7 arrested after SJ police officer attacked while responding to illegal sideshow, authorities say

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Seven people have been arrested weeks after a police officer was attacked at a sideshow in the South Bay.

Suspects were seen jumping on and vandalizing his police car while he was inside.

Now officials say they have arrested everyone responsible for it.

Frozen images taken from video that was blasted on social media, helped lead to the arrests.

"If you attack a San Jose police officer attempting to help an injured person, so you can become famous on TikTok, it's possible you may escape consequences for hours or days, but be assured we will find you, we will arrest you," said Acting Chief Paul Joseph of the San Jose Police Department. "We will send a resounding message to you and your fellow law breakers. Not in San Jose."

MORE: Video shows car on fire during SF sideshow, one of several sideshows across Bay Area in 1 night

A number of sideshows took over streets of San Francisco and Oakland on Sunday with one car engulfed in flames.

The arrests were announced more than two weeks after a June 15 sideshow turned violent in the area of Winchester Boulevard and Olin Avenue near Santana Row in San Jose.

Police say the suspects got on top of a patrol vehicle, stomped on the windshield, hit side windows and tried to pull open the doors.

They say that officer was trying to help a sideshow spectator who was hit by a vehicle and was unconscious.

It was then that the officer's vehicle was surrounded.

One business owner's clothing store next to the scene had just closed when the sideshow happened, he said he only found out about it the following day.

"I was in total shock because I knew that I was just there just a few minutes earlier," said Jim Thomas, owner of Eli Thomas Menswear, "And nothing like that ever really happens on this side of town."

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Illegal sideshow activity is front and center in San Jose and now Mayor Matt Mahan is asking social media companies for help to stop them.

ABC7 is not showing the booking photos of the suspects or reporting their names since they are all not yet formally charged. The suspects range in age from 16 to 26.

Police believe they have arrested everyone who damaged the car and attacked the officer.

"We first arrested the driver that was doing donuts that struck the pedestrian and fled, that was the first arrest," Joseph said, "Through analysis of the video that we obtained, we identified six people who were attacking the patrol car, all six of those people are in custody right now."

Police say sideshows in other areas of San Jose and the Bay Area in general have become a growing issue.

MORE: Bay Bridge sideshow stopped traffic overnight, video shows

Traffic on the Bay Bridge came to a stop because of a sideshow overnight on Sunday. Cars were seen doing donuts as fireworks set off.

San Jose Police said the department is part of efforts to establish a Bay Area working group to create solutions.

"Through this bay area network, we are leveraging our collective resources to best address this regional problem," said acting deputy chief Brandon Sanchez, "I believe this could lead to the creation of a regional task force in the future."

With the suspects involved in the June 15 attack arrested, police say they're also working to identify more people involved in the sideshow.

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