12-year-old charged after fleeing police on electric dirt bike in Howell
The officer chose to disengage the attempt and did not pursue the fleeing vehicle for safety reasons.
More Stories
A 12-year-old from Howell faces multiple charges, and an electric dirt bike has been seized, following a reckless eluding incident near a school.
The incident occurred on Monday at approximately 3 p.m. An officer was monitoring the area near Taunton School following repeated complaints from community members regarding electric dirt bikes creating a nuisance in the neighborhood.
While parked on Old Hickory Way near the intersection of Taunton Drive, the officer spotted an electric dirt bike traveling down the road. The rider, who appeared to be a young juvenile, was operating the bike on the wrong side of the road, blew through a stop sign, and did not have a visible license plate.
When the officer activated emergency lights and sirens to initiate a motor vehicle stop, the young driver looked back at the police cruiser but refused to pull over. Even after the officer utilized the vehicle’s PA system to order the rider to stop, the juvenile accelerated to reckless speeds estimated between 45 and 50 mph.
Recognizing that the juvenile was actively fleeing, the officer chose to disengage the attempt and did not pursue the fleeing vehicle for safety reasons.
A follow-up investigation quickly identified the street where the rider lived, leading authorities to a 12-year-old Howell resident.
The juvenile has been charged with:
Acts of juvenile delinquency (which would constitute eluding a traffic stop if committed by an adult)
Township ordinance violation 59-1 (off-road vehicles on public streets)
Various additional motor vehicle offenses
Additionally, the electric dirt bike was seized by police and may be subject to forfeiture under local township ordinances.
