Six More Orange County Parents Charged with Child Endangerment Charges in Connection with Allowing Their Children to Illegally Ride E-Motos

Six More Orange County Parents Charged with Child Endangerment Charges
in Connection with Allowing Their Children to Illegally Ride E-Motos

Newly filed cases include a Yorba Linda father whose 11-year-old broke bones and suffered aortic bleed when his speeding E-Moto collided with pickup truck and Yorba Linda mother whose 9-year-old was hit by truck while speeding on an E-Moto; Adult brother of
15-year-old who crashed during police pursuit on older brother's E-Moto
is facing contributing to the delinquency of a minor charges.

SANTA ANA - The Orange County District Attorney's Office has recently filed child endangerment charges against six additional parents in connection with allowing their children to illegally ride E-Motos, including against a father whose 11-year-old son suffered a broken collarbone and an arterial bleed when he was collided with a pickup while speeding on an E-Moto in Yorba Linda. Yesterday, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced the filing of 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, District Attorney Spitzer'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, including filing involuntary manslaughter charges against a mother after her 14-year-old son hit and killed an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran in Lake Forest after she had been repeatedly warned that the E-Moto he 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 RIDE SAFELY Unit has also recently filed a criminal case against the adult brother of a 15-year-old who was riding his older brother's E-Moto when he led La Palma police on a pursuit while speeding and running red lights before he lost control and crashed.

The newly filed RIDE SAFELY cases include:

People v. Alex Li Case# 26NM11589

Father Alex Li has been charged with one misdemeanor count of child endangerment for allowing his 11-year-old son to illegally ride an E-Moto with a 1200-watt motor which is in excess of the 750 watts limit for an E-Bike. On June 30, 2026, Li's 11-year-old son suffered broken bones and an arterial bleed after colliding with a pickup truck while riding his E-Moto capable of going more than 33 miles per hour in the city of Yorba Linda. Li faces a maximum sentence of one year in Orange County Jail if convicted.

People v. Maria Dolores Roehling Case# 26NF5325

Mother Maria Roehling has been charged with one felony count of child endangerment and an infraction for allowing a child under the age of 18 to drive a motor vehicle without a license. On May 23, 2026, Roehling's 9-year-old son was speeding on his E-Moto capable of going speeds more than 47 miles per hour when he was hit by a pickup truck in Yorba Linda. The 9-year-old's Instagram accounts show him doing wheelies on the E-Moto on residential streets and posting about a crash he had on the E-Moto just a few weeks before being hit by the pickup truck. Roehling faces a maximum sentence of six years in state prison if convicted on all counts.

People v. Dan Mircea Rezmives Case# 26CM08723

Father Dan Rezmives has been 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 the age of 18 to drive a motor vehicle without a license. On March 22, 2026, an Orange police officer saw Dan Rezmives' 12-year-old son riding a Surron Light Bee E-Moto on a public street while Rezmives rode a bicycle. The officer had previously warned Rezmives and the 12-year-old that it was illegal to operate an E-Moto on city streets. The Surron, which Rezmives claimed was a Christmas present for his son, is capable of going up to 50 miles per hour. Rezmives faces a maximum sentence of one year in the Orange County Jail if convicted on all charges.

People v. Hulin Guo and Xiaomin Wang Case# 26HM07320

Parents Hulin Guo and Xiaomin Wang have each been 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 the age of 18 to drive a motor vehicle without a license. Both parents had been repeatedly warned of the dangers of continuing to allow their child to illegally ride an E-Moto and the boy's E-Motos had been impounded on at least two occasions, and one of them was sold via lien auction.

On May 9, 2026, the couple's 17-year-old son led Newport Beach police on a pursuit while driving more than 40 miles an hour on his Surron E-Moto, while driving around pedestrians in sidewalks and driving the wrong direction on public streets after refusing to pull over for a traffic stop. Newport Beach police ended the pursuit but later identified the couple's 17-year-old son as the rider of the Surron and served a search warrant at the family's Newport Beach home. The couple had been warned repeatedly about their son's reckless driving and the boy's prior E-Moto had been impounded and sold.

On Halloween 2024, the couple's 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 filled with trick-or-treaters. When the boy's parents came to the police station to pick up their son, they were reminded by officers of the dangers of allowing their son to ride the E-Moto. On September 23, 2023 an officer found the couple's son hiding in the bushes after he and other children riding E-Motos ignored the officer's amplified commands to stop following reports of reckless riding. Officers warned the boy's mom that the E-Moto was illegal and dangerous.

Both Hulin Gao and Xiamin Wang face a maximum sentence of one year in the Orange County Jail if convicted on all charges.

People v. Tuan Nguyen Case# 26WM10291

Father Tuan Nguyen has been charged with one misdemeanor count of child endangerment. On April 8, 2026, Nguyen's 13-year-old son led Garden Grove police on a pursuit while speeding up to 40 miles an hour on his Surron Light Bee X running red lights and driving the wrong way into traffic after refusing to pull over for a traffic stop. The pursuit ended when the 13-year-old crashes his Surron, capable of going up to 49 miles per hour, into the police vehicle while trying to get away. Nguyen faces up to one year in the Orange County Jail if convicted.

People v. Jose De Jesus Ramirezbarragan Case# 26NM11591

Jose De Jesus Ramirezbarragan, 33, has been charged with one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. On May 27, 2026, Ramirezbarragan is accused of allowing his 15-year-old brother to ride his E-Motorcycle. When La Palma police attempted to pull the 15-year-old over, he refused and instead ignored the officer's amplified commands and began a police pursuit while driving 40 miles per hour, running red lights, and nearly crashing into several cars before losing control and crashing into several bushes. Ramirezbarragan faces up to one year in the Orange County Jail if convicted.

"We don't want to have to prosecute parents - we want to save kids' lives," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. "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."

More than 125 deaths have been attributed to E-Bikes and E-Motos in the United States, including a 15-year-old boy who was riding on 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 an 81-year-old man who was hit and killed by a 14-year-old illegally riding an E-Moto.

E-Bike and E-Moto injuries are now the number one reason children in Orange County end up in the emergency room, with injuries skyrocketing more than 430% in Southern California in just the last four years.

Children between the ages of 11 and 14 account for 61.7% of E-Moto crashes even though children under the age of 16 are legally prohibited from riding E-Motos, according to the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Record System (SWITRS).

In May 2026, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced the creation of a new E-Bike/E-Moto unit - RIDE SAFELY (Smart Accountability for E-Bikes and E-Motos and Law Enforcement for Youth) to review all potential criminal charges against juveniles and adults, including parents who knowingly allow their children to illegally ride E-Motos and E-Bikes. The unit is part of the District Attorney's multi-pronged approach to reducing E-Bike and E-Moto injuries and saving lives along with increased education, prosecution of riders and their parents, pursuing additional legislation, and holding manufacturers and retailers accountable.

State leaders have developed an E-Bike guide with an inventory of best practices and resources from local agencies, including school-based trainings, policies, safety pledges, and other educational materials. To learn more, visit gosafelyca.org. The CHP has also developed a ready reference guide for law enforcement officers and issued an Information Bulletin for Allied Agencies with applicable California Vehicle Code definitions and requirements.

For a summary of updated E-Bike laws and ordinances in Orange County, visit the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) website.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Noor Hasan of the RIDE SAFELY Unit is prosecuting these cases.

Click here for full press release.

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