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.
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 Youth — 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.
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