Car Wars At Echo Park's World Naked Bike Ride

Riders gathered near Echo Park Lake Saturday afternoon for a local edition of the World Naked Bike Ride. The event was meant to celebrate cycling and underscore the vulnerablity of bikers in a car culture.  A video uploaded late Saturday afternoon makes the latter point handily.

The video  shows fighting breaking out just before 5:00 p.m. between "naked" bike riders and the occupants of a car on Sunset Boulevard near Waterloo.  Here’s the account that Johnny, who filmed the video, provided to the EastsiderLA:

"People were having fun it seemed, we took a video to document the fun things that happen in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, some guys behind us in traffic, got out of their car to beat up the riders. I don’t know what provoked them to do such a thing. All I heard them yelling was 'faggot' at the riders."

Lt. Wes Buhrmester of Rampart Division added these details about the incident on the EastsiderLA site Sunday morning:

“The suspects were shouting at the riders, when one of them exited their car and punched one of cyclists, using anti-gay slurs. The punch was unprovoked and a blind-side, and knocked the cyclist to the ground. The second suspect exited and committed a similar act against a second victim, knocking him to the ground, then throwing his bicycle at him. More anti-gay slurs were shouted, and the suspects left.”

Buhrmester confirmed for Echo Park Patch Sunday morning that the incident is indeed being investigated as a hate crime.

Burhmester provided this description of the suspects, again in the EastsiderLA comments section:

The first suspect is described as a male, 20 years old, black hair, brown eyes, 5-8, 180 pounds, wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. The second suspect is a male, late 20s, black “buzz cut” hair, dark complexion, 5-10, 200-250 pounds, wearing a blue shirt with blue jeans.

If you have information about the incident call the Rampart Division detectices at (213) 484-3450.

Also if you have any pictures of the incident or the ride, please contact us.

Here is the EastsiderLA's take on the incident.

Here is more information about the World Naked Bike Ride.