Muscle car being towed away from weekend street racing event. The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office is holding 88 vehicles confiscated at a Stockton sideshow on Feb. 3.San Joaquin County SO/Facebook
San Joaquin County, California, Sheriff Patrick Withrow has a harsh message for owners of approximately 88 vehicles confiscated at a Stockton sideshow over the weekend. They may not be getting them back, at least not any time soon.
"They can stop calling. Those vehicles will be held by us until those court cases have been settled," Withrow said in a video on Facebook.
He added that he plans to destroy those that have been modified specifically for street racing and sideshows, if they are determined to be a “public nuisance.”
Deputies detained 150 people and arrested others, booking them into jail. Several loaded firearms and quantities of illegal drugs were found inside some of the cars.
The Feb. 3 operation that resulted in the confiscation of the vehicles and the arrests of some participants was conducted by the San Joaquin County Sideshow Taskforce.
They had advance intelligence about the event and were able to infiltrate the group and learn the location and time, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
After setting up at the site, “The task force observed several hundred people and vehicles block the roadway, and a red truck begin driving recklessly in the intersection. The task force rapidly contained the intersection and stabilized the scene,” the statement said.
In addition to deputies from the San Joaquin County SO, the operation involved personnel from the Stockton, Lodi, Sacramento, and Manteca Police Departments, Delta College Police, Delta RATT, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office, District Attorney’s Investigators, the CHP, AMR and all of the tow companies that responded to assist in this effort.
The statement concluded with: “The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office continues to take a zero tolerance policy on sideshow activity. Our office has remained vigilant and proactive to prevent and stop sideshow activity, and in cases like this, immediately responded. We want to make it clear that all persons participating, spectating or involved, will be held to the full extent of the law.”
