You probably saw the clip first. A blue BMW inches from a cyclist’s rear wheel in the bike lane. A water bottle hurled at riders. Homophobic slurs screamed from car windows. The video posted by cyclist Luke Fetzer racked up more than 8 million views on Instagram — and now, it’s helped lead to a real arrest.
Newport Beach police arrested Samir Sweiss of Corona in connection with the March 21 road rage incident on Pacific Coast Highway. He was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and obstructing arrest. Police also seized a blue BMW as part of the investigation.
What the Viral Newport Beach Road Rage Video Captured
Fetzer and his friend Ben Byra were cycling along Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach when they encountered two vehicles driving aggressively. One, the blue BMW, followed closely behind Byra while he was in the designated bike lane, eventually forcing him out of the lane and onto the curb and sidewalk. The video posted by Fetzer shows the BMW tailgating in the bike lane, the cyclist being forced onto the sidewalk and a water bottle being thrown.
“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.
The BMW driver wasn’t 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.
Fetzer explained the sequence of events in his Instagram video. He and Byra were riding single file in the bike lane — following traffic rules — when the harassment began.
“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.”
The vehicles swerved toward them, honked and put their lives in danger, according to Fetzer. He said he sprayed water at one of the cars out of frustration — but only after the slurs had already started.
“He called us slurs and me spraying some water on his car was in retaliation to that,” he said.
The confrontation didn’t stay on the road. According to Fetzer, occupants of both cars got out and attempted to block the cyclists while making threats.
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,” Byra said. “We’re going 30, 40 miles per hour downhill, so if they did touch us, it wouldn’t have been good for anyone.”
The Charges that Followed the Viral Road Rage Video — and What’s Still Unresolved
Sweiss faces serious charges. Assault with a deadly weapon is a felony-level allegation, and the obstructing arrest charge suggests the arrest itself didn’t go smoothly.
As for the Corvette driver, that question remains open. Authorities noted that the investigation is ongoing and it is unclear if additional arrests will be made. Police have not publicly identified other individuals involved.
Steve Rosen, Fetzer’s attorney and a cyclist himself, said this case reflects a larger problem.
“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.”
