Alameda County’s district attorney has filed sideshow charges against two men accused of organizing and promoting a sideshow in September of 2025.
The announcement Monday comes as local authorities up their focus on sideshows in the wake of a series of violent encounters across Oakland involving assailants on ATVs and dirt bikes.
Earlier this month, the Oakland and San Francisco police departments partnered with the California Highway Patrol to track down and later trap dozens of people who participated in sideshows and rides on May 3 across the Bay Area. In all, officers impounded at least 77 dirt bikes and ATVs in the takedown, and at least one person has been charged.
The charges announced Monday stem from a separate incident in September 2025 in West Oakland, according to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. The men were charged with organizing and facilitating a sideshow, as well as aiding and abetting a speed contest, both misdemeanors, according to the district attorney’s office.
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to accurately reflect that the newly-announced charges did not stem from the Bay Bridge incident on May 3.
Jakob Rodgers is a senior breaking news reporter. Call, text or send him an encrypted message via Signal at 510-390-2351, or email him at jrodgers@bayareanewsgroup.com.