A series of Woodland “sideshow” gatherings kept police scrambling last weekend, at one point triggering a multi-county vehicle pursuit, the Woodland Police Department reported Friday.
According to Sgt. Victoria Danzl, officers spent several hours responding to the sideshows — pop-up events where drivers perform automotive stunts — that were occurring throughout the city.
“While the sideshows were occurring, several subjects/vehicles took over the intersection of Main Street and Second Street and were ‘doing donuts’ and getting out of their cars and climbing light poles,” Danzl said.
A California Highway Patrol helicopter flew over that area to assist, identifying violators for officers on the ground. As vehicles began leaving the area, “one of the subjects blew past an officer, committing multiple vehicle code violations,” Danzl said.
When the officer attempted a vehicle stop, the driver allegedly failed to yield, ultimately fleeing southbound on Interstate 5 toward Sacramento where the officer halted the pursuit. But the CHP helicopter continued to follow the car, which was intercepted in Fairfield, Danzl said.
The driver, identified as 24-year-old Jose Dos Santos-Silva of Daly City, was arrested and booked into the Yolo County Jail on charges of reckless driving, evading police and driving with a suspended license.
