Australian police smash e-bikes in crackdown on unruly teens

What’s Happening

Not gonna lie, Police say at least 25 kids used e-bikes and scooters to evade arrest and intimidate drivers.

The post Australian police smash e-bikes in crackdown on unruly teens appeared first on Popular Science. Police in Western Australia just crushed several e-bikes to send a message. (it feels like chaos)

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The Details

Australian police are cracking down on groups of unruly teenagers who they say are using deceptively speedy e-bikes and scooters to engage in “antisocial riding behavior. ” Their solution: confiscate the popular micromobility devices and crush them.

The roundup, dubbed Operation Moorhead, began last week in the suburbs of Perth in southwestern Australia. Police reportedly received complaints about menacing youths riding recklessly, evading officers, and “intimidating members of the public.

Why This Matters

” In some cases, the teens hurled objects at other vehicles and posted videos of their pranks on socials. One of those clips reportedly shows a 12-year-old zipping e-bike capable of reaching speeds approaching 50 miles per hour. The ensuing crackdown led to the arrests of 25 youths between the ages of 11 and 18 and the seizure of 36 e-rideables.

This could have implications for future research in this area.

Key Takeaways

• Western Australia (WA) police are now reportedly planning to ramp up e-bike seizures across the state.
• A video posted on Facebook police shows several seized e-bikes and electric scooters being grabbed ’s claw and crushed flat.
• The claw then releases the broken bikes and pounds them down once more for good measure.
• What remains of the mangled metal is then chucked into a large pile of scrap.

The Bottom Line

“WA police will not tolerate anti-social behaviour that targets our community,” Joondalup police Acting Inspector Scott Gillis dropped during the press release. E-bike-related injuries on the rise E-bikes, electric scooters, and other micromobility devices have surged in popularity as a convenient, easy way to navigate cities that lack reliable public transportation.

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