Nearly 80 people were cited and their pocket bikes and minibikes were impounded today after Los Angeles police boxed in participants in a planned takeover on the Sixth Street Bridge.
The operation unfolded around 2 p.m. Sunday near Sixth Street and Boyle Avenue after police received information that a large gathering of minibike riders was going to take place on the bridge, according to LAPD Sgt. Robert Leary of the department’s Street Racing Task Force.
Leary said police assembled a team and blocked in the riders, allowing officers to get them off their bikes and take them into custody without incident.
There were about 75 to 80 participants, according to Leary.
“We consider the citation an arrest,” Leary said, adding that there were as many as 78 misdemeanor arrests for illegally operating the bikes on city streets, and 78 vehicles impounded and expected to be held for at least 48 hours.
Some of those cited were juveniles. Their parents were notified and were summoned to come and take custody of them, according to Leary.
Police also impounded two trucks for 30 days for allegedly aiding and abetting the takeover. Leary said those vehicles had been used to help conceal items for minors participating in the gathering.
No injuries were reported during the operation, according to Leary.
Last weekend, authorities swarmed a weekend street takeover in the Harbor Gateway area and issued 570 citations. And earlier this week, the Los Angeles City Council called for a report on available and additional enforcement tools necessary to crack down on street takeovers.