Man Charged After Allegedly Shutting Down Busy Los Angeles Freeway During Rush Hour to Shoot Music Video By Rachel DeSantis

A Los Angeles man who allegedly shut down one of the city’s busiest freeways at rush hour in order to film a music video has been charged nearly two years later.

Eduardo Erik Martinez, 33, pleaded not guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit exhibition of speed and two counts of felony vandalism, according to a Nov. 26 press release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Officials said that on Nov. 22, 2023, Martinez allegedly arranged several vehicles to block the northbound 110 Freeway, near the 9th Street offramp. He then recorded a music video, “while other vehicles did donuts behind him and around him,” according to the release.

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A clip allegedly from the video shot by Martinez shows a man in a light-colored suit standing atop a car while being filmed along an empty freeway. The video, which was shared by Fox 11 Los Angeles, shows two cars spinning in circles around him, just as the release described.

“This was incredibly reckless behavior, all in search of a ‘viral moment’ on social media,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement. “This past summer, I announced that we’re partnering with law enforcement to crack down on and eliminate reckless street takeovers that can lead to death and other types of crimes that hurt our communities. If you choose to treat our streets like your own personal playground, you will find yourself in a criminal courtroom.”

Martinez is set to return to court on Dec. 11 to set a date for a preliminary hearing. His bail was set at $100,000.

He was also charged with vandalizing a bench at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in October 2024 while in court for an unrelated incident. If convicted, he faces the maximum sentence of four years and four months in jail, according to the press release.