Strange lights move over our heads while releasing bright flashes of light.

Late one night as I was 15 years of age a female friend and I were chasing one another on the equipment in a playground.  In the middle of our horse play a bright flash that was strong enough to blind us from all other sight was released.  The flash was quick and resulted with no sound and did not leave our vision impaired after it was through.
This flash did disorientate me and I proceeded to stop and wonder, losing all track of my friend at that moment.  Not to long after the first flash followed another flash just like the first one before it.
By this time I was looking all around to try to make quick sense of what was going on.  Finally I decided to look up towards the stars.  What I saw next froze my body into a very frightening but awe-struck pose.
The best way I can describe it was a pattern of lights that had a soft glow to them, like an infrared light on a security camera you might see at an amusement park.  The lights were arranged in a circle, with another smaller circle of lights with in of different color and 2 to 3 more following with in all of different color.
Only half of these lights were visible.  The circle dimmed as you looked towards the center (half circles).  Once the lights were seen towards the half way point of the circle they were less visible.  The other half of the circles of lights were not visible.
The lights moved together as one although you can see every star in the sky between them.  The lights were proceeding west above our heads slowly, like a helicopter can and during the entire event not a sound was made.
It happened quickly, but before the lights faded as it was moving, another flash just like the ones before was released. Just moments after this flash the lights faded quickly and were gone.  One more flash was released after the lights vanished.
By this point I felt over whelmed and composed myself quickly and began to look for my friend. I found her staring up at the same place I was looking during the event.  She proceeded to look right at me and her face told me she saw it too. 
I quickly asked her if she did see it.  Scared to death she nodded yes.  I told her then we should leave.
Shaking and nervous, we hopped on our bicycles and started to go home when a Riverside County Sheriff raced by the park and flung his search light right on us.  He stopped and exited his patrol car very fast and approached us a little nervous himself and asked us with a strong voice what we were doing here.  Both of us were to frightened to answer him right away and he did detect this and proceeded to ask us calmly but fast if we saw anything.  We both nodded no.  Disappointed he told us strongly to go home and rushed back to his car and took off very fast.
We went back home dazed and confused, talked briefly on what we saw and never spoke of it again.  
20 years later I can not come up with one single ideal of what it was.  Only 4 factors that play in my mind is the Air Force Base not but 20 miles or so north from us at the time, my friend saw it with me, the officer saw something too if not just the flashes and people the next day speaking of the flashes.
Witness indicates that the date of the sighting is approximate.  PD