Bent, Scalped

There was a minor accident on the 15 south off-ramp at Friars Road on Sunday, November 29, at around 11 a.m. The San Diego Chargers were in town and playing at the stadium.

Traffic on the 15 was backed up in both directions after an SUV was rear-ended by a pickup truck. The driver of the pickup seemed to have been distracted by a group of six ticket peddlers on the right shoulder. On the left shoulder were two men with signs that read "I Need Tickets."

It was observed that when tickets were sold to the ”Need Tickets” men by fans that have extras, those tickets were then handed over to the group of men selling them across the road.

Ralph, the driver of the pickup truck, observed several SDPD squad cars pass by as he was exchanging information with the SUV's driver. He wondered how the police could turn a blind eye to what he perceived as a traffic hazard.

Ralph overheard some of the transactions being made between the peddlers and other motorists. A ticket with a face value of $98 was sold for $120. Some would say this is scalping; however, the law in California defines scalping as the resale of tickets on the property of the venue at prices that are above face value. By definition, these individuals are peddlers and not scalpers.