San Francisco

CHP Arrests Motorcyclists Who Beat Up Lyft Driver on San Francisco Highway

Three men accused of savagely beating a Lyft driver on U.S. Highway 101 in San Francisco in March were arrested Wednesday and are facing several felony charges related to the attack, according to the California Highway Patrol.

CHP officers arrested 33-year-old Derwayne A. Johnson, 25-year-old Gabriel Rodriguez, and 19-year-old Jarrell E. Williams Jr. during simultaneous searches of four San Francisco homes.

"We obtained search and arrest warrants for the parties that we believe were involved and we ended up taking them into custody," said CHP spokesman Vu Williams. 

The CHP is still searching for one more suspect — 22-year-old Quintrell Anderson of San Francisco. 

The suspects are accused of a "very serious attack" on Alex Quintana so "there is no way we were going to not work this case and forget about it," Williams said.

The three were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit a crime, assault, battery and vandalism in connection with the March beating, which was captured by a witness on cellphone video and widely viewed on social media, according to the CHP.

The men — who had "some facial coverings" — were tracked down with help from the public and from San Francisco police officers, who, along with the CHP, had previously encountered them allegedly riding motorcycles wildly on highways and city streets, according to Williams.

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California Highway Patrol
CHP officers arrested 33-year-old Derwayne A. Johnson, 19-year-old Jarrell E. Williams Jr. and 25-year-old Gabriel Rodriguez dduring simultaneous searches of four San Francisco homes.

The attack they are accused of took place on March 9, when a group of up to 15 dirt bike riders took part in a "sideshow," shutting down traffic on Highway 101 near the Caesar Chavez Street exit.

When Quintana tried to pass the riders, they allegedly boxed him in and began vandalizing his car, Williams said.

Not only was Quintana's vehicle damaged, but he was also "beaten up quite badly" upon disembarking, Williams said. Quintana was "knocked over and left there. He ended up suffering serious injuries from that," he added.

One of the suspects ran over Quintana's leg with a dirt bike, breaking it badly enough that it required at least one surgery to repair, Williams said.

"He's still recovering," Williams said. "They broke his leg fairly badly."

During the arrests, officers also found several firearms, a stolen dirt bike, money and a small amount of drugs, according to the CHP.

The CHP has said that they don't have evidence linking the suspects to any other crimes in the area, but their investigation is ongoing.

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