Watch: Man Backflips off LA Freeway Sign After Causing 2-Hour Traffic Standstill

Traffic is a pain in downtown Los Angeles any day, but adding a man sporting only boxer shorts [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

Traffic is a pain in downtown Los Angeles any day, but adding a man sporting only boxer shorts while dancing on an exit sign makes things worse as drivers learned Wednesday morning.

The man, identified only as "Dephree," climbed up to an exit sign over the 110 Freeway and started dancing, vaping and screaming with a bullhorn, reports The Los Angeles Times. He also unfurled political signs, including one that said "Fight pollution not each other," and another that said his name, "Dephree." A third sign said, "Give a hoot, don't pollute."

Dephree's act might have been fun for himself, but it was a nightmare for morning commuters. By 9:30 a.m., police had to close all southbound lands on the 110 freeway. Police put two inflatable mattresses under the sign, with extended fire ladders. California Highway Patrol officers also climbed up to the sign to get the man down.

Instead of coming down, he climbed further up the sign and it took another half hour for officers to finally convince him to come down.

Of course, after all that, Dephree could not just climb down a ladder — he had to do a backflip from the sign. He appeared to land safely, without any injuries.

Dephree could face a financial hit if prosecutors consider charges, former L.A. County District Attorney Steve Cooley told the LA Times. If they can prove Dephree pulled the stunt for commercial gain, they could fine him for the cost of the police work needed to bring him down.

The D.A.'s office might not have a problem proving it was for financial gain because the footage from the act is already in his new music video, "Man on Freeway Sign." In the song, Dephree raps, "Dephree really, really high. Dephree really lost his mind."

According to the LA Times, Dephree's real name is Alexander Dunn, 29. King Graint, his manager, told the paper his client is "truly, truly passionate about the environment... He became a rapper and wanted to be a rapper to get a platform to talk about it."

Graint said Dephree's original plan was to climb up a traffic sign at the Hollywood and Highland intersection. Graint had to convince Dephree he was "too big." Later, Graint was driving down the freeway and saw all the smog, so he decided a freeway sign would be the perfect backdrop for the new song.

"You ain't poppin' unless you got haters," Graint told the Times. Dephree did not care about ruining people's commutes "because the bigger picture is saving the environment and rapping."

Photo Credit: YouTube / 9:19 Music Group

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