Dozens of e-bikers recently did a “rideout” – taking over a Queen Creek street.
(Town of Queen Creek)
When it comes to “e-bikes,” you are not alone, Anthem …
The hot topic of the May 27 Anthem Community Council meeting: “Discussion Regarding E-Bike Community Education and Outreach.”
ACC Executive Director Aaron Baker, who is scheduled to give an update later this month, gave the board an overview on the various types of “e-bikes,” ranging from modest models assisting young pedalers up to roaring motorcycles.
“These are the motorcycles — electric motorcycles — that you see the kids doing the wheelies up and down Anthem Way or Gavilan Peak,” Baker noted.
One week later, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell held a press conference on “teen violence across the Valley.”
“We always see a spike in juvenile crimes in the summer,” she said, flanked by the police chiefs of Surprise and Queen Creek, suburban municipalities to the northwest and southeast of Scottsdale.
While Mitchell emphasized a few shocking cases and a disturbing rise in teens using guns during crimes, Surprise Police Chief Evan Becher and Queen Creek Police Chief Randy Bryce illustrated how e-bikes are playing a part in “mob mentality.”
Bryce said Queen Creek officers have “really noticed recently that between the juvenile disturbances and e-bike related calls — we’ve seen a trend where it’s up and up and up, and then that’s where we start to see violence.”
Bryce showed videos of e-bikers doing “takeovers” of streets and parks.
In Gilbert, Assistant Police Chief Mike Angstead similarly reported “a rise in organized e-bike and e-motorcycle rideouts, and it’s marked by reckless riding on the public roadway.”
According to Scottsdale Police Lt. Hugh Lockerby, “Our intelligence has not shown any type of information that these types of ride-outs are occurring in Scottsdale.
“We do have communications with other Valley agencies,” he added. “We did have one (takeover/rideout) recently down in Tempe at Tempe Marketplace, that was as close as we’ve had — but they never entered Scottsdale.”
Though Scottsdale has not seen the frightening big group swarms, there are some disturbing e-bike trends here.
In 2023, none of the two e-bike calls the Scottsdale Fire Department responded to resulted in trips to the hospital.
In 2024, SFD answered seven e-bike injury calls, with paramedics taking four e-bikers to the hospital.
Last year, five of six e-bike distress calls resulted in trips to the hospital.
So far in 2026, the Scottsdale Fire Department raced to eight calls of “e-biker down.”
All eight of the juveniles were taken by ambulance to hospitals.
“E-bikes are growing in popularity among all age groups – but particularly among junior high and high school students,” SFD Assistant Chief Aren Hansen said.
“Because these bikes can reach speeds upwards to 20-30 mph, injuries from crashes can be significant — especially when safety equipment is not being worn.”
A Mesa Living Facebook post shows a young rider doing a wheelie on an electric motorcycle – also a common site around Anthem.
(Facebook)
The SFD community message:
“Research shows that e-bikes can be more dangerous than traditional bicycles because they travel at much higher speeds, increasing the risk and severity of crashes.”
Though the weather here means year-’round biking, this is hardly just a Valley issue.
According to the most recent report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 193 e-bike related deaths were reported across the country from 2017-2023.
“Motor vehicle accidents and control issues were top hazards associated with e-bike fatalities,” according to the commission’s report.
There were 87,400 emergency department (ED) visits in that time for injuries caused in connection with e-bikes.
The trend is accelerating, according to the safety organization:
“The number of ED visits for e-bikes has increased nearly 10-fold from 2017 to 2023.”
The CPSC also advises children younger than 12 should not operate e-bikes.
‘Dont stop for cops’
Two weeks ago, a Nextdoor user posted an email from a Phoenix Police community resource officer. It was addressed to residents of Fireside at Desert Ridge, just outside North Scottsdale.
“The Phoenix Police Department is reaching out to community members and local businesses to partner with us in improving safety for juveniles operating e‑bikes throughout our neighborhoods.”
Officer Kelsie Sanborn created an online form “that allows residents and business owners to share information when they observe juveniles riding e‑bikes in an unsafe manner or in areas where safety concerns may arise.”
The tool was to aid Phoenix PD “identify patterns, connect with families, and provide education that keeps kids safe and our community informed … and potentially used for enforcement action against traffic violations and or criminal behavior.”
The email also strongly advised “that community members and business owners do not place themselves in a dangerous situation to gather photos, videos, or other information.”
Indeed, an incident where dozens of e-bikers surrounded and threatened adults at a Queen Creek park was reported.
At the June 4 press conference, Bryce displayed multiple screenshots from social media advertising “e-bike rideout” gatherings; several stressed, “dont stop for cops.”
Bryce noted officers are reluctant to create a dangerous situation by chasing e-bikers through traffic.
“They’ll actually taunt us to chase them,” Bryce said. “… they’ll slow down, wait for you to catch up to them, and then they’ll kind of salute you a certain way — and then try to get you to chase them again.”
In Queen Creek, according to the town’s chief of police, “We have great kids.
“Sometimes they make poor choices.”
At the June 4 press conference, Mitchell said her office charged 150 juveniles as adults in 2025 — including 17 for first-degree murder, 39 for armed robbery and 60 for aggravated assault.
She added 87% of those cases involved violent crimes or gun-related offenses.
Sixty-three were charged under the new “Preston’s Law,” which carries extra penalties for group attacks.