued several citations.

Sideshows generally consist of drivers spinning doughnuts and squealing tires with an audience of onlookers in a large ring around them. Wednesday night’s gathering occurred mostly in the former Dollar Tree parking lot on Sebastopol Road, Police Sgt. Dave Linscomb said.

Officers counted about 200 cars at one point, said Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Chris Mahurin.

“We monitored from outside,” Mahurin said of the department’s response. “We didn’t have enough resources to go and shut it down.”

There were no reports of injuries, though police say such events can be quite dangerous, particularly for onlookers or passengers who hang out a car’s window as the vehicle spins in circles.

“We’ve been getting a lot of these sideshows,” Linscomb said. “They seem to move around from place to place.”

The group of cars eventually began to thin and officers asked the remaining attendees to leave, breaking up the sideshow at about 2 a.m., Mahurin said.

Officers issued about six citations after the event for minor vehicle code violations, including driving on bald tires, speeding and driving without headlights on.

“They were people who were leaving and driving unsafe,” Mahurin said.

Residents near the Santa Rosa Marketplace shopping center on Santa Rosa Avenue, which includes Target and Costco, have complained recently of loud nighttime sideshows in those huge parking lots.

Over Cinco de Mayo, law enforcement officers from throughout Sonoma County shut down at least five sideshow locations, including one with at least 100 cars filled with people.

Santa Rosa and Petaluma police, Sonoma County sheriff's deputies and CHP officers all joined in dispersing the crowds.

You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 707-521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.