A girl turned herself into the police after videos were shared online of her racing down public streets, performing dangerous stunts on a gas-powered moped. She was given a minor punishment for driving without a license.
The girl, surnamed Mo, is seen in two different videos, wearing a pink helmet and performing wheelies on a moped. Mo is from Wuzhou City in China’s southern Guangxi Province. Only April 27, she turned herself into the police after hiding in a neighboring province to avoid being arrested.
The report from Passion News, a large Chinese short-video news outlet, did not say how long she hid or when the videos were initially shared online.
The translation of the video text is included below.
Many mopeds in China are electric. However, Mo’s moped is gas powered, as an exhaust pipe can be seen on the right side of the rear wheel.
“Recently, a Guangxi [Province] Wuzhou citizen shared several videos on their WeChat Friends Circle of a young girl street racing.” WeChat is the largest chat application in China, and the friend circle functions very similarly to Facebook’s friend system.
All Chinese reporting must be in line with official government and police stances on a topic. Since Mo was detained, the news report echoes the stance of the police department.
“In the video, the girl uses the dangerous forms of driving the motorcycle by lifting up the front of the vehicle, or using a single leg to kneel on the vehicle seat.”
The text goes on to say that police conducted an investigation, and identified who Mo was. She was afraid of being arrested by the authorities, so she hid in the neighboring province of Guangdong.
On April 27, Mo returned to Guangxi and was encouraged by her family to turn herself into the police.
Mo then narrates a confession in front of the local police bureau. Police in China often compel suspects to make such confessions, or to pose for photographs of the suspect pointing at evidence.
“Recently, there were videos posted online of me street racing, causing a negative impact on society. Today, I actively went to the public security department and turned myself in. I hope everyone can forgive me. I hope no one imitates my behavior. I apologize to everyone again.”
The shirt she is wearing is similar to a standard Chinese school uniform, implying she is either in middle- or high-school.
Mo is finally shown locked into a sentencing chair, a formality seen in media coverage of crime-related stories. Two officers sit at a desk across from Mo, while she is handcuffed into a metal chair.
Mo was detained for a total of 10 days and fined 300 yuan ($45) for driving without a license.
