RICHMOND Police arrested nine people and impounded four vehicles following an illegal sideshow in the early morning hours of Saturday, according to a social media post from the Richmond Police Department.

Around 12:21 a.m., officers responded to the 1300 block of Canal Boulevard on reports of a sideshow, authorities said. There, they found a sideshow with more than 50 vehicles and 200 participants.

When officers arrived, the participants tried to flee by driving in the wrong direction on the street, driving over medians and driving erratically on the sidewalk, police said.

Police deployed spike strips for one vehicle and arrested the occupants, authorities added. The four vehicles will be impounded for 30 days.

Officers added that sideshows pose serious risks to everyone involved. They are also illegal.

These reckless gatherings put lives at stake, from participants to bystanders, authorities wrote in the post.