Police crackdown on Gold Coast e-bike bandits
Police have launched a crackdown on teenage e-bike riders across the Gold Coast after a week of chaos which left one boy dead. SEE THE VIDEO
Police have cracked down on e-bike riders across the Gold Coast after a week of chaos which left one boy dead.
On Monday September 22 17-year-old Hudson Gagg tragically died after an e-bike collided with an SUV at Tallebudgera.
Just two days later, shocking footage emerged of 30 plus teens on e-bikes taking over streets from Miami to Main Beach, to the fury of passing motorists.
Witnesses who saw the teens swarming the streets on Wednesday said it was “scary to watch,” with some bystanders claiming they saw 50 to 100 teens at one point during the huge group ride out.
Following last week’s scenes, which saw multiple calls made to police, Gold Coast Highway Patrol officers conducted a two-day personal mobility device (PMD) operation at the weekend targeting unsafe and unlawful behaviour by riders.
The operation resulted in 35 e-vehicle riders being intercepted.
Three e-bikes were collected by parents, two riders were issued warnings, and a juvenile was dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act for nine separate offences.
A total of 14 juveniles were dealt with for PMD offences, including a 13-year-old Bonogin boy.
Police allege the teen was riding an e-bike at more than 70 km/h along Christine Ave in Burleigh and failed to stop at two red lights.
He was dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act for offences including driving of motor vehicle without a driver’s licence, vehicles used on roads must be registered, drive uninsured vehicle, disobeying the speed limit, wearing motorbike helmets, driving within a single marked lane, light vehicle must not be driven or parked on a road if defective and two counts of failing to stop on a red traffic light.
Police also dealt with a 14-year-old boy, a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy riding e-motorbikes.
The 16-year-old was dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act for eight separate offences.
Acting Superintendent Michelle Piket said the behaviour was “particularly concerning”.
“We’ve already seen the devastating consequences when riders choose to travel at high speeds and neglect basic safety equipment like helmets,” Acting Superintendent Piket said.
“These machines are capable of travelling very quickly, but riders often don’t fully appreciate just how vulnerable they are when something goes wrong. Our officers see young people trying to evade police or darting through heavy traffic, and when adrenaline kicks in, that’s when mistakes are made. Those mistakes can be catastrophic.”
Footage shared to streaming platform YouTube by e-bike riders taking part in last Wednesday’s ride out showed the teens taking over public roads, throwing traffic cones and speeding down tram tracks doing wheelies.
The YouTube account owner claimed all “road rules and community” were respected during the ride, with plans for a “bigger” ride out next year.
