Orange County teens allegedly assaulted residents at the Foothill Ranch Towne Center with airsoft weapons while riding electric bicycles, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
They said law enforcement has increased its presence in the area and impounded two of the e-motorcycles ridden by the teenagers.
Multiple complaints were received July 16 that the teenagers were vandalizing property and assaulting businesses and customers with the airsoft weapons, the department said.
Businesses at multiple shopping centers have reported similar such incidents and have asked for more police presence, department spokesperson Frank Gonzalez told The Epoch Times.
Mr. Gonzalez said e-bikes are growing in popularity and can be fun but also dangerous if improperly used.
The department also reminded e-bike owners that not all of them are street legal, such as those made by Sur-ron, Talaria, Stark, RAWR Mantis, and 79 Bike, which are only for offroad use, the department said in the same social media post.
On social media, one commenter said a similar group of e-bike riders had held up traffic in a parking lot at Target also in the Foothill Ranch area of Lake Forest, about 50 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
“I witnessed a group of them stopped in front of drivers at Target, refusing to move to let traffic through the parking lot yesterday. It was unfortunate to see kids acting that way for no reason other than to be disruptive,” she wrote on Instagram July 18.
Another commenter said their car was encircled and had mud sprayed on it by e-bike riders.
Regarding the airsoft incident, another warned of the dangers of using fake guns.
“Airsoft guns look real, and are a good way to get yourself killed,” the commenter wrote on Instagram.
Another mentioned that her sister honked at a group of kids on e-bikes in the middle of the street and was followed afterward.
The Epoch Times reached out to businesses in the area but didn’t receive a response by publication time.
