GARDEN GROVE, CA — A 13-year-old boy was killed while riding an electric motorcycle, and police Friday were seeking witnesses to the crash.
The crash happened at around 9:50 p.m. Thursday in the area of Magnolia Street and Larson Avenue in the City of Garden Grove, according to the Garden Grove Police Department.
The child, only identified as a resident of Santa Ana, was being loaded into an ambulance when officers got to the scene.
"The juvenile was unconscious and was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries," according to a GGPD news release. "Despite lifesaving efforts, he was later pronounced deceased."
The Garden Grove Police Department Neighborhood Traffic Unit determined the teen was riding in the No. 1 lane of Magnolia Street, traveling about 35 mph.
"For unknown reasons, the rider collided with the center median, causing him to lose control of the electric motorcycle," police stated.
The boy was ejected and suffered fatal injuries.
Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has video of the wreck was urged to contact the investigator handling the case at 714-741-5823 or mlang@ggcity.org.
The fatal e-motorcycle crash is the latest to happen in Orange County, following reports of a teenage boy riding an illegal high-powered e-motorcycle in Lake Forest who ran down a Vietnam War veteran while practicing wheelies.
The teen was later arrested, and his mother — an Tommi Jo Mejer of Aliso Viejo — faces felony counts of involuntary manslaughter, child endangerment and accessory after the fact to a crime, along with misdemeanor counts of contributing the delinquency of a minor and providing false information to a peace officer.
She also faces an infraction for permitting an unlicensed minor under the age of 18 to drive a motor vehicle.
Mejer faces a maximum sentence of seven years and eight months in state prison if convicted on all counts, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
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