A California father is facing a felony charge after prosecutors say he turned his 12-year-old's electric motorcycle into something that could hit freeway speeds, then let the boy ride it in traffic. Orange County prosecutors this week charged 39-year-old Richard John Eyssallenne of Yorba Linda with child endangerment and abuse, as well as hit him with a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, reports SFGate. The case stems from a crash last summer in which Eyssallenne's son allegedly ran a red light on a modified Talaria XXX e-moto and slammed into a car. The boy suffered serious injuries, including a broken femur and a fractured skull, authorities say.
Investigators say Eyssallenne had disabled the tool that limits the bike's speed and swapped out its pedals, allowing the electric motorcycle to reach up to 60mph. Under California law, e-motorcycle riders must be at least 16, be licensed and insured, and don appropriate safety gear. The boy, who KTLA reports received the e-motorcycle as a Christmas gift, had already been cited in December 2024 for illegally operating an e-moto, and he and his father were ordered to attend a police-run e-bike safety class, per SFGate.
"There is absolutely no reason that an unlicensed, untrained child with no concept of the rules of the road should be riding a motorcycle that can go up to 60 miles per hour next to cars on a public street," Orange County DA Todd Spitzer said in a statement, calling such modified bikes the equivalent of a "loaded weapon" in children's hands. Spitzer warned that parents who allow or assist similar modifications "are going to be prosecuted." Eyssallenne has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he faces up to six years in state prison. He didn't respond to an emailed request for comment.
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