SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Officers from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) office in South Lake Tahoe were involved in a short pursuit with an electric motorcycle on Thursday. CHP says the electric motorcycle was being ridden in a reckless manner (wheelies, crossing in front of traffic on a busy highway, speeding). The 15-year-old male rider then failed to stop and attempted to evade officers when they went to stop him using lights and sirens. After the short pursuit, the rider finally stopped.
The rider was then released to a parent.
The electric motorcycle was impounded for 22651.08(a) CVC. This section requires the electric motorcycle to be impounded for a minimum of 48 hours.
The rider could be facing charges including, but not limited to, evading police, reckless driving, being unlicensed, no insurance, no registration, and no motorcycle helmet (he was wearing a bike helmet). CHP said this wasn’t the first time the rider had contact with law enforcement, as the South Lake Tahoe Police Department had been in touch with the teen for similar activities.
CHP has seen an increase in complaints about electric bicycle/motorcycle riders in recent months.
They recently posted the chart below about what bikes are legal and which ones require a licensed driver to operate them. South Lake Tahoe schools have new bike registration rules that are being rolled out that will require students to have their bike registered to ride it to school. This includes helmets and ensuring the riders have the right bikes.
