Sheriff's Sergeant says Vista e-bike enforcement produced citations, tows and education

Sergeant Eric Catrow of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office described an enforcement operation in downtown Vista that paired outreach with citations and vehicle removals, saying officers stopped a juvenile rider, issued multiple citations and towed two illegal motorcycles.

Catrow told reporters the operation is intended to improve safety by correcting widespread misconceptions about electric bicycles and small motorcycles and by enforcing California law. “When you are, um, on e-bikes, you have to obey all the rules of the road like you would be in a car,” he said, adding that many young riders travel the wrong way on streets and sidewalks.

The sergeant warned that some electric vehicles marketed or used by minors are legally motorcycles: “The e-motorcycles that they're buying for their children are just that, they are a motorcycle and they are high powered and their child is driving it unlicensed, uninsured, and unregistered,” Catrow said, noting that parents can face liability when juveniles operate such vehicles.

Catrow summarized how state classifications affect legality and enforcement, saying California separates e-bikes into classes with speed thresholds: “There's class one, class two, and class three. You're a class two so it doesn't go over 19 mph…. it's 28 mph for a class three. Then it's completely out of the class of e-bikes and you become a motorcycle.” He said vehicles exceeding the e-bike speed limits are treated as motorcycles under state law.

In a specific stop Catrow recounted, officers encountered a 16-year-old riding an e-motorcycle who was cited for not having a driver’s license and whose vehicle was towed. Catrow said the juvenile will need a parent to come to the Vista Patrol Station to complete a vehicle release and pay any impound fees.

Catrow also described a commonly held but incorrect belief that adding pedals makes a vehicle a bicycle; he said deputies observed pedals with no chain or functional connection and called that practice misinformation. “Pegs and pedals… don’t have anything to do with it,” he said.

On the results of the operation, Catrow said deputies removed two illegal motorcycles and issued several citations for offenses including unlicensed operation, lack of registration or insurance, and not wearing helmets. He framed the activity as a public-safety measure: “The goal is really safety both for the person riding the bike and the general public in the area,” he said.

Catrow pointed riders toward off-road facilities such as Fox Raceway for properly supervised, track-based riding rather than public streets and sidewalks. He closed with a safety appeal to riders and motorists to obey traffic laws and be considerate of others.