Fresno sideshow crowd attacks CHP vehicle

A crowd at a south Fresno “sideshow” attacked a California Highway Patrol vehicle after the officer attempted to stop a participant Sunday afternoon.

The officer wasn’t hurt, but damage to the Ford SUV was estimated to be $12,000, the CHP said.

Fresno police Lt. Mindy Casto said the incident happened about 3:40 p.m. near the intersection of Orange and North avenues, an industrial area just west of Highway 99. The CHP officer was patrolling the area when he approached a crowd of 40 people who were surrounding a white Chevrolet Tahoe doing doughnuts – a staple of sideshows, which are roughly offshoots of street racing. As the officer got out of his vehicle to approach the driver, the Tahoe sped off. The officer got back in his SUV to chase the Tahoe, but the crowd surrounded the vehicle and began damaging it. Casto said it was unclear what the crowd used, but they managed to break several windows.

Fresno police officers were called for backup but the crowd quickly dispersed.

Casto said there were many reports of sideshows throughout Fresno Sunday. Most of the people involved appeared to be from out of town, she said. Many posted videos of street scenes in and around the city using #Bay2Fresno as a hashtag.

Detectives have interviewed several witnesses and are reviewing footage from the incident. Suspects could be charged with several felonies, Casto said.

CHP asks anyone with information on the case to call Fresno police at 559-621-7000 or Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867 (STOP).

This story was originally published September 25, 2016 at 8:39 PM with the headline "Fresno sideshow crowd attacks CHP vehicle."