Illegal sideshow activities are not welcome in Manteca.

The City Council made that clear Tuesday when they put in place an ordinance allowing police to go after spectators and promoters of such events in addition to the  participating drivers.
The sideshows — that involve everything from burning donuts and exhibition of speed and engine revving to street racing — have triggered confrontations over the years that led to three murders in San Joaquin County.

Violence has also plagued illegal sideshows elsewhere in California.

Besides murders, the reckless driving involved has led to deaths of participants, spectators, and innocent bystanders that happen to get in the path of an illegal street race.

Earlier this month, hordes of sideshow spectators swarmed nearby convenience stores in Los Angeles  looting them and causing property damage.

The sideshows that have occurred in Manteca so far have either broken up before police arrived or do so as soon as those involved realized police were on the way.

While those have been small scale events, oftentimes Manteca is used as a staging place for drivers and spectators to gather before heading outside the city into a rural area or a neighboring jurisdiction to conduct the actual sideshow.

The ordiance gives police the ability to cite those that promote the show as well as spectators with $1,000 fines.

While Interim Police Chief Steve Schluer told the council officers would weigh the circumstances before actually issuing citations to spectators, it was noted often time spectators will purposedly try to block police from being able to catch drivers before they leave the scene of a sideshow.

Spectators are also an instrumental part of sideshows occurring as participants want to show off in front of a crowd.

The theory is if spectators are wary of $1,000 fines, less will show up. That, in turn, would reduce the odds of illegal sideshows occurring.

Sideshows draw participants and spectators from across the state including the Bay Area, Sacramento, Central and Southern California.

Schluer noted the events often result in damage to city streets, vehicle collisions, vehicle pursuits, injuries and, at times, fatalities.

Arrests at these events often result in illegal firearm seizures and vehicle impounds.

Six years ago, the Manteca Police Department joined countywide efforts to deal with this growing trend.

The San Joaquin County Sideshow Task Force was formed and agreements with participating agencies were put into effect. Due to the large number of police personnel required to effectively address the problem, participating agencies regularly commit officers and vehicles to areas where Sideshow activity is expected on a given date.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email, dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com