Orange County Prosecutors Charge Six More Parents and a Sibling Over Minors' Illegal E-Moto Riding

The Orange County District Attorney's Office has filed criminal charges against six more parents and one adult sibling, accusing them of letting minors ride high-powered E-Motos on public streets. The cases come from the RIDE SAFELY unit, which operates under District Attorney Todd Spitzer. According to the office, the new filings involve children as young as nine and include serious injuries, police pursuits and repeated warnings from officers.

The charges follow an announcement made just days earlier against the parents of 13-year-old Benson Nguyen, who died in a Garden Grove crash after losing control of an E-Moto reportedly traveling more than 40 mph. Prosecutors allege the boy had a history of dangerous riding and that his father bought a more powerful E-Moto despite earlier warnings.

The most serious of the new cases is against Maria Dolores Roehling, who faces one felony count of child endangerment and an infraction for allowing a minor to drive without a license. Prosecutors say her 9-year-old son was on an E-Moto able to exceed 47 mph when a pickup truck struck him in Yorba Linda. If convicted on all counts, she could receive up to six years in state prison.

In another Yorba Linda case, Alex Li is charged with one misdemeanor count of child endangerment. Prosecutors allege his 11-year-old son suffered broken bones and an arterial bleed when his E-Moto collided with a pickup truck. Li faces up to a year in county jail. Dan Mircea Rezmives faces misdemeanor counts of child endangerment, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and allowing a child to drive without a license after police allegedly found his 12-year-old son on a Surron E-Moto capable of up to 50 mph. Prosecutors say father and son had both been warned before, and he faces a maximum of one year in jail.

Hulin Guo and Xiaomin Wang each face misdemeanor child endangerment and contributing-to-delinquency charges. Authorities allege they repeatedly ignored warnings about their son's dangerous riding. Prosecutors say the teenager's E-Motos had been impounded before, and one was eventually sold at a lien auction. Tuan Nguyen faces a misdemeanor child endangerment charge after his 13-year-old son allegedly led Garden Grove police on a pursuit and crashed into a patrol vehicle. The E-Moto could reach nearly 50 mph, according to prosecutors.

In a separate case, Jose De Jesus Ramirezbarragan is charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He allegedly let his 15-year-old brother ride his E-Motorcycle, and the juvenile then led La Palma police on a pursuit before crashing. Each of these defendants faces up to one year in jail if convicted.

The latest filings bring the number of parents charged by the RIDE SAFELY unit to at least 12 since January 2026. Prosecutors earlier filed involuntary manslaughter charges against a mother whose 14-year-old son allegedly struck and killed an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran in Lake Forest while illegally riding an E-Moto. She faces a maximum of seven years and eight months in state prison. Spitzer has argued that many high-powered E-Motos are not legally e-bikes but motorcycles or motor-driven cycles, which require registration, licensing, insurance and proper safety equipment on public roads.

The office cites more than 125 deaths nationwide linked to E-Bikes and E-Motos. It also reports that such injuries are now the leading reason children visit Orange County emergency rooms, and that they have risen more than 430% in Southern California over four years. Children aged 11 to 14 account for roughly 61.7% of E-Moto crashes, even though riders under 16 are generally barred from operating these vehicles.

No countywide database ranks arrests by city. Based on 2026 filings and publicized enforcement, the cities appearing most often in major incidents are Garden Grove, Yorba Linda, Newport Beach, Orange and La Palma, with Lake Forest, Huntington Beach and La Habra also frequently named. That list reflects public reports, not an official ranking. Insurance experts also warn that parents could face civil lawsuits alleging negligent supervision or negligent entrustment, along with coverage disputes and higher premiums.