Video: CHP officer taunted, waved away by reckless biker mob

Officer with sirens on waved away as pack of roughly 50 riders can be seen speeding, doing wheelies and standing on their bikes

October 23, 2014 02:43 PM

By Katie Nelson
San Jose Mercury News

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The California Highway Patrol is attempting to find out who shot a video that was posted on YouTube showing one of their motorcycle officers attempting to corral a group of motorcyclists who were driving recklessly down southbound Interstate 680 in Milpitas and San Jose earlier this month.

In the video, posted Tuesday by user"gurustunts,” the pack of roughly 50 riders can be seen speeding and weaving around each other along I-680, doing wheelies and standing on their bikes as they ride. A CHP motorcycle officer is among them, sirens blaring, attempting to get the group’s attention and pull over several of the riders.

At one point, one of the motorcyclists speeds past the officer, weaving across traffic lanes. The officer follows, but then the motorcyclist filming the entire incident on his helmet camera pulls up next to the CHP officer, shooing him away.

In the video, shot on the afternoon of Oct. 11, the officer can be heard yelling at the motorcyclists “No more” and “Knock it off.” The rider filming the incident again waves off the officer, who eventually does ride off.

The riders pump their fists before resuming doing wheelies as the video ends.

According to a CHP spokesman, Officer Ross Lee, the video is a segment of a 10-minute ordeal that ended when the group pulled off the freeway at the McKee Road exit.

Although the motorcycle officer was never able pull over any of the riders, he did call for backup while he tailed the group, Lee said. After the officer was waved off by the rider who filmed the incident, he pulled over and waited for another CHP officer to help him follow the group until they left the freeway.

“He did what was safe,” Lee said. “The riders had no intention of being compliant. ... He made the right decision.”

The person who posted the video on YouTube did not respond to a request for comment on the footage.

Lee said the CHP is gathering information on the video, having only learned about it Wednesday, but stressed that the “exhibition of speed” by the riders earlier this month is unsafe.

“You never want to be in a situation where you or those involved could be hurt,” he said. “The riders were putting not only the public in harm’s way, they were putting themselves in harm’s way.”