Fourth of July weekend sideshow leaves Sacramento neighborhood on edge

SACRAMENTO -- A sideshow spectacle in Sacramento over the Fourth of July holiday weekend had neighbors on edge and Sacramento Police at work with multiple citations.

The final count: 500 spectators and 150 vehicles turned up to the intersection of Meadowview Road and Amherst Street in Sacramento just before 11:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Neighbors nearby told CBS13 this is not the first time the intersection has become a meeting place for sideshow activity. They estimate there is at least one sideshow every month, at times, they say there is one once a week.

The intersection is well-traveled as nearby is a gas station, fast food restaurants, and a retail shopping center. There are also homes and an apartment complex that back up to the street where Sacramento police say hundreds gathered on Sunday night for illegal activity.

This weekend, there was the addition of illegal fireworks set off back-to-back for upwards of an hour, one neighbor, who did not want to be identified due to uncertainty about who partakes in the sideshows, told CBS13.

"It's a little scary, especially because I have kids." one neighbor said.

Another neighbor said the sounds of the fireworks and the flashes of light were comparable to "bombs." His concerns, not for himself, but for his grandchildren who live in the neighborhood -- close enough that, he believes, a firework that went the wrong direction could cause harm.

"We're not calling [911] for the fun of it. We're calling because we care about our neighbors, our neighborhood. I care about my grandchildren and my wife, you know?" another neighbor told CBS13.

"Sometimes there are gunshots," a neighbor told CBS13, who was fearful of sideshow activity going sideways and hurting her family who live close to the intersection.

According to Sacramento police, officers stopped 3 cars, cited 4 people for illegal sideshow violations, and towed 3 vehicles for 30 days.

In:
• Sideshows
• Sacramento
• Fireworks