Five bicyclists were arrested today in Baldwin Hills for allegedly riding drunk after one of them crashed, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Officers and paramedics were sent to southbound La Cienega Boulevard at Stocker Street at about 1:30 a.m. on a report that a bicyclist had been involved in a crash with a vehicle, the CHP reported.
While officers were investigating the crash, a group of about 15 bicyclists approached them, “using both the northbound and southbound lanes of La Cienega Boulevard,” the CHP reported.
“None of the bicyclists were wearing helmets, and due to the dim lighting, the cyclists were barely visible to passing motorists,” the CHP reported. “As CHP officers contacted the group of bicyclists, they detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the area of the riders.”
Officers detained the riders, conducted field sobriety tests and arrested five of them, including the rider whose crash brought authorities to the scene, the CHP reported. That rider suffered “minor to moderate injuries.”
The five arrested men — who were between the ages of 18 and 22 – were taken to the CHP’s West Los Angeles Area office, where they were cited for “operating a bicycle while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage” and released.
In California, anyone who rides a bicycle under the influence of alcohol or drugs may be charged as such. They are not considered to be or charged with driving under the influence.
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