SAN FRANCISCO — A 10-foot-long python was discovered in a vehicle during a bust of an illegal sideshow in the San Francisco Bay Area that attracted hundreds of people, authorities say.

The Vallejo Police Department said officials received multiple calls around 11:12 p.m. Friday of a sideshow involving roughly 500 vehicles in that East Bay city. Drivers were blocking traffic, beaming lasers into the eyes of other motorists, and spinning their vehicles, according to a police statement.

High-Speed Chase Leads to Surprising Discovery

The occupants of a Cadillac shined a laser into officers’ eyes, prompting the police to initiate a traffic stop, police said. But the driver led police on a 10-mile (16-kilometer) chase to the city of Hercules, where the driver and three occupants bailed out of the vehicle.

Inside the vehicle, police found the 10-foot (3-meter) python. The driver was arrested on multiple charges, including felony evading. The passengers received misdemeanor citations.

Vallejo is about 30 miles northeast of San Francisco.