Video shows men brawl on California freeway after crash
SAN DIEGO (KSWB) — Two men brawled in the middle of a California freeway Tuesday afternoon after a crash on Interstate 5 near downtown San Diego.
Callers reported the collision to 911 around 4:15 p.m. on southbound I-5, according to California Highway Patrol logs. Within minutes, witnesses said one of the drivers “started punching and kicking” another man.
Arturo Gonzalez caught the fight on video as he sat in a traffic jam caused by the men scuffling in the middle lane just before rush hour. He later posted the clip on social media and shared the video with KSWB.
Gonzalez says that he didn’t initially think much of a traffic jam in such a busy area, but when he approached the end of the slowdown, two men were violently struggling right in front of him.
Video he recorded on his phone shows a man in a red shirt grappling a man in work boots and an orange shirt who was kneeling and then rolling on the ground, trying to shield his face from blows. The red-shirted man, now standing over his opponent, rears back and lands two hard kicks into the other man’s stomach or ribs. He then takes a final swing with his fist, hitting the man in the face.
The man in the red shirt begins to walk away, and the man on the ground is able to stand up and walk back toward two cars sitting on the opposite freeway shoulder. It wasn’t initially clear if either man was badly hurt.
Gonzalez said he was trying to stay safe and uninvolved, passing the brawl in the emergency lane. He begins to drive off as the men clear out of his way.
The vehicles and men seen in the video match the descriptions provided to CHP, according to dispatcher logs. In a statement, CHP spokesman Jesse Matias said both men had left the area prior to officers arriving.
Neither involved in the altercation contacted CHP to report it, Matias said. No further information was provided.
As of Wednesday evening, no arrests had been announced in the incident.