Local prosecutors are overseeing more than two-dozen open investigations into parents of children suspected of illegally riding e-bikes or e-motorcycles, Orange County District Attorney’s Office officials confirmed this week, as public and law enforcement concern over the increasingly popular vehicles continues to rise.
Read more America’s population is aging, but some states — like California — skew younger
Two months after the District Attorney’s Office created a special unit to weigh potential charges against both juveniles and adults related to the underage use of e-bikes and e-motorcycles, prosecutors have 26 open investigations into parents that could potentially result in criminal cases, according to figures cited by a prosecutor during a community meeting in Seal Beach that were later confirmed by an office spokesperson to a Southern California News Group reporter.
The rising popularity of e-bikes and e-motorcycles — particularly among juveniles — combined with a series of high-profile crashes led to increasing scrutiny of the vehicles across Southern California.
In response to the public outcry, DA Todd Spitzer in mid-May announced the creation of the RIDE SAFELY — Smart Accountability for E-Bikes and E-Motos and Law Enforcement for Your — unit. The team operates within the District Attorney’s Office’s Family Protection Division and draws prosecutors from the Family Protection and Juvenile Justice units.
In creating the unit, Spitzer explained that he wanted to make sure his office was being consistent when it came to charging decisions and sentencing recommendations.
Spitzer, in a statement on Friday, described e-bikes and e-motorcycles as “the number one reason Orange County children end up in the emergency room…
Read more Justice Department drops criminal case against ex-Olympian charged with damaging Reflecting Pool
“This is a serious public health crisis, and we are doing everything we can to reduce injuries and save lives,” Spitzer said in the statement. “If parents refuse to hold their children accountable, then the Orange County District Attorney’s Office will hold parents accountable when they endanger the lives of their children and the lives of everyone on the road.”
There are already four active local criminal cases involving e-motorcycles:
Tommi Jo Mejer, an Aliso Viejo mother, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and child abuse and endangerment after her son fatally injured an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran while illegally riding an e-motorcycle in Lake Forest.
Richard Eyssallenne, a Yorba Linda father, was charged with child abuse and endangerment after his 12-year-old son crashed an allegedly illegally modified e-motorcycle and was seriously injured.
A Westminster father is facing lesser child abuse and endangerment charges after his sons were allegedly warned about illegally riding e-motorcycles. And an Orange County mother who allegedly bought her child an e-motorcycle, resulting in a crash where the boy was injured, is also facing charges, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Despite a state law prohibiting riders under 16 from operating e-motorcycles, authorities say children ages 11 to 14 account for nearly 62% of e-motorcycle crashes statewide.
Read more Santa Anita Park re-opens after $18 million modernization