Man who blocked busy freeway traffic with marriage proposal faces criminal charges

A video posted on Instagram on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2015, showed a man proposing to a woman on Interstate 45 near downtown Houston while others blocked traffic. (mlwycoff on Instagram) A video posted on Instagram on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2015, showed a man proposing to a woman on Interstate 45 near downtown Houston while others blocked traffic. (mlwycoff on Instagram) Photo: Mlwycoff On Instagram Photo: Mlwycoff On Instagram Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Man who blocked busy freeway traffic with marriage proposal faces criminal charges 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

A man who stopped traffic on one of Houston's busiest highways to propose to his girlfriend may face a hitch on his way to getting hitched.

A video of the wedding proposal on Sunday has gone viral and drawn heavy criticism because of the way traffic on busy Interstate 45 was tied up.

"I just wanted to do something different," said the prospective groom, Vidal Valladares, whose happy ending now may be a bit clouded.

Houston Police Department spokeswoman Jodi Silva confirmed 24-year-old Valladares of Houston will be charged with obstruction of highway, which is a Class B misdemeanor.

If convicted of the class B misdemeanor, Valladares faces a maximum sentence of 6 months in jail and a $2,000 fine.

RELATED: Valladares explains why he did it

Silva said the charge is now winding its way through the Harris County court system. Valladares will have the option of turning himself in, filling out the paperwork and immediately getting bonded out, she said.

It was unclear if Valladares' soon-to-be-wife or the friends who helped block traffic will be charged, as well.

In a video posted on Instagram Sunday night, Valladares' friends can be seen obstructing several lanes of traffic while he proposes to his girlfriend, Michelle Wycoff, in the middle of Interstate 45 near downtown Houston.

Any sound of the actual proposal and answer is drowned out by the noise of blaring car horns.

Valladares told his girlfriend they were going to a party and needed to take I-45 to get there. The freeway is one of Wycoff's favorite spots since Valladares took her on a motorcycle ride on the freeway on their second date.

That's when Valladares told his girlfriend of a year and half to get out of the car.

"I said, 'Are you serious?'" said Wycoff, who on Facebook lists her jobs as fitness club membership counselor and sales associate. "Then I saw all my family and friends with cameras and I looked where Vidal was and he was down on one knee.

"Honestly, I didn't think about if it was a good idea or a bad idea. I was just so happy in the moment. I love him so much."

Valladares said his friends and family, who were following closely behind, stopped traffic for about 35 seconds while he popped the question.

"I never really thought about causing an accident. I thought about my girlfriend," he said.

The hopeless romantic posted a photo of the proposal to Instagram with the caption, "When you shut down one of the biggest and busiest freeways in the entire country (I45) and you ask your girl if she wants to marry u, That moment is priceless love u #shesaidyes."

The charge came hours after the Houston Police Department initially said they would not seek charges against the couple because police were not called to the scene and the situation was cleared before officers could see it on patrol.

"It appears we were not called to the scene and it more than likely happened quickly before our officers saw it on patrol," HPD spokesman Victor Senties said on Tuesday morning, prior to charges being handed down. "While we're happy for the couple, this is not something we would want to encourage anyone to do. People could have lost their lives stopping on the freeway like that."

Texas Department of Transportation agreed that the act was both against the law and dangerous.

"Besides being illegal it is incredibly unsafe and we would discourage anyone from taking such unnecessary risk which could result in injury to themselves or others," TxDOT spokeswoman Raquelle Lewis said.

Reporter Mike Glenn contributed to this report.