EL SEGUNDO, CA — A local father says he was arrested earlier this month for taking safety into his own hands by installing stop signs and repainting crosswalks at a hazardous intersection near a park.
Joseph Brandlin, a lifelong South Bay resident and single father, told CBS LA that he spent $1,000 of his own money to improve the intersection at Loma Vista Street and W. Acacia Avenue. Brandlin aimed to convert the two-way stop into a four-way stop after noticing multiple close calls in the area, which is downhill and adjacent to a park.
“I decided to take it into my own hands,” Brandlin said. “I purchased 30-inch high-intensity stop signs and eight-foot stencils for the word ‘STOP.’ I’ll do it again if that’s what it takes. I’m not going to wait for somebody to die.”
Despite his intentions, Brandlin was caught working on the street late at night and spent a night in Hawthorne Jail. He now faces felony charges, including grand theft for taking cones from a nearby construction site and vandalism of city property.
While the city had previously added crosswalks at the intersection, El Segundo police said in 2024 that a traffic study found no safety justification for a four-way stop. Brandlin expressed frustration at the decision, noting that “75% of this city is a four-way stop.”
After his arrest, Brandlin brought 74 letters of support from neighbors to a recent El Segundo City Council meeting advocating for the changes. While the stop signs he installed have since been removed, Brandlin says the safety concerns remain.
This is not the first incident of “crosswalk vigilantes” taking action in Los Angeles County. Last July, Jonathan Hale was arrested for painting crosswalks around a park in West Los Angeles. City crews later repainted the crosswalks officially.