A scooter takeover? There's plenty of reaction to what happened late Saturday in downtown Minneapolis.
Authorities are reacting to this weekend's so-called scooter takeover of downtown Minneapolis. It happened late Saturday, when hundreds took to the streets riding the motorized scooters.
The bigger issue came after the caravan eventually entered Interstate 35W near downtown. Those are not allowed on freeways.
20-year-old Johan Vargas started it all on TikTok.
"I better see everyone there," Vargas says in the video. "Repost it, share it, we're all gonna be there. I will be there too. If you got an e-bike, regular scooter, bring it, all right? We're all gonna be there. So get there a little early, get there right on time, get there a little late, don't matter. Just be there, all right?"
Vargas said he expected about 200 people, but more than twice as many showed up.
No one was ticketed, but Minneapolis police say if it happens again, they will work with the scooter companies to create regulations where the rides can and can't go.
The Minnesota State Patrol is encouraging cities and scooter companies to consider implementing a geofencing plan that disables scooters before they illegally enter freeways.
WCCO afternoon host Jason DeRusha drew plenty of social media conversation saying that the 35W stunt was too far, but there's been too much overreaction to a group of scooter riders gathering downtown: "I love scooters, I love the scooter takeover, lighten up. When you make everything a federal case it makes you look like an idiot. Nothing bad happened! It’s fine."
The City of Minneapolis does have regulations for the scooters, which includes: wear a helmet, yield to pedestrians, ride in the bike lane or with traffic, follow the same traffic laws as bicyclists, and ride as close as safely possible to the right-hand side of the road.
It's pretty clear from most videos posted to social media that none of that was taking place Saturday night. Many people who took video called the situation "chaos" as well.
