A 17-year-old has been charged with suspected felony by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office for an alleged “dangerous pursuit” using an electric motorcycle on June 10 in Ventura, according to authorities.
The DA’s office has filed a juvenile petition against the Ventura boy for the e-motorcycle pursuit that included Ventura Community Park, Highway 126 and the campus of Buena High School and adjacent city streets, according to a DA’s office news release on July 7.
The petition includes two suspected felony counts of evading a peace officer and evading a peace officer while driving the wrong way, the release said.
Around 4:50 p.m. on June 10., Ventua Police Department officers conducting e-bicycle and e-motorcycle safety enforcement near the Ventura Aquatic Center saw an e-motorcycle riding across the grass fields of Ventura Community Park, according to a department news release.
The rider of the e-motorcycle allegedly noticed the officer and fled through the soccer fields, where children were playing, and onto Kimball Road, against traffic before entering westbound Highway 126, officials said.
The officer pursued the e-motorcycle rider and followed the rider until he exited at Victoria Avenue, officials said. The rider continued to evade officers by driving on the sidewalk against traffic and then through the campus of Buena High School, where teams were practicing. Other officers in the area saw the rider head west through the school and into a residential area before losing sight of him near Aurora Drive.
One of the officers spotted an abandoned e-motorcycle with the helmet and clothing left behind in an alleyway, officials said. Officers saw a white pickup truck leaving the area with a juvenile passenger allegedly trying to hide inside the truck.
Officers stopped the truck, identified the juvenile as the rider — a 17-year-old boy from Ventura — and arrested him on felony evading, reckless riding and operating an illegal e-motorcycle without the required license and equipment, officials said. The e-motorcycle was impounded.
The driver of the truck was a friend of the family for the 17-year-old and unaware of the pursuit, Cmdr. Edward Caliento of the department previously said. The driver of the truck was not arrested, Caliento said.
The 17-year-old was released to his guardian pending court hearings, Caliento said.
The boy is scheduled for an arraignment at a juvenile facility on July 20, DA’s officials said.
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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura teen charged after alleged ‘dangerous’ e-motorcycle chase
Reporting by Staff reports, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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By Staff reports, Ventura County Star | USA TODAY Network
