Dozens arrested at sideshow in Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Dozens of people were arrested on a range of charges following a large sideshow late Wednesday night at the Port of Oakland.

It was poor timing if you were participating in the illegal display of stunt driving, and excellent timing for law enforcement that was already in the area because of the protests happening downtown.

ABC7's Sky 7 HD captured a lot of the events that unfolded over the course of several hours while it took place.

PHOTOS: Hundreds of cars detained after sideshow at Port of Oakland

Hundreds of people watched the sideshow as two red cars spun and did donuts in the street. The cars looped around and just when one car moved to the right, the video shows a crowd of people rush over.

The California Highway Patrol told ABC7 News they received information that a person was hit. It was at that point that the sideshow appeared to come to an abrupt end.

Later in the night, Sky 7 HD captured a red van on video that tried to get away from police by crashing through a fence and getting stuck on the railroad tracks. Even more disturbing, a family appeared to emerge from the van and it looked like they had a stroller and small child with them.

Police said everyone they caught and captured will be charged.

CHP Officer Sean Wilkenfeld said the charges could, "be anywhere from aiding and abetting, all the way to participating in a speed contest, to suspended license, driving without a license - the charges are wide ranging, but they usually will include aiding and abetting, or participating in a sideshow."

Once they blocked the cars in, officers were able to collect identification, vehicle registration, and cite everyone involved. Those drivers received tickets and some had their cars towed on the spot. Others were taken into custody and eventually to jail.

"Special response teams are trained in certain tactics. One of the tactics is how to block in crowds. We were able to use our training in this instance to block everyone in to prevent all of the escape routes. We actually did lose a few people, but we blocked in a majority of them," Wilkenfeld said.

Police say they blocked more than 100 cars and each of the cars had at least one person inside. The police made over 30 arrests for crimes during the illegal event that they say placed hundreds in danger.