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There’s a man driving around Southern California in a kids’ Tesla Cybertruck with a Siberian husky riding shotgun and a large Mexican flag in tow.
He and the dog keep getting pulled over by law enforcement.
It happened two weeks ago at Dodger Stadium before the defending World Series champions’ home opener.
The man is DJ Swagrman, an L.A.-based artist, musician and social media influencer, and his internet-famous dog is Swaggy Wolfdog, a 9-year-old service animal — and he says they’ve both been banned from Dodger Stadium after riding around the parking lot area.
Why did the duo appear at Dodger Stadium? It’s the same reason they go to other Southland events. Swagrman said they only want “to spread love and positivity” while in a mini Cybertruck.
“I’m always gonna keep spreading love and unity and everything because this is what people need,” said Swagrman, who didn’t want to give his real name because of safety concerns. “I’m not part of politics. I don’t have hatred towards anyone. I just want people to love each other and be happy.”
Lately, Swagrman’s efforts seem to be getting him and the dog into trouble.
Before the Dodgers’ March 27 game against the Detroit Tigers, Swagrman and Swaggy Wolfdog could be seen on video being chased by security and stopped by an LAPD motorcycle officer in the parking lot.
Video footage of the evidence was shot by Swagrman’s team, edited into highlight reels and posted onto Swagrman’s social media accounts. In the clips, the LAPD officer is seen telling Swagrman he’s driving an unregistered vehicle. Later, someone seemingly from parking lot management tells Swagrman he’s being issued a “verbal trespass warning.”
“We got banned,” said Swagrman, who was told the reason for the banishment was because he would not give his name or ID to the officer. “They said if we ever come back to Dodger Stadium we will be arrested for trespassing.”
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Through the whole ordeal, Swagrman said, “Swaggy was just chilling.”
The Dodgers declined to comment for this story. An LAPD public information officer said he could not find a report for such an incident at Dodger Stadium filed that day.
Last weekend, Swagrman received a traffic citation from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office after taking Swaggy in their tiny truck to a “Hands Off” protest in Thousand Oaks. Even with the recent setbacks, however, Swagrman said he will not be deterred from his mission of spreading love and unity.
Swagrman said he and Swaggy Wolfdog have been building a social media audience since 2016. They have 7.6 million followers on TikTok and 3.3 million on Instagram, with Swagrman often posting photos and footage of Swaggy hanging out with celebrities or attending high-profile events. They’re often wearing sunglasses.
In recent months, the accounts have been filled with videos of Swagrman and Swaggy cruising in their Cybertruck, a vehicle Tesla sells for $1,500, which goes as fast as 10 mph. Swagrman said he bought it “before Elon Musk went into politics.” The reels, which are edited and produced by Swagrman and his team, show the two riding around various places — busy roads, parking lots, fast food drive-throughs, a car wash, etc.
“Swaggy really loves it,” Swagrman said. “I think ever since he got in this car, it’s like he’s been on a road trip. Just imagine a dog being inside a car with the window open. They smell the fresh air. Now he’s getting a whole 360 perspective of the whole community.”
At first, Swagrman said, the videos were just meant to be funny. That changed when he and Swaggy rode in the toy truck at the Feb. 2 rally in downtown L.A. to protest President Trump’s immigration policies. It was the first time they rode with the Mexican flag.
“I have a lot of close friends and people I just needed to support because I’m Mexican myself,” Swagrman said, “and it’s an immigration protest and it’s for all the young kids fighting for their human rights.”
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A video he posted from that day — showing him and Swaggy driving down the street being followed by a line of police cars — has become “my most viral video,” Swagrman said. Ever since then, the Mexican flag has been a part of his setup, often paired with another flag (including a Dodgers flag on opening day).
“I started to do videos with the American flag and Mexican flag, because we have a lot of Americans that follow us as well and other people from different countries, so I didn’t want them to feel left out,” said Swagrman, who also has used a Canadian flag and plans to fly a Chinese flag in the near future. “Now people are starting to realize, this guy is not just pushing one agenda. He’s doing something bigger. He’s trying to spread unity.”
The videos often focus on others’ reactions, which range from amusement and adoration to confusion and hostility. There are several clips in which they appear to be stopped by law enforcement officers, whose reactions also range from friendly to stern.
In one clip filmed in Westlake Village in February, a pedestrian can be heard yelling at Swagrman for being “a terrorist.” Another video, filmed outside BMO Stadium before an April 2 LAFC-Inter Miami game, shows L.A. County sheriff’s deputies smiling and laughing as the pair ride by in the kiddie truck.
“I’m tired of seeing people sad,” Swagrman said. “That’s why we do these videos, to make people happy and smile. Because, come on, let’s be honest — you see a little toy car for 7-year-olds and a little dog that’s smiling, that’s gonna make you happy and smile.
“And sometimes we do get the reactions where people are just unhappy and they want to fight and argue. But we don’t argue. We just spread love and stay positive. I’m just trying to unite people.”
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On Saturday in Thousand Oaks, Swagrman received what he says is his first citation for riding with Swaggy in the truck. Senerey De Los Santos, a public information officer for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, said that a deputy noticed Swagrman driving the toy vehicle on Hillcrest Drive “at slow speeds ... in traffic lanes” and that “it was causing a traffic backup.”
De Los Santos said that when the deputy conducted a traffic stop, Swagrman pulled into a parking lot but “was being uncooperative, initially refusing to identify himself or provide information. And so at that point he was detained in handcuffs, placed in the back of a patrol car and once we were able to identify him, he was issued a traffic ticket. And he signed the ticket, and he was allowed to leave.”
Swagrman said that he was not blocking traffic and that he was “detained unlawfully.” He said he only agreed to provide his information — the first time he has done so — and sign the citation because he was told he’d be arrested and his dog would go to the pound.
And once again, Swagrman said, Swaggy was calm the whole time, even when he and his owner were placed in separate squad cars.
“I think he thought he was going to the dog park or something,” Swagrman said.
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Swagrman, who is due in Ventura County Superior Court May 5, says none of this has changed his overall positive outlook on life.
“Why can’t we all just be like dogs? I mean, dogs are always happy and wagging their tails,” he said. “That’s what humans need right now. They need to be happy and stop taking things too serious. … This is why my life is happy. I’m happy all the time. No hate. I get rid of 100% negativities out of my life. Unfortunately, that’s not gonna stop me from getting pulled over, if that’s what it is, but I’m always gonna fight back with kindness and love and positivity.”
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