A Viral TikTok Captured Two Drivers Forcing Cyclists Off the Road in Newport Beach — Now There’s Been an Arrest
A road rage incident that exploded across social media with more than 8 million views on Instagram has led to an arrest in Newport Beach — and the investigation isn’t over yet.
On March 21, cyclists Luke Fetzer and his friend Ben Byra were riding along Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach when two vehicles began driving aggressively toward them. What happened next was captured on video and shared widely online, sparking outrage among cycling communities and beyond.
What the Video Shows
The video posted by Fetzer shows a blue BMW tailgating Byra while he rode in the designated bike lane, eventually forcing him out of the lane and onto the curb and sidewalk. Footage also captures a passenger throwing a water bottle in the direction of the cyclists.
“Just zooms by us, gets the red light and then, as far as know, like 30 seconds later, he’s inches away from my rear wheel,” Byra told KTLA.
But the BMW driver wasn’t acting alone. A person behind the wheel of a black and red Corvette reportedly joined in, at least verbally. Passengers in both vehicles yelled homophobic slurs at the cyclists and threw a water bottle at them, according to reports.
How It Escalated
Fetzer said in an Instagram video that both cars were harassing them despite the cyclists following traffic rules in the bike lane. He described vehicles swerving toward them, honking and putting their lives in danger.
“We’re just riding single file,” Fetzer explained. “Ben is behind me. I’m in front of him and he comes up to us and starts laying on the horn and his buddy yells out the side window.”
To get the drivers to back off, Fetzer said he squirted his water bottle toward the car — and that’s when things took a more dangerous turn.
“He called us slurs and me spraying some water on his car was in retaliation to that,” he said.
According to Fetzer, the situation escalated further when occupants of both cars got out of their vehicles and attempted to block the cyclists while making threats.
Ben Byra told KTLA, “A couple of lights down, they all got out of their cars trying to – I don’t know – tackle us or hit us. I don’t know what their plan was.” He added, “We’re going 30, 40 miles per hour downhill, so if they did touch us, it wouldn’t have been good for anyone.”
The Arrest
Newport Beach police arrested Samir Sweiss of Corona in connection with the incident. He was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and obstructing arrest. Police said they also seized a blue BMW as part of the investigation.
Authorities noted that the investigation remains ongoing and it is unclear if additional arrests will be made.
Why It Struck a Nerve
The incident and its viral spread touched on something bigger than one confrontation on Pacific Coast Highway.
Steve Rosen, Fetzer’s attorney and a cyclist himself, said this is just one example of the dangers that many cyclists face on the roads.
“What’s scary to us is that we’ve seen a real rise in intentional aggression toward cyclists,” he told KTLA. “The unfortunate thing here is that these cyclists were actually where they were supposed to be.”
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
