3:00pm | A few days after the Long Beach Police Department stopped, cited and confiscated bicycles for various violations, members of that Critical Mass ride near the campus of Cal State Long Beach on Friday night arrived at a department-owned warehouse to reclaim their bikes.
If bikes were not previously registered, owners paid a $3 fee to register them on the spot.
More than 70 citations were handed out and at least 20 bicycles were confiscated shortly after the large group of riders left the campus of Cal State Long Beach on Friday night. Organizers say that attempts to secure an event permit were unsuccessful, while the Police Department says that contact was made but organizers didn’t want to pay the permit fee. Either way, riders were cited for violations including rolling through a stop sign, riding bikes not equipped with hand brakes and failing to license their bicycles. The Long Beach Post will be following up on this story as it progresses.
Members of last Friday night’s Critical Mass ride gather in the parking lot of Santa Fe Imports before heading to pick up their confiscated bikes at the LBPD Bike Warehouse.
Members of last Friday night’s Critical Mass ride gather in the parking lot of Santa Fe Imports before retrieving their confiscated bikes at the LBPD Bike Warehouse.
Riders who had their bikes confiscated on Friday night by Long Beach police arrive outside the LBPD Bike Warehouse only to find it closed.
Members of last Friday night’s Critical Mass ride look through the window of the LBPD Bike Warehouse trying to spot their rides.
Sierra Wendt arrives at the posted hour to pick up her confiscated bike only to find the building closed.
Officer Davidson arrives shortly after the posted hours of operation and gathers information from riders to begin the process of returning confiscated bicycles.
Travis Horne exits the LBPD Bike Warehouse with his newly freed bicycle to cheers from those waiting on line.
Travis Horne exits the LBPD Bike Warehouse with his newly freed bicycle to cheers from those waiting on line.
Ken Lewis exits the LBPD Bike Warehouse with his confiscated bike to cheers from the crowd waiting on line.