SANTA ANA, Calif. — Confronting what he calls an “epidemic” of crashes involving electric bikes and small electric motorcycles, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer has created a new prosecution unit dedicated to charging riders — and, in some cases, their parents — when illegal two‑wheelers lead to serious injuries or deaths.

The unit, announced publicly in mid‑May and branded RIDE SAFELY, will review every potential criminal case involving e‑bikes and e‑motorcycles countywide, from juvenile infractions to felony prosecutions. The name is an acronym for “Smart Accountability for E‑Bikes and E‑Motos and Law Enforcement for Youth,” underscoring its focus on young riders and their families.

“Todd Spitzer’s office did a phenomenal job holding his parents accountable because when the parents are starting to be held accountable, who are really buying these devices for the kids that can’t afford to buy them in the first place, really the (accountability) lies with the parents,” Sgt. Mikes Thomas told ABC 7 Eyewitness News.

Spitzer’s office said the move follows what officials describe as a more than fourfold increase in injuries involving e‑bikes and e‑motorcycles in Southern California over the past four years, as the lightweight, relatively inexpensive vehicles have flooded coastal paths and suburban streets. In television interviews and press statements, Spitzer has argued that “convenience must not outweigh safety,” insisting that children are effectively operating motorcycles — without licenses, formal training or the maturity to judge risk — when they climb aboard high‑powered electric machines.

The new unit sits at the intersection of juvenile justice, traffic safety and parental responsibility. Staffed by prosecutors drawn from the office’s Juvenile Justice and Community Outreach and Family Protection units, RIDE SAFELY will handle vertical prosecution of e‑bike and e‑motorcycle cases — meaning the same prosecutor will shepherd a case from initial review through charging and, if necessary, trial. The team is also tasked with advising police agencies during investigations and providing consistent guidance on when a crash or reckless ride should result in a criminal complaint rather than a traffic ticket or warning.

Since January, the district attorney’s office has filed charges against at least three parents accused of allowing their children to ride illegal e‑motorcycles, highlighting the aggressive posture the unit is expected to maintain. In one of the most serious cases, an Aliso Viejo mother faces involuntary manslaughter and felony child‑endangerment charges after prosecutors say she permitted her 14‑year‑old son to ride an illegal e‑motorcycle that struck and killed an 81‑year‑old Vietnam veteran in Lake Forest. Spitzer’s office has said the mother was repeatedly warned that the vehicle was unlawful and that she could be held criminally liable if her son continued to use it.

In another case cited by prosecutors, a Yorba Linda father was charged with child endangerment after his 12‑year‑old son, riding what authorities described as a modified e‑motorcycle capable of reaching roughly 60 miles per hour, ran a red light and was critically injured in a collision with a car. Those prosecutions, which predate but are now folded into the RIDE SAFELY initiative, illustrate the legal theory Spitzer has embraced: that parents who knowingly furnish or permit illegal machines may share responsibility when those machines are involved in violent crashes.

“Children are being killed and seriously injured, and if parents refuse to hold their own children accountable, then I will,” Spitzer said in announcing the new unit, according to his office’s press materials. He has described the surge in e‑bike and e‑motorcycle‑related injuries as “death and devastation on our streets and in our communities,” contending that a specialized unit is needed to send a clear deterrent message and to keep pace with the rapid growth of the vehicles’ popularity.

The unit’s jurisdiction is broad. It will review cases involving underage riders weaving through traffic on crowded beach roads, adults allegedly using powerful e‑motos on sidewalks or bike paths where they are prohibited, and parents or other adults who purchase high‑speed machines that do not qualify as legal e‑bikes under California law. Prosecutors say they will examine whether criminal statutes such as child endangerment, vehicular manslaughter or reckless driving apply, but emphasize that not every incident involving an e‑bike or e‑moto will result in charges.

So far, official reaction has been largely supportive among law enforcement and some safety advocates, who see the initiative as an overdue response to serious collisions that have rattled neighborhoods and left some residents demanding tighter controls. Police agencies across the region have reported spikes in complaints about speeding e‑bikes on trails and young riders darting through traffic, and some departments have stepped up enforcement in parallel with the DA’s new unit.

Yet the approach is also stirring unease in some corners, even if organized opposition has not coalesced. Online discussions and call‑in shows reacting to the earlier parent prosecutions have featured sharp questions about where accountability for children’s behavior should end and whether criminal court is the right venue for what some see as parenting failures. Civil liberties groups and defense attorneys have not, as of late May, issued formal statements on the RIDE SAFELY unit itself, but the possibility of felony charges for parents whose children ride illegal bikes is likely to fuel future debates about overcriminalization and the boundaries of parental liability.

For now, Spitzer appears intent on using the full weight of his office to reshape norms around electric two‑wheelers. The RIDE SAFELY team, he has said, is meant not only to punish the most egregious cases, but also to educate families about the difference between legal e‑bikes and unregistered e‑motorcycles — and to make clear that in Orange County, failing to heed those distinctions could carry consequences far beyond a traffic citation.