Cycledrag has been telling you about the rising trend of mini bike drag racing. It’s not just the drag strips that are seeing the rise in popularity of mini bikes. Now they are hitting the streets as well.
Unlawful dirt bike riders are a common sight in cities like Baltimore and New York. Now souped-up, Coleman-style minibikes are drawing the ire of motorists and residents in Los Angeles. Those cries reached a fever pitch on New Year’s Eve, when a brawl between a minibike “gang” and “Beverly Hills 90210” actor Ian Ziering broke out in Hollywood.
Ziering, best known for his role as Steve Sanders in the 1990s series Beverly Hills 90210, was named as the victim by LAPD and the alleged suspects being sought for battery.
“Yesterday, I experienced an alarming incident involving a group of individuals on mini bikes,” Ziering said in a statement on social media. “While stuck in traffic, my car was approached aggressively by one of these riders, leading to an unsettling confrontation. In an attempt to assess any damage, I exited my car. This action, unfortunately, escalated into a physical altercation, which I navigated to protect myself.”
The Hollywood melee is only the latest incident in a series of minibike street takeovers in the Greater Los Angeles area. In March, a large group of minibikers shut down a stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. A crash between an SUV and a minibike resulted in the death of a rider in April. Some attribute the rise of minibike “gangs” to pandemic road conditions and lax traffic law enforcement. No matter the cause, Angelenos are calling for a crackdown on the unruly riders.
Video footage secured by tabloid website TMZ shows that the confrontation began when two minibikers pulled in front of the actor’s SUV. Ziering then exited the vehicle and pushed over one of the combative riders. In response, nearby group members rushed the 59-year-old actor, forcing him to flee across Hollywood Boulevard.
Following the scuffle, a separate video recorded from an adjacent car, below, captured a rider smashing the windshield of Ziering’s Mercedes-Benz with a motorcycle helmet. TMZ also reports that the actor’s 10-year-old daughter, Penna, occupied the vehicle at the time of the vandalism.
In his statement, Ziering went on to criticize local government, saying Los Angeles officials need to “take decisive action” in community safety.
“This situation highlights a larger issue of hooliganism on our streets and the need for effective law enforcement responses to such behavior,” Ziering said. “As a citizen and a parent, I find it unacceptable that groups can freely engage in this kind of behavior, causing fear and chaos, while the response from authorities seems insufficient. I have always been an advocate for standing up against intimidation and misconduct, and this incident reinforces my belief in the importance of personal and community safety. We must address the underlying issues that lead to such disruptive behavior and ensure that our streets are safe for everyone. I urge city officials and law enforcement to take decisive action against such lawlessness and provide the necessary resources to prevent future occurrences.”
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