Arrest Made After Viral Video Captures Road Rage Incident Against Cyclists in Newport Beach
A road rage encounter between motorists and two cyclists on Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach has led to an arrest after video of the incident spread rapidly across social media, drawing millions of views and widespread attention.
Newport Beach police arrested Samir Sweiss of Corona in connection with the March 21 incident. He was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and obstructing arrest. Police said they also seized a blue BMW as part of the investigation and noted that the investigation remains ongoing. It is unclear if additional arrests will be made.
What Happened on Pacific Coast Highway
On March 21, cyclists Luke Fetzer and his friend Ben Byra were riding along Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach when they encountered two vehicles driving aggressively. One of the vehicles, identified as a blue BMW, followed closely behind Byra while he was in the designated bike lane, eventually forcing him out of the lane and onto the curb and sidewalk.
“Just zooms by us, gets the red light and then, as far as know, like 30 seconds later, he’s inches away from my rear wheel,” Byra told KTLA.
The BMW driver wasn’t the only one being aggressive. A person behind the wheel of a black and red Corvette reportedly joined in, at least verbally. Passengers in both vehicles yelled homophobic slurs at the cyclists and threw a water bottle at them, according to the account shared by Fetzer.
“We’re just riding single file,” Fetzer explained. “Ben is behind me. I’m in front of him and he comes up to us and starts laying on the horn and his buddy yells out the side window.”
Fetzer said in an Instagram video that both cars were harassing them despite the cyclists following traffic rules in the bike lane. He said he sprayed water at one of the cars earlier in the encounter out of frustration.
“He called us slurs and me spraying some water on his car was in retaliation to that,” he said.
Confrontation Escalates
Fetzer said the vehicles swerved toward the cyclists, honked and put their lives in danger. The situation escalated when occupants of both cars got out and attempted to block the cyclists while making threats, according to Fetzer.
Byra told KTLA, “A couple of lights down, they all got out of their cars trying to – I don’t know – tackle us or hit us. I don’t know what their plan was,” Byra said. “We’re going 30, 40 miles per hour downhill, so if they did touch us, it wouldn’t have been good for anyone.”
The video posted by Fetzer shows the BMW tailgating in the bike lane, the cyclist being forced onto the sidewalk and a water bottle being thrown. Footage of the incident now has more than 8 million views on Instagram.
Attorney Speaks Out on Cyclist Safety
Steve Rosen, Fetzer’s attorney and a cyclist himself, said this is just one example of the dangers that many cyclists face on the roads.
“What’s scary to us is that we’ve seen a real rise in intentional aggression toward cyclists,” he told KTLA. “The unfortunate thing here is that these cyclists were actually where they were supposed to be.”
The case highlights the tensions that can arise between drivers and cyclists sharing the road, even when riders are using designated bike lanes. Both Fetzer and Byra maintained they were following traffic rules in the bike lane at the time of the encounter.
Police say the investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with additional information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Newport Beach Police Department.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
