One man has been arrested and police are investigating what’s being described as a motorcycle swarming that happened on Highway 1 in West Vancouver Thursday.
West Vancouver police responded to multiple 911 calls around 7:10 p.m. that evening after witnesses reported seeing a dangerous altercation between a car driver and a large group of 15 motorcycle riders unfold in the westbound highway lanes.
Witnesses said they watched as about 15 motorcycles surrounded a vehicle, boxing the car in and forcing the driver to the side of the road by slowing down near the Caulfeild exit.
Once stopped, one of the motorcycle riders allegedly got off his motorcycle, walked to the car driver’s door, forcefully pulled the driver out and began aggressively threatening him, said Const. Kevin Goodmurphy, spokesman for the West Vancouver Police Department.
Goodmurphy described the whole incident as both frightening and “extremely dangerous,” adding he hasn’t heard of anything similar happening before in West Vancouver.
Police raced to the scene, but by the time they arrived, the motorcyclists were already back on their rides, last seen heading north up the Sea to Sky Highway, said Goodmurphy.
Suspect descriptions were broadcast to the Squamish RCMP, who stopped the group near Hwy 99 and Valley Drive, as they rode into Squamish. West Vancouver officers attended and arrested one suspect – allegedly the man who threatened the car driver.
Goodmurphy said it’s not clear whether the motorcycle riders were part of any organized group. “They weren’t wearing anything identifying,” said Goodmurphy.
Police are still puzzling over a possible motive. So far, there’s nothing to indicate the motorist and motorcyclists know each other, he added.
Police also aren’t sure if the incident stemmed from an earlier driving episode on the highway. “We don’t know,” he said. “We’re still investigating.”
He added police are hoping to speak with anyone who may have witnessed earlier interactions between the motorcyclists and the driver or unusual driving behaviour leading up to the incident. “Obviously there are always two sides to every story,” he said, but added, “It would never justify the alleged actions that were taken by these riders.”
The motorcycle rider who was arrested and later released is a man about 30 years old from Vancouver, said Goodmurphy.
Police are still considering possible charges.
