A 21-year-old hoon who told police the reason he endangered the lives of pedestrians was for "s***s and gigs" has been jailed for eight months.

Boulder man Travis James Ball was only a few hundred metres from Kalgoorlie Police Station when he conducted multiple burnouts in the city's busiest intersection, 600 kilometres east of Perth.

The Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court was played CCTV footage of the June 2 incident which showed his Holden Commodore performing burnouts near several pedestrians, who were gathered outside two busy pubs.

Convicted hoon Travis James Ball outside the Kalgoorlie Magistrate's Court. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Jarrod Lucas )

The footage showed the car running red lights and being driven on the wrong side of the city's main street for about 300 metres.

The incident lasted more than 25 minutes and went viral on social media.

Ball, who reported his car stolen the next morning and was arrested days later, pleaded guilty in July to three counts of endangering life, reckless driving and creating a false belief.

Two people ran out to touch the vehicle during the incident.

Magistrate Adam Hills-Wright said his attempt to evade responsibility by reporting the car stolen was "doomed to fail".

He described the potential for significant injury to pedestrians as "very real".

"It is not suggested any injury was caused," he said.

"But a car can be a lethal weapon and your actions exposed others to danger."

Magistrate says Kalgoorlie 'world away from Summernats'

Defence lawyer Ashley Watson said the risk posed to pedestrians was low because the car was travelling at a slow speed.

Mr Watson told the court the big crowd that gathered on the street were cheering Ball on.

"Burn-outs can be controlled. This was almost at a professional level," he said.

Travis James Ball did multiple burnouts in the Kalgoorlie CBD. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Jarrod Lucas )

But Magistrate Hills-Wright did not buy that argument, saying suburban streets cannot be compared with a racetrack.

"This is a world away from Summernats (an annual car stunt festival held in Canberra)," he said.

The Magistrate said Ball was not in control of the vehicle at all times.

"It is acknowledged by you that alcohol was a factor in your driving … it will never be known what your blood alcohol limit was," Mr Hills-Wright said.

"Your explanation for your conduct that it was for 's***s and gigs' suggests you don't understand the seriousness of your behaviour."

Police shocked by reckless behaviour behind the wheel

Kalgoorlie Police officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant Peter Healy said he was shocked by the reckless driving.

"In my personal experience, this is the worst incident I've seen," he said.

Kalgoorlie Police officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant Peter Healy says the incident is among the worst he has ever seen. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Jarrod Lucas )

Snr Sgt Healy said he hoped the jail sentence sent a strong message to other drivers.

"This just shows the courts look at it as a serious matter," he said.

"Everyone needs to understand that when you're in charge of a motor vehicle, you need to respect others, obey the laws and be mindful you're driving an object that can hurt other people."

Ball's eight-month sentence will be backdated to August 4, when he was taken into custody.

He was disqualified from holding a driver's licence for two years.