Motorcyclist killed on Bay Bridge amid wrong-way swarm

OAKLAND >> A 20-year-old man was killed in a crash Sunday on the Bay Bridge after a crowd of motorcyclists drove the wrong way on the span in an apparent attempt to elude officers, the California Highway Patrol said.

The accident followed reports Sunday afternoon that several hundred motorcyclists were “running amok” on the bridge and in San Francisco, CHP SF Public Information Officer Mark Andrews said.

The crash was reported just after 5 p.m., authorities said. As a large group of motorcyclists swarmed over the bridge, splitting lanes of traffic, a group of about 15 split off and entered the Bay Bridge heading east. When they saw CHP patrols set up to deter stunts and other sideshow activity, they turned around, going the wrong direction — westbound on the lower deck, which has eastbound lanes.

Once the group reached San Francisco, they exited at the Sterling Street and Fourth Street ramps, traversed city streets and re-entered the bridge the wrong way on the Fremont Street onramp, heading east on the upper deck.

A CHP attempt to divert the group onto the Treasure Island ramp was unsuccessful, and the motorcyclists reached the new eastern span of the bridge.

One cyclist crashed his dirt bike near the incline section, the CHP said.

That driver fled on foot, then was picked up as a passenger on another bike. As the bike took off in the wrong direction of traffic, the driver went over a median wall near the Treasure Island exit, crashing and throwing the passenger into bridge lanes, where he was struck and killed.

The dirt bike’s driver, who was injured when he hit the median, was arrested, Andrews said. The passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity and city of residence were not released.