FILE: The Oakland Police Department said it is investigating an assault that occurred April 30 just after 7:30 p.m. on the 3400 block of Adeline Street.
JasonDoiy/Getty Images/iStockphotoOakland Mayor Sheng Thao said Tuesday she’s “outraged” by a video of a crowd assaulting a man at an illegal sideshow on Sunday.
Multiple local TV stations shared video of the sideshow, which featured cars speeding around in circles and doing doughnuts and other stunts at the intersection of 34th and Adeline streets. The TV stations reported that the man who was attacked had been frustrated by the sideshow. NBC Bay Area said he threw a bucket at one of the cars before the crowd began beating him; KTVU said he hit a participating car with his hand. The TV stations also posted video of the man being kicked and punched. (Warning: The videos are extremely disturbing.)
“The brutal attack was just the latest example of how illegal sideshows put our communities at risk and create unsafe environments that can lead to violence,” Thao wrote on Twitter.
The Oakland Police Department said it is investigating the assault. The department said it received multiple calls about sideshow activity, gunshots and reports of the attack.
When officers arrived on scene, they found an estimated 60 cars and more than 100 spectators gathered in the West Oakland neighborhood wedged up against Interstate 580. They were unable to locate the man who was assaulted and learned that he had already gone to a local hospital, OPD said.
Oakland police could not confirm what happened before the attack. The department is asking anyone with information to call 510-238-3426.
