WEST COVINA — Authorities Wednesday continued seeking a motorcyclist who, along with more than 100 fellow bikers, shut down the 10 Freeway in West Covina over the weekend to propose to his now-fiancee.
The cyclists brought all traffic lanes to a halt and blocked an offramp for the proposal, as some bikers popped wheelies and turned donuts to celebrate.
Online comments posted on viral YouTube videos of Sunday’s 1:30 p.m. stunt on the eastbound San Bernardino (10) Freeway at Barranca Avenue range from support to fury.
The California Highway Patrol can be counted among those not amused by the stunt, which Sgt. Kurt Stormes called “dangerous.”
In addition to numerous traffic violations observed in the YouTube videos, officers are also investigating the incident as conspiracy to commit a crime, which can be prosecuted as a felony.
“It’s dangerous when you do something like that,” Stormes said. “You’ve got free flowing traffic; suddenly traffic comes to a stop and people don’t know what happened, and that’s when accidents happen.”
The motorcyclist had been identified and indicated he would turn himself in to investigators, Stormes said, however that had not taken place Wednesday morning.
The CHP and Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office planned to prosecute the case to the “fullest extent” of the law, Stormes added.
Another group of men who intentionally stopped the Hollywood (101) Freeway in Los Angeles during rush hour in October of 2010 to promote their rock band were charged and convicted of felony charges last year.
The band members stopped a large truck plastered with an advertisement for their band on the southbound 101 Freeway at Sunset Boulevard, blocking all but one lane of the freeway, before climbing on top of the truck and playing their instruments, according to district attorney’s officials. The obstruction lasted about four hours.
The three members of an Orange County rock band each pleaded no contest to a felony count of conspiracy, as well as a misdemeanor county of creating a public nuisance and two misdemeanor counts of resisting, obstructing or delaying police.
Christopher Roy Wright, 34, David Paul Hale, 32, and Keith R. Yackey, 33, were sentenced to three years probation and 35 days of community service.
