An Orange County dad modified his son's e-bike to go 60 mph. Now he's facing a felony, D.A. says
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A Yorba Linda father is facing up to six years in state prison if convicted of felony charges after his 12-year-old son was critically injured riding an e-bike that had been modified into e-motorcycle the Orange County District Attorney announced Tuesday.The boy had received the 2024 Talaria XXX e-motorcycle as a Christmas gift and with his dad, the two illegally modified it to reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour, prosecutors said.Richard John Eyssallenne, 39, pleaded not guilty to one felony count of child endangerment and abuse and one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.On July 20, 2025, around 2 p.m., authorities say the boy ran a red light at the intersection of Via Lomas De Yorba West and La Palma Avenue and was struck by a Honda Civic.
A driver behind the Civic recorded the collision on video, according to the District Attorney’s office.The boy was hospitalized with a concussion, an intracranial bleed, a skull fracture, a broken wrist, and a fractured femur.According to prosecutors, the boy had been cited in December 2024 for illegally riding the e-motorcycle, and the following month Eyssallenne brought both his sons to an e-bike safety presentation hosted by Yorba Linda police services, prosecutors said.After the crash, a law enforcement inspection revealed the bike had been altered in three significant ways, prosecutors say.
The factory pedals had been swapped out for motorcycle pegs, disqualifying it from being classified as an e-bike.The motor had a peak output of 5,000 watts, well beyond the 750-watt legal ceiling.
And the manufacturer’s speed limiter had been disabled by cutting the wire and connecting it to a key switch, allowing the rider to push the bike to 60 mph.“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 mile...