Law enforcement in Vallejo, California broke up a sideshow of roughly 500 vehicles last week. After focusing on and chasing a single car—a a 2007 Cadillac CTS—police found the occupants gone, having fled on foot. The suspects left behind a passenger who could not flee on foot, however—a ten-foot-long python
The California Highway Patrol claims multiple people inside the Cadillac were shining lasers at its helicopter flying above the sideshow. Then, Vallejo police attempted to pull the Cadillac over, but the driver refused to comply. The chase lasted about nine miles before ending in Hercules, California. Despite ditching the car and the snake, all four people who fled the Cadillac were arrested.
Vallejo police noted on Facebook, “The CT6 was towed, and the python was returned to its criminally charged owner.” The driver is facing multiple charges, including felony evasion, according to KRON. The other three occupants were cited for misdemeanors. Criminal charges sound like a slap on the wrist, considering how dangerous sideshows can be. It’s not uncommon for spectators to get hit by sliding cars.
However, the zero-tolerance approach that police departments have taken against sideshows only makes the illicit events more appealing. The aerial footage taken by police helicopters, including ones deployed by CHP, make sideshows look like someone out of an early “Fast & Furious” movie. It’s incredible advertising to draw even more spectators to serve as flesh-and-bone traffic cones holding smartphones.