In a dramatic altercation captured on video, a BMW driver who almost hit two cyclists may face up to four years in prison and has had his cherished vehicle seized.
Samir Sweiss was apprehended by Newport Beach Police in California after they identified him from footage shared online by the cyclists involved in the incident.
The police released bodycam video showing Sweiss being forcibly removed from his Corona, California residence in handcuffs, with his car subsequently being towed away.
Sweiss is now facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon, which carries a potential sentence of up to four years in prison and a $10,000 fine, in addition to charges of obstructing or delaying arrest.
Professional cyclist Luke Fetzer uploaded the video of himself and fellow cyclist Ben Byra being aggressively pursued by a blue BMW M3 on East Coast Highway on March 21.
According to Fetzer, after he retaliated by spraying water at the car, believing the driver had endangered their lives, the situation escalated. The driver then attempted to force them off the road, and a passenger in the car hurled a water bottle at them.
Sweiss made matters worse by messaging Fetzer on Instagram calling him a ‘peasant’ for cycling and challenging him to an MMA fight to ‘settle this like men’.
‘Haha you’re a f**king dork, pro cyclist 20$ (sic) thinks it’s ok to spray gatorade at a $100k car, hope you enjoyed the soaking wet bike ride home peasant,’ he wrote.
‘Hey bro lets both sign waivers and meetup for a consensual Full MMA sparring session, let’s settle this like Men.’
Luke Fetzer and Ben Byra (pictured) were riding in the bike lane on the East Coast Highway in Newport Beach when an angry BMW driver dangerous tailed them
Police released bodycam footage of BMW driver Samir Sweiss being dragged out of his home in Corona, California, in handcuffs
Sweiss was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison and a $10,000 fine, and obstructing or delaying arrest
Police also confiscated Sweiss’ beloved blue BMW M3
Sweiss made matters worse by messaging Fetzer on Instagram calling him a ‘peasant’ for cycling and challenging him to an MMA fight to ‘settle this like men’
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office will decide whether to prosecute Sweiss. No court dates are yet on the court’s online database.
Fetzer and Byra were training for a race the next day when the BMW M4 swerved into the bike lane behind them and began tailgating the pair.
‘The driver honked at us, swerved at us, and then the passenger rolled down his window and yelled slurs at us,’ Fetzer said.
Fetzer and Byra found themselves stopped next to the BMW at a set of traffic lights moments later, with Fetzer admitting that he squirted his water bottle at the car because he was angry.
The small act of retaliation by Fetzer would make matters worse, enraging the driver further, who Fetzer claimed then ‘tried to run us off the road.’
Fetzer started filming the situation for his and Byra’s safety.
Byra held his arm out toward the car behind in a ‘why’ gesture as the blue car sped up on him.
The car, which did not have a front license plate, tailed Byra for a moment before the cyclist was forced to hop the sidewalk to safety.
After running Byra off the roadway, the car then sped up and tailed Fetzer in the bike lane before speeding around him
Fetzer said the car and another later stopped in the Shake Shack line up head, which was spilling into the roadway, and attempted to ‘tackle’ them
The men said a driver and passenger in a black and red sports car also hurled slurs at them and attempted to harm them
Seconds later, the blue BMW sped back up to catch up with Fetzer in the bike lane before driving past him and throwing a water bottle at him. The car then sped up again while the passengers flipped the men off.
Fetzer said in a follow-up video that the BMW, as well as a black and red Corvette, continued to harass them for several miles.
The two luxury cars later stopped and joined the line that was spilling into the roadway and bike lane at Shake Shack.
‘Cars will usually park and wait in line at Shake Shack, blocking cyclists, which is fine. We move to the left and we go around,’ Fetzer said.
‘But this time, these four individuals got out of the cars, ran into traffic, pushed into the two right lanes, blocked us, they told us that they were going to kill us, and tried tackling us.’
Fetzer said the men were also aggressive toward two other cyclists on the road.
