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Mercedes driver nearly hits bicyclists in confrontation posted on social media

Los Angeles Police Department headquarters
Los Angeles Police Department headquarters
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
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The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating a confrontation between the driver of a Mercedez-Benz and a group of cyclists in Los Angeles that was posted on social media over the weekend.

The video, posted to Instagram on Sunday, shows the driver accelerating through the crowd of cyclists on Olympic Boulevard, narrowly missing them and at one point driving into oncoming traffic to go around them. The person recording the incident can be heard screaming, “Hey, watch out!” over a blaring car horn as the Mercedes darts through the crowd.

The LAPD responded to a call for service at Olympic Boulevard and Highland Avenue around 1:30 p.m. Saturday, but when officers arrived the caller wasn’t there , according to LAPD Officer Rosario Cervantes.

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“We’re aware of the video, but detectives are investigating exactly what occurred,” Cervantes said. “There shouldn’t be that many bicycles on the road blocking traffic, so that would be unsafe, but I don’t know exactly what transpired.”

Officers got another call at 1:34 p.m. reporting vandalism to a vehicle at Wilshire Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, Cervantes said. The driver said that he was assaulted by multiple cyclists and that his vehicle was vandalized. Detectives are investigating the incident and trying to identify the people involved.

“There are many parties involved in this incident so they’re trying to identify how many were involved and what happened,” Cervantes said.

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Another Instagram video showed people vandalizing and stomping on the Mercedes-Benz in a parking garage.

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