Spike strips, high speed pursuits, racing: 16 arrested after weekend sideshows
More than a dozen people were arrested over the weekend for their alleged involvement in illegal street racing and sideshows in several areas of Stanislaus County.
Most of the arrests were made at the former naval airfield near Crows Landing where people have been coming weekly for the past few months to drag race and spin donuts, said Patterson Police Services Chief Josh Clayton.
He said there have been problems with people trespassing on the property to race for many years but in the past three months the frequency has increased from about once a month to multiple times a week, including a standing Sunday meetup.
This Sunday, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s deputies assigned to Patterson’s traffic unit and detective division, as well as the department’s Major Accident Investigation Team, surrounded the airfield where a group had gathered late Sunday morning.
Clayton said they laid spike strips down at three main entrances to the airfield so no one would flee.
Deputies arrested 11 adults and cited and released three juveniles on suspicion of trespassing. They also towed 13 vehicles and a trailer.
“There are times and places where racing is appropriate, but we will not allow dangerous and unsanctioned activity to happen,” says a post on the Patterson Police Services’ Facebook page.
Clayton said many of the people arrested were from out of the area, mostly Stockton.
Another Stockton man was arrested after fleeing at high speed from a sideshow in Modesto two days earlier.
At about 8:50 p.m. Friday, Modesto Police got a report of a large gathering of about 100 vehicles in the parking lot of the Dollar General at Tully Road and Bowen Avenue, said Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Sharon Bear.
Officers responded and directed people to disperse.
Bear said an officer observed one of the vehicles being driven recklessly after leaving the parking lot. The driver of a Pontiac ran a red light at Tully and Briggsmore Avenue then hit the center median.
The officer initiated a stop but the suspect sped away. Bear said the officer did not pursue the suspect but the Sheriff Department’s airplane followed the car from above as it sped north on Highway 99.
Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Sgt. Luke Schwartz said the California Highway Patrol in Stockton caught up with and pursued the vehicle as it reached speeds of up to 130 mph.
The suspect, 18-year-old Francisco Perez of Stockton, eventually stopped in a residential neighborhood in Stockton, where he was arrested on suspicion of evading and reckless driving.
Another person fled from a sideshow in Turlock Saturday night, leading deputies on a short pursuit before his arrest.
Schwartz said deputies spotted the sideshow involving about 70 vehicles off of Highway 99 near North Tully Road and West Main Street just before 11 p.m.
As they were breaking it up, a black Chevrolet Camaro peeled out as it sped away.
A deputy tried to stop the driver but he failed to yield, leading to a brief pursuit that reached speeds of 80 mph before it was called off for the safety of the public, Schwartz said.
The Sheriff Department’s airplane followed the suspect until he stopped in a residential neighborhood and was detained. Phillip Ruiz, 20, was arrested on suspicion of evading and street racing.
This story was originally published November 30, 2020 at 5:01 PM.
