By Mike Hazlip —
Reports on Saturday night of burnouts, gunshots and reckless driving involving several hundred cars at a sideshow in the Kohl’s parking lot prompted a response from the Citrus Heights Police Department and several other agencies.
Police Lt. Wesley Herman said the department received calls about the activity just after 8 p.m. Saturday. The first officers to arrive on scene estimated about 20 to 40 vehicles had initially gathered in the parking lot at the corner of Greenback Lane and San Juan Avenue. A short time later, 300 to 400 vehicles had arrived, police reported.
Herman said police witnessed reckless behavior at the sideshow including burn-outs in close proximity to bystanders. No arrests were reported immediately after police dispersed the crowd. Police were aided by the assistance of an air unit.
“Our community is a high priority to us and we certainly don’t want to see anybody get hurt,” Herman said. “This type of driving puts a lot of people at risk if they’re standing around watching it.”
A number of vehicles at the sideshow had modified exhaust that could sound similar to gunfire. Herman said police had received reports of gunshots near the Kohl’s parking lot at the time of the sideshow incident.
Sideshows can take a significant amount of police time and resources as officers coordinate with other agencies to disperse the activity, according to Herman.
“If there’s 400 vehicles and anywhere from 400 to 600 people, we’re going to make sure that we’re going in with enough resources to control that environment and do it safely.”
Herman said several citations were issued and at least one vehicle was impounded for 30 days. No injuries were reported.
