The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has filed child endangerment charges against six more parents accused of allowing their children to illegally ride E-Motos, the office announced Oct. 21.
Among the new cases is a Yorba Linda father whose 11-year-old son suffered a broken collarbone and an arterial bleed when he collided with a pickup truck while speeding on an E-Moto, according to prosecutors. The office also charged a Yorba Linda mother whose 9-year-old son was hit by a pickup truck while speeding on an E-Moto.
The filings came a day after District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced child endangerment charges against the parents of 13-year-old Benson Nguyen, who died after losing control of his speeding E-Moto and crashing into a light pole in Garden Grove three days before Mother’s Day.
Since January, the District Attorney’s RIDE SAFELY (Smart Accountability for E-Bikes and E-Motos and Law Enforcement for Youth) Unit has filed criminal charges against 12 parents for allowing their children to illegally ride E-Motos, according to the office. Those include involuntary manslaughter charges against a mother whose 14-year-old son hit and killed an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran in Lake Forest. Prosecutors say she had been repeatedly warned that the E-Moto her son was riding was illegal and that she could be held criminally liable. She faces a maximum sentence of seven years and eight months in state prison if convicted.
The unit has also filed a case against the adult brother of a 15-year-old who prosecutors say was riding his older brother’s E-Moto when he led La Palma police on a pursuit while speeding and running red lights before losing control and crashing.
The new cases
People v. Alex Li (Case No. 26NM11589)
Alex Li is charged with one misdemeanor count of child endangerment for allowing his 11-year-old son to ride an E-Moto with a 1,200-watt motor, which exceeds the 750-watt limit for an E-Bike, according to prosecutors. On June 30, 2026, the boy suffered broken bones and an arterial bleed after colliding with a pickup truck in Yorba Linda while riding the E-Moto, which is capable of going more than 33 miles per hour. Li faces a maximum sentence of one year in Orange County Jail if convicted.
People v. Maria Dolores Roehling (Case No. 26NF5325)
Maria Roehling is charged with one felony count of child endangerment and an infraction for allowing a child under 18 to drive a motor vehicle without a license. On May 23, 2026, her 9-year-old son was speeding on an E-Moto capable of more than 47 miles per hour when he was hit by a pickup truck in Yorba Linda, prosecutors said. According to the District Attorney’s Office, the boy’s Instagram accounts show him doing wheelies on the E-Moto on residential streets and posting about a crash he had on it a few weeks before he was hit. Roehling faces a maximum sentence of six years in state prison if convicted on all counts.
People v. Dan Mircea Rezmives (Case No. 26CM08723)
Dan Rezmives is charged with one misdemeanor count of child endangerment, one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and an infraction for allowing a child under 18 to drive a motor vehicle without a license. On March 22, 2026, an Orange police officer saw Rezmives’ 12-year-old son riding a Surron Light Bee E-Moto on a public street while Rezmives rode a bicycle, prosecutors said. The officer had previously warned Rezmives and his son that it was illegal to operate an E-Moto on city streets. Rezmives told authorities the Surron, which is capable of reaching 50 miles per hour, was a Christmas present for his son. He faces a maximum sentence of one year in Orange County Jail if convicted on all charges.
People v. Hulin Guo and Xiaomin Wang (Case No. 26HM07320)
Hulin Guo and Xiaomin Wang are each charged with one misdemeanor count of child endangerment, one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and an infraction for allowing a child under 18 to drive a motor vehicle without a license. Prosecutors say both parents had been repeatedly warned about the dangers of letting their son ride an E-Moto, and that his E-Motos had been impounded at least twice, with one sold at a lien auction.
On May 9, 2026, the couple’s 17-year-old son led Newport Beach police on a pursuit at more than 40 miles per hour on a Surron E-Moto, riding around pedestrians on sidewalks and going the wrong direction on public streets after refusing to stop for a traffic stop, according to prosecutors. Police ended the pursuit but later identified the teen as the rider and served a search warrant at the family’s Newport Beach home.
Prosecutors also cited earlier incidents. On Halloween 2024, the son, then 15, was tackled off his E-Moto by an officer after he and another boy were riding recklessly and doing wheelies on residential streets crowded with trick-or-treaters. When the parents picked him up at the police station, officers reminded them of the dangers of letting him ride the E-Moto. On Sept. 23, 2023, an officer found the boy hiding in bushes after he and other children on E-Motos ignored the officer’s amplified commands to stop following reports of reckless riding; officers warned his mother that the E-Moto was illegal and dangerous.
Guo and Wang each face a maximum sentence of one year in Orange County Jail if convicted on all charges.
People v. Tuan Nguyen (Case No. 26WM10291)
Tuan Nguyen is charged with one misdemeanor count of child endangerment. On April 8, 2026, his 13-year-old son led Garden Grove police on a pursuit at speeds up to 40 miles per hour on a Surron Light Bee X, running red lights and riding the wrong way into traffic after refusing to stop for a traffic stop, prosecutors said. The pursuit ended when the boy crashed the Surron, which is capable of 49 miles per hour, into a police vehicle while trying to get away. Nguyen faces up to one year in Orange County Jail if convicted.
People v. Jose De Jesus Ramirezbarragan (Case No. 26NM11591)
Jose De Jesus Ramirezbarragan, 33, is charged with one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He is accused of allowing his 15-year-old brother to ride his E-Motorcycle on May 27, 2026. When La Palma police tried to pull the teen over, he ignored the officer’s amplified commands and led police on a pursuit at 40 miles per hour, running red lights and nearly crashing into several cars before losing control and crashing into bushes, according to prosecutors. Ramirezbarragan faces up to one year in Orange County Jail if convicted.
Spitzer’s comments
“We don’t want to have to prosecute parents – we want to save kids’ lives,” Spitzer said in a statement. “When parents refuse to parent and tell their kids ‘no’ when it comes to riding something that is dangerous and illegal, then I have no choice but to hold parents accountable and file criminal charges. Kids are getting seriously injured and killed and I refuse to allow another child to be hurt or killed because I didn’t do everything I could to send a message that these vehicles are not child’s play. If you’re going to hand the keys to a deadly weapon to your child, then be prepared to face the consequences of your actions.”
Injury and fatality figures
According to the District Attorney’s Office, more than 125 deaths in the United States have been attributed to E-Bikes and E-Motos, including a 15-year-old boy who was riding an E-Moto with a friend in La Habra, a 21-year-old who died five days after crashing an E-Bike in Huntington Beach, and the 81-year-old man killed in Lake Forest.
The office says E-Bike and E-Moto injuries are now the leading reason children in Orange County end up in the emergency room, and that such injuries have risen more than 430% in Southern California over the past four years.
Children ages 11 to 14 account for 61.7% of E-Moto crashes, even though children under 16 are legally prohibited from riding E-Motos, according to the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Record System (SWITRS), as cited by the office.
Background
Spitzer announced the creation of the RIDE SAFELY unit in May 2026 to review potential criminal charges against juveniles and adults, including parents who knowingly allow their children to illegally ride E-Motos and E-Bikes. The office describes the unit as one part of a broader effort that also includes education, prosecution of riders and their parents, additional legislation, and holding manufacturers and retailers accountable.
State officials have compiled an E-Bike guide of best practices and resources from local agencies, available at gosafelyca.org, and the California Highway Patrol has issued a reference guide and information bulletin for law enforcement on applicable Vehicle Code definitions and requirements. The Orange County Transportation Authority maintains a summary of E-Bike laws and ordinances in the county.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Noor Hasan of the RIDE SAFELY Unit is prosecuting the cases.
