UPDATE, THURSDAY MORNING:

Today we called up the Eureka Police Department to clarify a couple of things about this press release, both of which were noted by commenters.

1. E-Moto or E-Bike? The beginning of the press release says that an officer observed a driver of an e-motorcycle acting erratically, and the second-to-last paragraph says that the e-motorcycle “was identified as a class 3 electric bicycle.” 

But as commenters noted, those are two different things. A class 3 electric bicycle is not an e-motorcycle. Does the EPD not know that?

Rachel Sollom, a public information officer at the Eureka Police Department, acknowledges that this whole bit was clumsily phrased. What she meant to convey was that the officer originally thought that the rider was on an e-motorcycle, but upon detaining the suspect learned that it was not that, but rather a class 3 electric bicycle. If you read the press release again with that information, you can indeed read it that way, though Sollom understands why a majority of readers seem to have read it the other way. She vows to be more clear in the future.

2. Driver’s license. This is a more clear mistake. You do not, in fact, need to have a driver’s license to operate a class 3 electric bicycle, as the press release states, but the e-biker was breaking the law in a different way — he was only 15 years old. You have to be 16 to operate a class 3 in California.

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ORIGINAL POST:

Press release from the Eureka Police Department:

On September 22, 2026, at approximately 4:20 p.m., officers with the Eureka Police Department (EPD) were patrolling the area of Hodgson and J Street when they observed the driver of an e-motorcycle traveling on the sidewalk before entering the roadway and performing a wheelie.

Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop; however, the driver failed to yield and continued driving. During the incident, the driver failed to stop at a stop sign and nearly caused a traffic collision.

Additional officers responded to the area and located the driver on a trail in the 3500 block of O Street. The driver was taken into custody without further incident and was identified as a 15-year-old male from Eureka. He was transported to the Humboldt County Juvenile Hall and booked on charges of evading a police officer, reckless driving, failure to stop at a stop sign, and driving out of classification.

The e-motorcycle was towed from the scene and was identified as a Class 3 electric bicycle. Class 3 electric bicycles require the operator to possess a valid driver’s license.

EPD reminds all riders that e-bikes and e-motorcycles are vehicles that must be operated responsibly and in accordance with California law. Riders should know the classification of their vehicle, understand where it may legally be operated, and follow all traffic laws. Unsafe riding, including riding on sidewalks where prohibited, performing stunts in or near traffic, and failing to obey traffic signals, can place the rider, pedestrians, and other motorists at risk.

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