California

Caught on Cam: Sideshow Drivers Spin Donuts on Bay Bridge

Standstill traffic and sports cars spinning donuts on the Bay Bridge Sunday afternoon ended in an arrest, California Highway Patrol officials said.

Officers responded to a call of three cars — a black Ford Mustang, a white Ford Mustang and a black Chevrolet Camaro — weaving in and out of westbound traffic on the bridge around 3:30 p.m., driving at speeds of 80 to 90 miles per hour. After passing through the Yerba Buena Island tunnel, the vehicles managed to bring traffic to a halt and burn donuts on the western span, according to the CHP.

A private citizen caught the sideshow action on camera and alerted police, giving them time to position themselves at the end of the bridge and wait for the vehicles to pass, CHP said.

Once the two Mustangs drove past the cruisers and officers were able to confirm the descriptions of the reported vehicles, CHP said that they made an enforcement stop.

One of the drivers received a citation and was released. Another driver was arrested and had his vehicle impounded, according to the CHP.

The San Francisco District Attorney's Office will consider whether to file charges, CHP said.

A family driving back to the Bay Area from vacationing in Orange County said they were front and center to the sideshow.

"I noticed erratic driving, and freaked out since I had my kids in the car," one of the family members told NBC Bay Area. "I was trying not to get near the cars. They were swerving from lane to lane, trying to get everyone behind them. The cars started doing donuts, and we just stayed back. When it was over they just sped off, they all veered to the left, exiting as soon as possible. I stayed back for as long as I could — it kind of shook us up."

"Thank goodness there was an arrest made," the eyewitness added. "We were all very scared and did not ask for front row seats to this ridiculousness."

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