Tires screeched, cars spun donuts and gunshots rang out during an early morning of sideshow activity by an estimated 700 vehicles at various spots in East Oakland, authorities said Sunday.

Oakland police, the California Highway Patrol and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office all responded after vehicles overtook Interstate 880 near the High Street exit, as well as city streets in East Oakland. Authorities said an influx of cars from Fresno and Los Angeles, and motorcycles from San Jose, created the high number of vehicles involved in the sideshows.

Normally, about 200 vehicles are associated with sideshow activity on a given night, police said.

One person was arrested after leaving a reported sideshow at 73rd Avenue near San Leandro Street, CHP Officer Sean Wilkenfeld said Sunday evening.

Officers responding to a sideshow at 11:43 p.m. Saturday tried to stop the fleeing driver of a red Ford Mustang, who led officers on a 2.5-mile chase before stopping and being arrested, Wilkenfeld said.

Shots were reported from several places, and the CHP said it received reports that at least one of the shots was aimed at one of its helicopters, which was viewing the activity from overhead.

Wilkenfeld sought to clarify those reports Sunday evening.

“We did receive reports from officers on the ground that shots were being fired in the vicinity of the sideshows,” Wilkenfeld said. “Our helicopter was overhead assisting with enforcement operations; however, the crew did not report any damage to the aircraft.”

An Oakland police patrol car was vandalized with rocks and bottles and rendered unusable, police said.

The activity also caused the fire station at 98th Avenue and International Boulevard to be shut down for a time, as officers worked to get the vehicles to disperse, police said.

Oakland police said the sideshow activity went from about 11:30 p.m. to 4 a.m. in various locations throughout East Oakland. Overnight rain slowed down the activity and started the dispersal process, police said.

Wilkenfeld said officers responded about 12:45 a.m. to the southbound lanes of Interstate 880 at High Street for reports of some vehicles traveling the wrong way on the freeway and some vehicles spinning donuts and blocking lanes.

Other cars were involved in sideshows in the 400 block of Alameda Way, Coliseum Way, 54th Avenue and International Boulevard, 106th Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard, and 90th and Bancroft avenues, according to police.

The CHP and Oakland police were investigating.

Staff writer George Kelly contributed to this report. Contact Rick Hurd at 925-945-4789 and follow him at Twitter.com/3rdERH.

By Rick Hurd and Harry Harris, Bay Area News Group