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Unlawful dirt bike riders are a common sight in cities like Baltimore and New York. Meanwhile, another type of illegal two-wheeler is taking over the streets of Los Angeles: minibikes. You read that right, souped-up, Coleman-style minibikes are drawing the ire of motorists and residents in Tinsel Town. Those cries reached a fever pitch on New Year’s Eve, when a brawl between a minibike “gang” and “Beverly Hills 90210” actor Ian Ziering broke out in Hollywood.
According to the “Sharknado” star, he attempted “to assess any damage” to his car after a rider “aggressively” approached the vehicle. Ziering claims the situation “escalated into a physical altercation, which [he] navigated to protect [himself].”
Video footage secured by tabloid website TMZ (the video can't be embedded here because of age restrictions) shows that the confrontation began when two minibikers pulled in front of the actor’s SUV. Ziering then exited the vehicle and pushed over one of the combative riders. In response, nearby group members rushed the 59-year-old actor, forcing him to flee across Hollywood Boulevard.
Following the scuffle, a separate video recorded from an adjacent car, below, captured a rider smashing the windshield of Ziering’s Mercedes-Benz with a motorcycle helmet. TMZ also reports that the actor’s 10-year-old daughter, Penna, occupied the vehicle at the time of the vandalism.
The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed that Ziering is identified as the victim in the battery report filed in connection with Sunday’s clash.
The Hollywood melee is only the latest incident in a series of minibike street takeovers in the Greater Los Angeles area. In March, a large group of minibikers shut down a stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. A crash between an SUV and a minibike resulted in the death of a rider in April. Some attribute the rise of minibike “gangs” to pandemic road conditions and lax traffic law enforcement. No matter the cause, Angelenos are calling for a crackdown on the unruly riders.
On Monday, Ziering spoke out via his Instagram account, stating that he is “deeply concerned about the growing boldness of such groups who disrupt public safety and peace.” He also implored authorities to address the “larger issue of hooliganism on [Los Angeles] streets.”
At the time of writing this article, neither LAPD nor city officials have announced steps to stymie future minibike street takeovers.
