Apparently police blamed “you guys” or the collective car scene as the reason for initiating a mass stop.
Car enthusiast and LA County resident Dorian Gonzalez was just trying to lead a friendly pre-Thanksgiving car cruise for his friends when their weekend drive took a turn for the worse.
Gonzalez took to Instagram and described how the Los Angeles County Sherriff’s department cordoned off Gonzalez and his friends and prevented them from driving down San Gabriel County Road, handing out tickets to everyone that showed up.
Check out photos and video from his encounter with police below.
“The moment we got to Azusa I was leading up Canyon (San Gabriel County Road AKA SR 39,)” Gonzalez explains.
Right at the beggining a cop drove up in front driving no faster then 20-25 mph all the way to the very top.
Gonzalez describes how police stopped Gonzalez and his friends without an explanation, called for back-up, and, when more than half a dozen police cars showed up, proceeded to “pop the hoods” of every car there, no matter the level of modification.
When Gonzalez asked an LA County Sherrif’s officer for an explanation, they replied with,
“It’s not you, it’s you guys in general (referring to “car scene.) You guys are up here doing no good, burning out, etc. causing problems and danger.”
Gonzalez mentions state referee tickets were handed out.
“Moral of the story, we got trapped in by over 7 officers giving every single car at cruise a ticket, even the most stock cars. Refs were given out as well.”
If your car has even the slightest exterior modifications, or you’re just driving with more than one other car, prepare for Los Angeles police to use that as probable cause something in your engine bay is not in compliance with California emissions regulations.
Most large metro areas, Los Angeles included, has seen an uptick in street racing, sideshows, and speed contest-type driving during the pandemic.
According to the L.A. Times, street racing is up by as much as 27 percent in Los Angeles.
As this happened a week before Thanksgiving, it looks like police are making their presence known and are sending a message.
Large gatherings of cars or cruise type events that even give off a hint of spirited driving above and beyond normal highway speeds are not welcome, especially during the holidays.
If you’re planning a car cruise with your friends, especially on the Angeles Crest Highway or surrounding area, it would behoove you to find a less popular twisty road, at least until after the holidays.
“If you ask me, we did nothing wrong,” Gonzalez concludes.
