Police scramble to stop sideshows across four East Contra Costa County cities

Police responded overnight to raucous sideshows in four eastern Contra Costa County cities, where spectators threw fireworks at officers and one driver was arrested after crashing a car, police said Sunday.

About 10:45 p.m. Saturday, more than 150 cars gathered in areas around the county, eventually converging at the intersection of W. 10th Street and Auto Center Drive in Antioch. Police said several cars were doing donuts in the intersection and the parking lot of an Arco Gas Station near gas pumps.

About 200 spectators were there, some setting off fireworks and throwing them at police patrol vehicles, according to police.

Officers from Brentwood, Pittsburg and the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office responded to assist in dispersing the crowd. Several vehicles continued to drive recklessly and one car nearly ran over an officer, Antioch police said.

A group of cars were stopped, resulting in 20 people cited and 21 cars placed on 30-day tows.

The remaining cars showed up in Brentwood, where they took over the intersection of Lone Tree Way and Highway 4, police said.

Several cars also made it to Oakley, where someone inside a car threw bottles at police shortly after 1 a.m., police said.

That car fled back into Antioch and officers tried to pull it over but it sped away onto Hillcrest Avenue, where it lost control and crashed. The driver tried to run way but was caught by officers. The suspect was arrested for an outstanding warrant and his vehicle was towed for 30 days.

About 1:30 a.m., more than 50 cars took over the intersection of Buchanan and Somersville roads in Antioch and started another sideshow. Officers responded but cars kept up the sideshow, eventually dispersing after several minutes in different directions.

At approximately 2:30 a.m., another sideshow developed in Pittsburg, where shots were fired by people in the cars, police said.

Anyone with information about the sideshows is asked to call the Antioch Police Department non-emergency line at (925) 778-2441 or Detective Bledsoe at (925) 779-6884. Tips may be left at text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.