Sideshow Participant Charged With Attempted Murder Of A Police Officer

The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office has filed multiple felony charges against Juan Noel Vargas and Genesis Castaneda stemming from a incident during a street sideshow in Richmond January 28.

Charges against Vargas, who was driving at the time of the incident, include Attempted Murder of a Police Officer and Assault with a Deadly Weapon. Castaneda was charged with Accessory After the Fact, Conspiracy and Falsifying a Police Report. Both are 18-years-old.

Richmond police officers responded to Marina Way and Regatta Blvd after residents reported a large crowd of people watching several cars spinning donuts at the intersection early the morning of the 28th.

Neighbors reported that the crowd began to disperse as law enforcement arrived on the scene, one officer exiting his car and approaching a line of cars on foot. Cell phone video captured as the incident unfolded shows Vargas accelerating into the officer, throwing him up into the air and against the windshield of Vargas’ car before speeding off. 

The offficer was transported to a local hospital where he was treated for significant injuries including a dislocated shoulder and a head wound which required staples.

The suspect vehicle was abandoned and found a few blocks away.  Visual inspection revealed damage to the windshield and body panels to the vehicle.    

The defendants are currently in custody awaiting arraignment on the filed charges.