A Long Beach police officer ended up in a tense confrontation this weekend with a group of minibikers who took over a local street, illustrating the difficulties authorities say they face tamping down on the problem.
The social media video, which has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, shows a Long Beach Police Department officer kneeling on the back of a handcuffed rider as onlookers yell, “let him go.”
Other riders on dirtbikes and small gas-powered bikes block the street, circle nearby and occasionally lob half-empty cans and water bottles at the officer, who appears to point a taser at people in the crowd.
When one person swoops in and grabs the handcuffed rider’s minibike, the officer drags the detainee backward, forcing him to stand up awkwardly and stumble back as the officer takes cover behind his car. Other riders continue to circle and throw things before appearing to take off.
Long Beach police said the altercation happened around 2:10 p.m. on Sunday. The handcuffed rider was detained for riding a pocket bike in the street, said Long Beach police spokesperson Eric Stachura, adding that the rider was cited for a “vehicle code violation” and released at the scene.
Stachura said the crowd dispersed after the officer in the video “deployed pepper gel,” which is similar to pepper spray.
The video gives a glimpse into why Long Beach police officers have been discouraged from trying to arrest or cite individual minibike riders in many cases.
Neighbors have complained in recent months after large groups of bikers have taken over streets and ridden through the downtown and shoreline areas.
All pocket bikes, mini-motorcycles, and other unregistered motorized vehicles are prohibited on public roads, but at a recent neighborhood meeting, LBPD East Division Commander Shaleana Benson said the riders often travel in groups of a dozen or more people, making enforcement a challenge.
The department, she said, does not allow officers to chase the groups, and she advises her officers not to single out one rider for enforcement. Instead, they are told to focus on “trying to keep the public around them safe” rather than sending in a team of officers to confiscate all of the bikes, Benson said.
According to court records, the fine for illegal operation of a pocket bike is $193.
Officers can choose to issue citations or impound vehicles “at their discretion,” Stachura said.
Police did not immediately have data on how often such citations are issued or how many illegal bikes have been confiscated across the city.
But it’s extremely rare in at least one portion of the city: Along the beach bike path, where neighbors say they frequently see the illegal vehicles.
Public records obtained by the Long Beach Post showed police had no record in the last five years of issuing any citations for exceeding the path’s speed limit or for the illegal use of mini-bikes or high-powered electric bikes.
The department said previously, they rely on “periodic enforcement” to monitor the city’s 3.5-mile bike path that stretches from downtown to Belmont Shore.
With the department not staffed to capacity, the LBPD has said it must prioritize where to send officers.
“As always, our top priority is to ensure the safety of our entire community,” Stachura said.