For Immediate Release: January 19, 2021
OPD NEWS:
One person killed and another shot after hundreds of people take part in illegal sideshow
On Sunday, January 17, 2021, the Oakland Police Department addressed numerous sideshows throughout the city, which involved multiple shooting scenes, including one gunshot victim, and hundreds of participants. The criminal activity spanned the entire day and required multiple patrol officers to respond out of their districts, impacting our ability to respond to service.
The sideshows began around noon with more than 300 All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and dirt bikes driving recklessly throughout the City of Oakland. According to CHP, some of these participants later rode their vehicles into oncoming traffic on the Bay Bridge as they tried to flee from officers. CHP says a passenger of a motorcycle was fatally struck by a vehicle after falling from the motorcycle.
At 6:11 PM, OPD’s Communications Division began to receive calls regarding illegal sideshow activity in the area of 22nd Avenue and East 12th Street. Upon arrival, officers encountered roughly 300 pedestrians and upwards of 150 vehicles taking part in an illegal sideshow. Some within the crowd pointed lasers at officers in an attempt to disable them.
Around 7:08 PM, some of the officers had to be diverted to 35th Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard to respond to calls of more than a dozen shots fired. Arriving officers found a victim suffering from apparent gunshot(s) wounds. Additional officers had to be reassigned from sideshow enforcement to this active scene, as a large crowd of sideshow participants arrived. The crime scene needed to be secured to allow Falck and OFD to render medical aid to the victim.
While our sideshow enforcement details have been discontinued for this fiscal year due to budgetary constraints, community safety is paramount and patrol officers will respond as available. The past two weekends have seen a resurgence of active and aggressive sideshows in our city, and we ask the public to please avoid the area if you see a sideshow developing, and call 911 if there is an emergency or immediate safety threat. We also have an email tipline sideshowtips@oaklandca.gov to report information regarding illegal sideshows, including vehicles and people involved in this activity. The email is an alternative to our non-emergency number (510) 777-3333 and is an additional means of collecting information about illegal sideshows.
We’ve enclosed a link to some of the illegal sideshow activity from January 17, 2021. https://youtu.be/GJlWJN0VXBc