A 15-year-old boy riding an e-bike was transported to a hospital on Monday night following a traffic collision in Newhall and was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to officials.
Deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station and personnel with the Los Angeles County Fire Department were dispatched to a traffic collision involving a pedestrian at approximately 10:46 p.m. near the intersection of Orchard Village Road and Avenida Ronada.
According to Sgt. Mark Perkins with the SCV Sheriff’s Station the initial call was a report of a vehicle versus an e-bike. He could not provide information as to how the collision occurred, but did state the victim sustained minor injuries in the collision.
In a followup phone call with The Signal on Tuesday afternoon, Deputy Robert Jensen, a spokesman with the SCV Sheriff’s Station, stated that the 15-year-old boy was driving the e-bike when he crashed into a parked vehicle.
Luis Garcia, a spokesman with the L.A. County Fire Department, said that first responders were on the scene of the incident at 10:46 p.m. and transported the patient to the hospital at 11:06 p.m.
The juvenile was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to Jensen.
In recent weeks e-bikes and e-motorcycles have become a topic of discussion among residents and city officials due to the high volume of juvenile riders and a number of incidents that have raised concerns.
On Jan. 5, Shayne Thompson, 14, of Canyon Country, succumbed to injuries he sustained while riding his dirt bike when he was involved in a head-on collision at the intersection of Railroad Avenue and Oak Ridge Drive in Newhall. He died at the hospital.
Approximately three weeks ago, deputies responded to reports of 50 to 100 juveniles riding a mix of bikes, e-bikes, and dirt bikes in the Valencia Industrial Center and traveling through different locations, according to online footage.
Perkins stated he believed the 15-year-old boy was driving an e-bike and not an e-motorcycle.
E-motorcycles are not permitted in the city of Santa Clarita, according to an Instagram video posted on Jan. 6 to the city’s official page.
