GARDEN GROVE, CA — The parents of a teen killed in an E-Moto accident in Garden Grove have been charged with child endangerment, prosecutors said Tuesday.
The victim's father — Vu Thanh Nguyen, 56, of Santa Ana — was charged Thursday with a felony count of child endangerment and a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Hong Cuc Thi Nguyen, 49, of Santa Ana — the mother of Benson Nguyen, who was 13 when the fatal crash occurred — was charged Thursday with misdemeanor child abuse and endangerment.
Benson was speeding and flashing through red lights while doing wheelies on an E-Ride Pro SS 2.0 when he crashed into a vehicle on Magnolia Street near Larson Avenue at about 10 p.m. on May 7, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Benson slammed into a raised center divider and fell off the bike before slamming into a concrete light pole, prosecutors said. The teen was rushed to UCI Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
Prosecutors say the teen's father bought his son the e-bike despite multiple warnings about Benson's reckless riding. Benson also suffered a broken leg in a crash six months before he was killed, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors also pointed to multiple videos on the boy's TikTok and Instagram accounts of daredevil riding stunts.
Riders of the types of vehicles Benson used require a motorcycle license as well as required equipment, prosecutors said. State law draws a distinction between e-bikes and e-motorcycles when it comes to age and licensing requirements.
The parents are scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 12.
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