Police stop Los Angeles River rafters in giant pink flamingo

March 20 (UPI) -- A trio of young men were caught on camera taking an unusual rafting trip in a giant, inflatable pink flamingo on the Los Angeles River.

Ventura Police said they contacted news organizations on Monday after noting helicopters that appeared to be following something on the river.

Police learned the choppers' attention had been drawn by three young men rafting down the Los Angeles River in a giant inflatable pink flamingo raft and using 2-by-4s as paddles.

Police pulled up to the bank of the river and signaled the men to pull their raft over. Officers were seen issuing the men what appeared to be tickets.

Vernon police Lt. Jerry Winegar said the river is a dangerous choice for a rafting trip.

"It's not like other rivers were there's a dirt bottom," he told the Los Angeles Times. "It's concrete and it's slippery."

The men identified themselves as a group of YouTube pranksters known as the "JoogSquad." The men confirmed they were also behind a recent incident on the river involving a raft made from inflatable mattresses.

"We just thought take this flamingo down the L.A. River and see if we can get to Long Beach," group member Sam Pepper told KABC-TV. "That was the mission, really."

"The cops came out and they were really friendly, and like, we want to say thank you to the LAPD and sorry for wasting any of their time," Pepper said.

Pepper said the group's sole aim was to make witnesses smile at the unusual sight.

"Mainly we were just worried about needles and diseases really," Pepper said.