Residents describe dangerous e-bike behavior at Lake Forest parks and shopping areas; council forms ad hoc with sheriff—s office

Residents at the Lake Forest City Council meeting described recurring, dangerous behavior by groups of electric bike riders in the Lake Forest Sports Park and nearby shopping areas, and the council agreed by consensus to form an ad hoc group with the Orange County Sheriff Department to review enforcement options.

Jacqueline Napoli, a Trabuco Canyon resident, told the council she was asking for decisive action to end what she described as a "roving e-bike gang" that has been verbally harassing people and damaging property. Napoli said responding deputies had twice asked a victim whether she wanted to press charges and then recorded in the report that the victim did not want to press charges, which Napoli said was inaccurate. She urged the council to "enact statutes requiring all e-bikes to have registration and identification plates in order to ride here, so we can identify the criminals." (Jacqueline Napoli, public comment).

Girish (identified in the record as Gersha/Girish Rao) and other residents described groups of roughly 10 riders using the sports park and retail centers such as Walmart and Target to evade deputies. Girish described riders carrying knives and lighting large fires on a park gazebo. Sean Lavery recounted what he said was repeated harassment in parks and alleged that some riders had altered firmware to exceed legal speed limits: "They have flashed their firmware on their bikes to exceed the legal 20 per hour limit, often pulling wheelies and speeding through the playground," Lavery said. Lavery said he had waited for deputies who did not arrive and that a motorcycle officer told him deputies had been instructed not to chase the riders.

Mayor (unnamed in the record) asked for council consensus to form an ad hoc with the mayor pro tem and a retired Orange County sheriff to "discuss these policies with the Orange County Sheriff Department." The council agreed and the mayor said staff would convene the ad hoc and meet with law enforcement. A council member later warned that vehicle pursuits for infractions typically are not authorized and that pursuits are reserved for felonies; that member recommended exploring other tools such as drone technology and targeted patrols.

Other residents urged increased deputy presence and clearer policies that would allow deputies to take action when riders commit crimes, including harassment, threats and property damage. Several speakers asked the city to clarify the sheriff department—s current policy regarding pursuits and enforcement of e-bike violations; the city manager said staff had anecdotal information but would need to confer with the sheriff—s office and return with a formal policy update.

Why it matters: residents described repeated incidents — including alleged use of weapons, property damage, and near-misses involving toddlers in playgrounds — that they say create a public-safety risk in parks and retail corridors. The ad hoc will review enforcement options and policies with the Orange County Sheriff Department and explore best practices from other cities.