California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, riding his Harley-Davidson (illegally), collides with a car in Los Angeles, ruining his day and his upper-lip.
Celebrity/actor/Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was riding his sidecar-equipped Harley-Davidson down Mandeville Canyon Road, a winding, two-lane, dead-end residential street in an affluent Los Angeles neighborhood with his 12-year-old son in the sidecar, when a car allegedly backed out in front of him and the Governor was unable to stop and collided with the car totally ruining his Sunday "dad-time".
It turns out that Schwarzenegger did not have the proper endorsement on his California driver’s license to operate a motorcycle.
Los Angeles Police Lt. Paul Vernon said police did not ticket the Governor for a violation because they arrived after the accident, which left Schwarzenegger with a cut on his upper lip that required 15 stitches. Perhaps the "Governator" convincingly performed mea culpa for never having a motorcycle license and his promise to get one would put an end to "this silly ticket talk" and also end the media's interest in the event. Where was TMZ?!
Lt. Vernon said that the officers would refer their findings to the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, which would determine if the Governor should be cited for an infraction. Driving a motorcycle in California without the proper license can result in fines ranging from $100 to $250 or more.
City attorney spokesman Jonathan Diamond said the office somehow had not received the LAPD report.
Earlier Tuesday, Schwarzenegger acknowledged that he never bothered to obtain a motorcycle license because he “never thought about it. I'm busy being the Governor for crissakes.”
Los Angeles Police Lt. Paul Vernon said police did not ticket the Governor for a violation because they arrived after the accident, which left Schwarzenegger with a cut on his upper lip that required 15 stitches. Perhaps the "Governator" convincingly performed mea culpa for never having a motorcycle license and his promise to get one would put an end to "this silly ticket talk" and also end the media's interest in the event. Where was TMZ?!
Lt. Vernon said that the officers would refer their findings to the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, which would determine if the Governor should be cited for an infraction. Driving a motorcycle in California without the proper license can result in fines ranging from $100 to $250 or more.
City attorney spokesman Jonathan Diamond said the office somehow had not received the LAPD report.
Earlier Tuesday, Schwarzenegger acknowledged that he never bothered to obtain a motorcycle license because he “never thought about it. I'm busy being the Governor for crissakes.”
California Highway Patrol officers (Ponch and Jon?) accompanied Schwarzenegger on the ride. CHP Spokesman Tom Marshal said CHiPs officials concluded that the governor was permitted to operate a motorcycle with a sidecar.
“We’re not criticizing the LAPD,” he said after learning of the department’s finding. “We haven’t seen the report, ... but we read the vehicle code as a motorcycle with a sidecar is the same as driving a car.” (huh?) Another highway patrol spokesman, Steve Kohler, declined to discuss if officers had checked, or would check in the future, whether the Governor, or any high-ranking politician, had a proper license. Kohler said he could not disclose such information because it involved Schwarzenegger’s protective detail. Read as, No.
Los Angeles police had no immediate response to the highway patrol’s statement, department spokeswoman Sara Faden said.
Los Angeles police had no immediate response to the highway patrol’s statement, department spokeswoman Sara Faden said.
