BREAKING: Infamous Dem-run city descends into Mad Max hellscape as streets are filled with apocalyptic races and explosions
Oakland was once again turned into a dystopian Mad Max-style hellscape as cars and fireworks exploded during multiple street takeovers in the Democrat-run city.
At least one person was left critically injured as several major intersections were shut down by street 'sideshows' in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Reports indicate that one person was critically injured at the car shows as vehicles were set on fire and the streets descended into chaos
Numerous cars were set ablaze, fireworks were thrown and businesses were vandalized as at least three unsanctioned car shows took over the California city.
Hundreds of feral onlookers cheered and screamed as the city descended into lawlessness in scenes reminiscent of the post-apocalyptic movies starring Mel Gibson.
'It's crazy,' Oakland resident Santana Beltran told KTVU. 'They're just running around, and it smells like strip rubber.'
'I'm concerned about my safety and my family. We live close by here,' she added to the outlet as she stood near the scene of one of the shows.
Footage from the sideshows saw a blue Chevy Camaro covered in spray paint, crashed and then set alight before exploding into a fireball.
A silver Infiniti with a missing back wheel spun donuts nearby as onlookers whooped with excitement at the exceptionally disturbing scene.
It is unclear if the trashed cars were stolen.
Reports indicate that one person was critically injured at the car shows, however it is unclear how they were wounded, and no arrests were made.
Residents said the violent illegal car races have been an issue for years but officials and law enforcement fail to crack down on them, with cops admitting they are too overwhelmed to bring them to an end.
+8View gallery
The streets of Oakland descended into Mad Max-style destruction as illegal street car 'sideshows' unfolded across the city in the early hours of Sunday night
+8View gallery
Footage from the sideshows saw cars explode into fireballs and other vehicles destroyed as other drivers spun donuts on the intersections in front of huge crowds
The sideshows on the weekend followed a day of protesting in Oakland that mirrored anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles.
The protests in Oakland were met with a large law enforcement presence after the LA demonstrations descended into violence and chaos in recent weeks, which have caused significant damage to the city.
Police in Oakland say they were already understaffed and overwhelmed, with the Oakland Police Department struggling to keep the car sideshows from continually causing destruction.
Oakland's police department has been mired in scandal after scandal. Until recently, the city was run by soft-on-crime, 'equity'-focused Mayor Sheng Thao and her equally progressive District Attorney Pamela Price.
Both women were booted during a recall in November 2024, but Oakland continues to struggle to find its feet under new mayor Barbara Lee.
Recent video shows that horrific blocks-long shanty towns occupied by the homeless and drug-addled have been cleared in Oakland - but the weekend's violence shows that the city still has a long way to go.
A spokesperson for the Oakland Police Officer's Association, Sam Singer, said on Monday that the destruction on Sunday morning was 'symbolic of the mayhem that residents are experiencing' in the California city.
'The police are outgunned, they're outmanned,' Singer said.
'It's very sad, it's very concerning. Oakland is out of control, and it's likely going to get much worse this summer.'
The police representative said the city urgently needs more officers to bring the violence under control, with more street sideshows springing up on a near-weekly basis.
Large crowds gathered at the multiple unsanctioned street races, where drivers spun donuts and left tire marks in front of homes and businesses
Fireworks were thrown and cars were set on fire
A police union representative said the destruction on Sunday morning was 'symbolic of the mayhem that residents are experiencing' in the California city
The sideshows on the weekend followed a day of anti-ICE protesting in Oakland (pictured) that strained the resources of the already-understaffed and overwhelmed Oakland Police Department
Sunday's chaos was first reported to cops at around 2am when smoke filled the skies as several cars were set on fire, but they were not cleared by officers until over two hours later.
The next morning, tire tracks covered the streets and a number of businesses were destroyed.
One such business, the New York Buffet, was damaged in the violent episode and was left with graffiti and vandalism.
'I see my manager's face, and they're kind of just very disappointed,' one employee at the restaurant, who didn't want to be named, told KTVU.
'Ultimately, it's a business. It's a lifestyle. It is a living. So for it to happen to them, it is very unfortunate... There's more graffiti written on the walls and their windows.'
No arrests were made at the street races, with the Oakland Police Department setting up blocks on the intersection to re-establish peace at around 4:30am Sunday.
Fire crews were dispatched to the area, and up to five crews were working to extinguish car fires through the night.