Sideline Fight Backs Up Rush-Hour Traffic

Rush-hour traffic on the Orange (57) Freeway was backed up for nearly two hours Thursday afternoon as commuters slowed to watch several motorists hurl sticks and tire irons at each other on the side of the freeway, police said.

The incident began about 4:50 p.m., when one truck apparently cut off another truck heading south on the freeway at Orangewood Avenue, Orange Police Sgt. Milt Galbraith said.

The occupants of the trucks--one a group of carpenters, the other a group of day laborers--began yelling at each other while both vehicles still were traveling down the freeway. Both trucks then pulled to the side of the road, where nine men climbed out and a brawl ensued, Galbraith said.

Two of the carpenters were transported to Orange County Jail to be booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Galbraith said.

Two of the day laborers were taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, where they were treated for scrapes, bruises and minor cuts. They were then released.