Photos and Story by Robert Carter
HEMET — Hemet police used a Riverside County sheriff’s helicopter to track an e-motorcycle rider who was reportedly performing wheelies and traveling without lights Thursday night.
The incident began at approximately 10:30 p.m. Aug. 14 near Florida Avenue in Hemet. The rider was seen traveling east and west on Florida Avenue without lights and performing wheelies, according to information from the scene.
“I actually witnessed the e-motorcycle going west on Florida near State,” witness Robert Carter said.
Officers reportedly decided against pursuing the rider on the ground because of the danger a chase could pose to the rider and the public. Instead, police followed from a distance while the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office’s STAR 9 helicopter circled the area and tracked the motorcycle from the air.
The motorcycle was later found abandoned in the street near West Sydney Street and Madrid Street and was impounded.
It was not immediately known whether police located or arrested the rider. Additional information was not available Friday night.
