April 30, 2004
By Daryl Strickland
Times Staff Writer

COMMERCE -- A coordinated protest by truckers over fuels prices briefly closed down one major Los Angeles area freeway this morning during rush hour and slowed traffic on another.

The northbound Santa Ana Freeway reopened this morning after two truckers blocked all lanes, stalling rush-hour traffic for nearly a half-hour.

The truckers parked their rigs on the highway in Commerce about five miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. While details were sketchy, the coordinated protest supposedly occurred over high fuel costs.

Traffic began backing up shortly before 8 a.m. today, leaving commuters stuck in traffic that snaked for several miles. There were reports that similar protests were planned for other freeways in the area, and indeed, two trucks were seen crawling along the southbound Harbor Freeway at Manchester at 8:30 this morning.

One truck displayed a homemade banner tacked to the back of the cab exhorting "Down With Fuel Prices." The trucks were trailed by two California Highway Patrol cars.

A CHP spokesman said an undisclosed number of arrests were made in the Santa Ana Freeway incident.

Copyright © 2004, The Los Angeles Times

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