Westminster : Angry Gesture Leads to 4-Car Crash, Tie-Up

An angry gesture from a driver led to a four-car accident in Westminster Friday afternoon that forced the closing of Beach Boulevard for about two hours, police said.

Westminster police said an unidentified driver, angry because another motorist had made an obscene gesture toward him, expressed his ire by stopping his car in the middle of the street--just in front of the second car. The quick stop in the middle of traffic at about 3:30 p.m. led to a chain-reaction collision that involved four cars, police said.

A gas tank ruptured in one of the cars, sending gas over the intersection, just south of Bolsa Avenue, police said. That forced police to close the intersection for about two hours as Westminster firefighters and county hazardous material specialists cleaned up the area, police said.

Several drivers sustained minor injuries and were treated at local hospitals, police said. Officials did not release the names of any of the people involved.