Sideshows — linked to the shooting deaths of at least  three people so far this year in Stockton — has prompted Congressman Josh Harder to back the creation of a federal Street Racing Prevention and Intervention Task Force.

The “They’re Fast, We’re Furious Act” who assign the FBI to lead a task force that brings together the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Transportation (DOT), state and local law enforcement, and other law enforcement officials.

Sideshows are hotbeds for criminal activity, especially the use of unlawful firearms. These illegal gatherings often shut down entire public streets and intersections for extended periods of time while cars perform dangerous stunts.

“Sideshows have become hot spots for violent crime in Stockton, with three people shot and killed this year and many others suffering injuries,: Harder, D-Tracy, said.

“It’s really scary, especially for families with young kids. People are coming from all over, performing dangerous stunts right outside of people’s homes, bringing gang activity, and trafficking illegal weapons into our community, and we have to put a stop to it. This bill directs the FBI to create a task force aimed at stopping these dangerous sideshows.”

Stockton incidents include:

*In November, a man who was caught up in a sideshow in Stockton was injured so badly, he had to get his foot amputated.

*In May, a Stockton Police officer suffered minor injuries at a sideshow. Many sideshow-related injuries go unreported.

*In July, an 18-year-old man was shot and killed in Stockton after attending a sideshow.

*In May, a sideshow in Stockton turned deadly when there was a triple shooting in the midst of sideshow activity.

*In April, a 22-year-old was shot and killed during a sideshow in Stockton.

 Earlier this year, a sideshow mob in Sacramento violently attacked a family in their minivan

Specifically, the They’re Fast, We’re Furious Act would require the Director of the FBI to establish a “Street Racing Prevention and Intervention Task Force” including members from the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), state or local law enforcement agencies, and the FBI.

The Task Force would be responsible for analyzing the prevalence and impacts of street racing, vehicle sideshows, and street takeovers; developing best practices for a national approach to combat these organized events; and coordinating the response of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to these incidents.