Hundreds of car enthusiasts gather in Clovis to support police

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Central California Auto Show isn't the only stop car enthusiasts made Saturday. Hundreds gathered for a car club meetup in Clovis.

From the sleek paint jobs to the revved up engines, it may look like your average car meetup. But look a little closer and you'll see it's an effort to bring auto enthusiasts and law enforcement officers together.

Hundreds gathered to show off their rides and back the blue.

"Everyone here is always doing good causes and helping out the locals," organizer Bucky Hoholik said. "And we wanted to show support for our law enforcement."

"I saw the call for service," Clovis Police officer Abby Padgett said. "I wasn't sure what I was getting into, but I was pleasantly surprised to see this many people show up today just to talk about the good relationships between the community and law enforcement."

Padgett was thrilled to see the spin several local car clubs put on the meetup and added that their commonalities don't stop at their love of cars.

"I firmly believe that it's the support between community and law enforcement that's going to keep us all together and keep us all safe," she said.

"We want to show our support and show them that they're not alone out here that everybody here has their back," Hoholik said.

The event comes in response to a viral video that captured the attack on a CHP officer in his car. It happened in September after the officer tried to break up a sideshow in southwest Fresno. The officer was unharmed but the group broke windows and dented the cruiser, causing $12,000 worth of damage before the officer drove away.

"It's a couple of bad apples in any profession, especially law enforcement as well, and, unfortunately, that entire group gets stereotyped because of it," Padgett said.