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If you’re an inner-city dweller who has ever had your peace suddenly ripped apart by the roar of 70 minibikes parading through the streets of Downtown Los Angeles, you can rest assured: the LAPD has heard the noise, too. On Sunday afternoon, more than 70 minibike riders, ranging in age from 13 to 50, came roaring across the Sixth Street Bridge, only to discover that police had spun a web across one of Downtown’s most recognizable gateways.
Los Angeles police received reports of the large gathering at approximately 12:15 p.m. Multiple patrol vehicles responded and blocked the riders’ exits while officers with the LAPD Street Racing Task Force moved in, bringing the ride to an abrupt stop.
According to police, participants blocked lanes, brought traffic to a standstill, performed donuts and wheelies, rode on the wrong side of the roadway and weaved between vehicles. The exhibition endangered the minibike riders as well as motorists, cyclists and pedestrians while leaving black rubber marks from repeated donuts across the bridge’s pavement.
Some participants offered a different version of events. Marvin Deleon, who was riding alongside his 13-year-old daughter, Leilani, told ABC7 that the gathering was a birthday rideout, not a street takeover. He argued that parents accompanied the younger riders and attempted to keep them safe.
The LAPD reported that older adults, including some parents of the minors involved, helped lead the procession. Some allegedly drove lead and trailing vehicles while others participated in the ride. Parental supervision, however, does not transform an unauthorized motorized minibike into a street-legal vehicle.
The police operation resulted in 78 citations. Riders were detained, processed and released, while dozens of minibikes were confiscated and ordered impounded for at least 48 hours. Two adults were arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting the activity. Two pickup trucks reportedly connected to the ride were also impounded.
Because many of the participants were minors, the LAPD said officers approached the operation with caution and focused on educating the younger riders before getting them home safely. Police warned that minibikes and pocket bikes generally lack the safety equipment, visibility and stability required for use on active public streets. One wrong move among moving cars, police said, could result in catastrophic injuries.
Leilani told ABC7 that officers placed zip ties around her wrists, leaving marks, while detaining her with the other riders. Her father defended their participation, maintaining that riding beside his daughter allowed him to keep her safe. The argument failed to address the traffic disruption or the danger created when dozens of small motorized bikes occupied an active bridge at the same time.
The Sixth Street Bridge has attracted vehicle stunts, street takeovers and unauthorized gatherings since reopening in July 2022. Its sweeping arches may have been designed as a civic landmark connecting Downtown Los Angeles and Boyle Heights, but the bridge has repeatedly become a stage for riders and drivers seeking attention.
On Sunday, the riders found plenty of attention waiting. Instead of an open route across the Los Angeles River, the minibike parade encountered patrol cars, citations, impound trucks and an LAPD web stretched across the Sixth Street Bridge.
