Orange County Dad Charged After Son's E-motorcycle Crash Reveals Illegal Modifications, D.a. Says - Beritaja

A Yorba Linda begetter is facing up to six years successful authorities situation if convicted of felony charges aft his 12-year-old boy was critically injured riding an e-motorcycle that was modified for speed, the Orange County District Attorney announced Tuesday.

The boy had received the 2024 Talaria XXX e-motorcycle arsenic a Christmas gift and pinch his dad, the 2 illegally modified it to scope speeds of up to 60 miles per hour, prosecutors said. Richard John Eyssallenne, 39, pleaded not blameworthy to 1 felony count of kid endangerment and maltreatment and 1 misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

On July 20, 2025, about 2 p.m., authorities opportunity the boy ran a reddish ray astatine the intersection of Via Lomas De Yorba West and La Palma Avenue and was struck by a Honda Civic. A driver down the Civic recorded the collision connected video, according to the District Attorney’s office. The boy was hospitalized pinch a concussion, an intracranial bleed, a skull fracture, a surgery wrist, and a fractured femur.

According to prosecutors, the boy had been cited successful December 2024 for illegally riding the e-motorcycle, and the pursuing period Eyssallenne brought some his sons to an e-bike information position hosted by Yorba Linda constabulary services, prosecutors said.

After the crash, a rule enforcement inspection revealed the motorcycle had been altered successful 3 important ways, prosecutors say. The mill pedals had been swapped retired for motorcycle pegs, disqualifying it from being classified arsenic an e-bike. The centrifugal had a highest output of 5,000 watts, good beyond the 750-watt ineligible ceiling. And the manufacturer’s velocity limiter had been abnormal by cutting the ligament and connecting it to a cardinal switch, allowing the rider to push the motorcycle to 60 mph.

“There is perfectly nary logic that an unlicensed, untrained kid pinch nary conception of the rules of the roadworthy should beryllium riding a motorcycle that could spell up to 60 miles per hr adjacent to cars connected a nationalist street,” said Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer.

California rule draws a clear statement betwixt e-bikes and e-motorcycles based connected centrifugal power, apical velocity and whether the motorcycle has moving pedals. Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes transportation nary property aliases licensing requirements while Class 3 requires riders to beryllium astatine slightest 16.

Once a motorcycle crosses those thresholds done creation aliases modification it is treated arsenic an e-motorcycle and taxable to the aforesaid requirements arsenic a accepted motorcycle: a valid license, registration, security and a licence plate.

The e-bike that Eyssallenne and his boy modified was considered an e-motorcycle.

“Let maine make it clear: Parents who bargain their kid an E-motorcycle and fto them thrust them illegally aliases thief modify eBikes to toggle shape them into E-motorcycles are handing their children a loaded limb — and those parents are going to beryllium prosecuted,” Spitzer said successful a news statement.

The Yorba Linda lawsuit is portion of a wider surge successful injuries involving minors connected electrical bikes crossed Southern California.

In 2021, 12-year-old Molly Steinsapir died aft losing power of an e-bike connected a steep elevation successful Pacific Palisades, a calamity that led her parents to writer the shaper and brought caller scrutiny to really e-bike companies marketplace their products to families pinch children.

Tensions complete younker e-bike usage person besides been building successful the South Bay, wherever a viral video of teens attacking a man adjacent the Hermosa Beach Pier put a spotlight connected unsafe and astatine times convulsive behaviour by immoderate young riders.

Police departments crossed the region person pointed to a shape of speeding, reddish ray violations, and minors riding forbidden electrical motorcycles, and respective cities person responded pinch caller ordinances and stepped-up enforcement.