Sometimes when you’re a worried parent who sees something that’s in dangerous need of a fix but the powers that be are letting things fall to the wayside, you can get a bit desperate. A single dad from California decided to take matters into his own hands when he installed several unauthorized stop signs at a neighborhood intersection he believed was getting too dangerous for local kids. Even though he was just trying to be a hyper-vigilant parent and protect his kids, the dad was arrested and faces felony charges.
An El Segundo father was arrested after installing stop signs and repainting a local intersection for safety reasons.
Joseph Brandlin, 44, a single father who has lived in South Bay for decades, was arrested in early March 2026 for installing stop signs and repainting a “neglected and dangerous intersection” in his neighborhood, according to CBS LA.
The menacing intersection of Loma Vista Street and Acacia Avenue is currently a two-way stop and is located near a busy park that children frequent daily, per the Los Angeles Times. Brandlin told the Times that he witnessed multiple near collisions, several involving kids. He also recalled a “close call” involving his son, who was riding a bike and was nearly hit because of “limited visibility at the intersection,” per the newspaper.
“I decided to take it into my own hands,” Brandlin told CBS LA. He spent $1,000 out of his own pocket to try to make the neighborhood and this intersection safer for kids and families by attempting to change it into a four-way stop.
The single dad purchased 30-inch, high-intensity stop signs and the stencils for the STOP letters to put on the roadway, which were approximately 8 feet long, per CBS LA. Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan for Brandlin.
The single dad was caught in the act and arrested by police.
Determined to turn the busy intersection into a safer four-way version, Brandlin started installing extra stop signs at Loma Vista Street and Acacia Avenue in the early morning of March 14, 2026, the Times reported. Police arrested him at 1:30 a.m. “while he worked on the second direction of traffic,” per the newspaper.
Brandlin called the arrest “excessive,” especially considering some were felony charges, per the newspaper. He was charged with interfering with a traffic control device, vandalism, and grand theft because he took cones from a nearby construction site, CBS LA reported. He even spent a night in Hawthorne jail. Brandlin has a court date scheduled for June.
The determined dad says ‘I’ll do it again if that’s what it takes.’
Even though the single father was met with serious legal consequences, he’s also been met with community support along the way.
A local nanny and parent in the neighborhood, Amanda Pruett, told the Times that she thinks “it is a huge issue” and “our kids’ safety is very important.” Pruett explains that she’s seen unsafe driving within the area and believes additional stop signs would help.
According to CBS LA, after his arrest, Brandlin was able to collect 74 letters from community members and take them to the El Segundo City Council to show the city that his neighbors are just as concerned about the intense traffic in the area. City officials have not responded to Brandlin’s concerns.
Despite law enforcement getting involved, Brandlin told CBS LA that he would “do it again if that’s what it takes. I’m not gonna wait for somebody to die.”
Honestly, you can’t help but admire this father’s proactive attitude and sheer moxie when it comes to the safety of the children in his neighborhood. Sometimes, we really could use more people willing to sacrifice a bit for the greater good.
