A motorist traveling on Sunset Boulevard was forced off the road in the Palisades Village on Sunday afternoon by a pack of motorcyclists. The person called 911 and said, “someone could easily be injured or killed.”
A video was captured a few minutes later between Chautauqua and Will Rogers Road on Sunset Boulevard.
Senior Lead Officer Brian Espin was asked what can be done about the apparent disregard for the law that many of the bikers seem to have. Would it be possible to have a police car parked near Almalfi to pull people over?
Espin explained in a June 12 email that “When it comes to the large vehicle or motorcycle groups, police will generally not do enforcement stops when the group outnumbers the officers.”
The Palisades SLO said that “groups have surrounded officers in the past and it has become very unsafe, so we will monitor the groups and try to get vehicle and license plate information for possible follow-up at a later time.”
He said that the traffic division has units dedicated to a street racing taskforce that deals with large groups in the city.
Espin explained that LAPD has a stringent pursuit policy. If it is a misdemeanor or infraction, officers will not go in pursuit. Police do pursue certain types of felonies and violent felony crimes.
For a pursuit to happen, several factors need to be considered, which could include road conditions, pedestrians, schools and high traffic volume. “If we are following or chasing someone who we know their identity, we will discontinue the pursuit when the conditions become unsafe,” Espin said.
Several vehicles in the video are not allowed on the street. In packs, young people often do stupid things… Sometimes involving innocent citizens… Parents, you may well be held responsible for your children’s behavior…
Hi Sue ! I love getting CTN and finding out all sorts of thing going on around town which I would have otherwise totally missed. Our community is made up of myriad of details – and those cyclists are now a part. A dangerous part.
I’m not sure your heading was quite accurate – as I was expecting adults on actual motorcycles. These seemed to be miscreant ‘kids’ on motorbikes, moto-cross bikes, and 4-wheel ATV carts – soley looking for attention. The number of wheelies and shrill motor sounds also indicate youths on play-motorbikes.
It only makes a difference in that there is still a chance parents might be brought in to help resolve the situation and bring an end to the pure exhibitionism being displayed.
Also – rather than the vehicle being ‘forced off the road’, perhaps the driver could remember they are much safer inside the vehicle and probably put themselves at more risk by trying to leave the roadway. Simply slowing to a stop in the road would be a safe way to make a statement to these kids. And blowing a horn, perhaps.