Inspired by Minneapolis, dozens of e-scooter and e-bike riders take over downtown Seattle streets

A “scooter takeover” in Minneapolis, where hundreds of people rode e-bikes and e-scooters on the I-35W highway, inspired a similar incursion in Seattle over the weekend.

In a video captured by a Seattle Red listener, dozens of riders can be seen riding through major thoroughfares in downtown Seattle Sunday evening. The video captured the scene at approximately 8:30 p.m. Sunday.

 

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This occurred less than one day after hundreds of e-bike and e-scooter riders flooded a highway in Minneapolis. CBS News spoke with Johan Vargas, 20, who promoted the scooter meet-up and has posted several videos to TikTok. He told the outlet he only expected 200 riders for Saturday’s meet-up, but claimed between 500 and 1,000 riders showed up.

“I just started seeing more and more people. I don’t know where half these people came from, but all of them said they saw the TikToks,” Vargas said. “I was expecting maybe like 200, not 500 to 1,000. But I mean, I’m glad everyone came out; they all had fun. I mean, that’s what it’s all about.”

Minnesota State Patrol deemed the incident as “an extremely dangerous situation,” reminding the public that Lime scooters and e-bikes are prohibited from riding on freeways.

Despite the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) describing the riding as “reckless and disruptive to traffic,” no arrests were made or citations issued for violations.

“If similar activity continues or occurs again, MPD will work with the appropriate city resources and scooter companies in an effort to regulate where and how the scooters may be operated,” an MPD spokesperson told CBS News.

According to Vargas, the communal ride was about “having a good time with community” and was not politically motivated.

This is a developing story, check back for updates

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