e-WildOnes Try To Outrun Moraga/Lafayette PD Tuesday; One e-Arrested

Most of you know by now that our Flash System lit up last night with word of a police pursuit of sorts pushing from Moraga into Lafayette with officers behind a group of teens on electric motorcycles.

Here’s a bit more of that story, from Moraga PD:

At approximately 5:15 PM, a Moraga Police officer was patrolling the area around the Commons Park and observed 4 subjects on electric motorcycles driving north on Moraga Road.  All of the subjects were driving recklessly; speeding, unsafe passing of other vehicles and doing wheel stands.  The officer attempted to stop the subjects using the patrol vehicle’s emergency lights and siren, but they failed to yield, sped up and continuing driving north on Moraga Road.

The subjects continued to drive recklessly, failing to stop for red lights, speeding and driving in the opposing lanes of traffic.  One of the subjects finally stopped on Moraga Road at St. Mary’s Road in Lafayette.  This subject was later identified as a 15-year-old resident of Lafayette.  He was arrested without incident for reckless driving, being an unlicensed driver and failure to yield to the police vehicle.  He was transported to the Moraga Police Department and later released to his parents.  The electric motorcycle was impounded at the scene.

The John Muir Health Trauma Center recently sent out information warning about the dramatic increase in serious injuries resulting from incidents involving e-bikes, e-scooters and electric motorcycles (which some parents often mistake for e-bikes).

These vehicles all allow kids to travel at faster speeds, which can result in more severe collisions and serious injuries or fatalities.

The Moraga Police Department shares these concerns and asks that parents please ensure that anyone riding one of these vehicles is aware of the risks and operates them safely and legally.  As a reminder, children under 16 may not operate a class 3 e-bike, e-scooter or electric motorcycle on the street and must be licensed to drive an e-scooter or electric motorcycle.

Ed. Note: This site took note of the proliferation of e-bikes/motorcycles months ago, suggesting at the time that riders might face significant safety issues and/or present a challenge to law enforcement. We seem to have gotten there.