Law enforcement officials have arrested a driver after he was allegedly seen on video involved in a road rage incident, which involved throwing something at a professional cyclist.
Samir Swais, from Corona in Riverside County, was taken into custody by Newport Beach Police on March 26. Authorities executed a search warrant during their investigation of the altercation.
Swais faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon and hindering apprehension. The police have stated that the investigation is ongoing, and they will not share additional information at this time.
Police reported that the incident took place at around 11 a.m. on March 21. In the video, a blue BMW sedan can be seen tailing the cyclist closely within the bike lane; at one point, the cyclist swerves toward the curb to avoid oncoming traffic.
As the car passes by, a passenger appears to hurl a water bottle at the cyclist.
Professional cyclist Luke Fetzer shared on social media that before the video got widespread attention, the driver had swerved toward him at an intersection while yelling slurs as they proceeded to the next signal on Pacific Coast Highway.
Fetzer expressed his anger and adrenaline rush, saying, “They just swerved their car towards us and tried to kill us.” He also admitted to picking up a water bottle at a stoplight and splashing water on their car “with such force.” Afterward, he began filming the incident for his own safety.
Later, Fetzer described a worsening situation when he and others were confronted at a Shake Shack a few miles away, where four people exited their cars and threatened him and other cyclists. “They said they were going to kill us and tried to tackle us,” he mentioned, but noted that two cyclists who weren’t involved stepped in to help.
When police arrived, they found one rider needed medical treatment and was taken to the hospital.
Footage from the arrest shows a man with curly hair, in a green T-shirt, being escorted to a police vehicle. The authorities confirmed they collected the blue sedan as evidence during the arrest.
