Crime & Safety
East Bay Police Officer Seriously Injured By Sideshow Driver
Police say the suspects drove straight at the police officer, throwing him onto the hood of their car.
RICHMOND, CA — A Richmond Police officer was seriously injured over the weekend when he was intentionally hit by a car attending a sideshow in that city, according to police. Two teens have been arrested — Juan Vargas for suspicion of attempted murder of a police officer and Genesis Diaz-Castaneda for suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder, according to police. Both are 18-years-old.
The officer was taken to the hospital for treatment of broken bones and other serious injuries. An update on his condition is not immediately available.
Police responded to reports of a sideshow underway on Marina Bay Parkway at 1:20 a.m. Sunday. They found cars spinning donuts, with 40-50 cars watching.
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Juan Vargas arrested for attempt murder of RPD Ofcr during weekend sideshow & Genesis Diaz-Castaneda, both 18, arrested for conspiracy pic.twitter.com/BYc1W0M00O
— Richmond Police, CA (@RPDCAOnline) January 29, 2018
As officers tried to stop some of the cars, one sped straight at an officer, hitting him, according to police. The officer was thrown onto the hood of the car during the crash.
There was another serious incident over the weekend involving a sideshow. A CHP helicopter monitoring a sideshow in Oakland was hit with a laser, temporarily blinding the pilot, which could have caused the aircraft to crash.
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>>Also See: CHP Helicopter Hit By Laser: Video
And video has surfaced of a spectator getting hit at the Oakland sideshow. The above video was taken by Ken Houston.
-Image via Richmond Police
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