Four arrests for a freeway stunt landed a romantic biker and his buddies in jail last week. The men were arrested for their involvement in a motorcycle stunt on California’s 10 Freeway in January.
During the incident, more than 200 bikers allegedly blocked traffic on the freeway while 24-year-old Hector Martinez proposed to his girlfriend. A video capturing the proposal stunt became a viral sensation across social media websites.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Martinez was arrested Thursday on suspicion of misdemeanor public nuisance and unlawful assembly and suspicion of exhibition of speed.
Three additional arrests were made Thursday in connection with the freeway stunt, which lasted approximately two minutes and allegedly blocked a significant amount of traffic.
California officials confirmed that 19-year-old Giovanni Mendez, 38-year-old Mike John David Gutierrez, and 24-year-old Rudy Cadena were each booked on suspicion of misdemeanor public nuisance and unlawful assembly.
Shortly after the proposal video went viral, Martinez indicated that most of the bikers were unaware of the stunt beforehand. He reportedly admitted that he knew the freeway stunt was illegal but claimed the proposal was handled in a safe manner.
Paige Hernandez, the biker’s girlfriend of four years, was reportedly taken completely surprise by the marriage proposal.
Hernandez happily accepted and the couple have begun to plan their wedding. After the video gained popularity on YouTube, Martinez and Hernandez shared their plans and discussed the proposal in several media interviews.
However, it was media attention that led authorities to identify and arrest the bikers for the freeway stunt. According to the California Highway Patrol, the incident “received media attention by way of the internet, television, various newspapers and radio stations” across the country.
You can watch Hector Martinez, his unusual marriage proposal, and a few hundred bikers in the video below:
A subsequent investigation led officials to arrest the four primary individuals allegedly behind the freeway stunt. Sergeant Kurt Stormes of the California Highway Patrol referred to the incident as “a slap in the face of law enforcement in general.”
Stormes also stated that the bikers “made a spectacle” of the freeway stunt, allegedly bragging about the event afterwards.
Do you think the biker’s marriage proposal was a romantic gesture or a public nuisance? Were California officials right to arrest Martinez and his friends for their involvement in the freeway stunt?
