{"id":5966,"date":"2026-05-27T12:05:50","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T19:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/?p=7657883"},"modified":"2026-05-27T12:05:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T19:05:52","slug":"kelowna-rcmp-seize-e-dirt-bikes-from-young-riders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/5966\/kelowna-rcmp-seize-e-dirt-bikes-from-young-riders\/","title":{"rendered":"Kelowna RCMP seize e-dirt bikes from young riders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kelowna cops have seized three electric dirt bikes from young riders amid mounting complaints about the unregulated machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police came upon the three youths riding “dangerously in traffic” last week, and the situation escalated when they fled from RCMP. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police would later find them without incident, resorting to both seizing the e-dirt bikes and ticketing the underage riders, according to a Kelowna RCMP news release issued today, May 27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTraffic safety remains a focused priority for the Kelowna RCMP, with specific attention on high-risk driving behaviour,\u201d detachment spokesperson Cpl. Steven Lang said in the release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s not clear where police encountered the bikes, but similarly-styled e-dirt bikes are often seen in Okanagan communities and elsewhere in the province. Police across BC have issued warnings about these e-dirt bikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike regulated, motor-assisted e-bikes allowed on BC roads, these are typically throttle-driven and often don’t require or use pedals. In addition to their prohibited status in BC, riders of throttle-equipped e-bikes that meet provincial regulations must be at least 16 years old.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A chart summarizes what is legal and what isn’t in BC, comparing a range of micro-mobility machines. SUBMITTED\/Kelowna RCMP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It’s also not clear how much the riders were fined, but the police encounter will likely be more costly than simply paying traffic tickets. After impounding the e-dirt bikes, police initiated proceedings through BC’s Civil Forfeiture Office.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Civil forfeiture law is typically used in cases where the items seized were used for the purpose of committing another crime, or they are considered proceeds of crime. It’s a process crafted for combatting organized crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The provincial law does, however, include a carveout for property that has, or could, result in serious bodily harm to a person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

iNFOnews.ca has reached out to Kelowna RCMP for more information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s not just tickets the e-dirt bike riders have to worry about.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":426,"featured_media":5967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"guid":"","source":"","byline":"","published":"","updated":"","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1285,492,493],"tags":[],"region":[206,207,208,209],"class_list":["post-5966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-local","category-topnews","region-kamloops","region-kelowna","region-penticton","region-vernon"],"blocksy_meta":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/5966\/kelowna-rcmp-seize-e-dirt-bikes-from-young-riders\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Kelowna RCMP seize e-dirt bikes from young riders","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/5966\/kelowna-rcmp-seize-e-dirt-bikes-from-young-riders\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/5966\/kelowna-rcmp-seize-e-dirt-bikes-from-young-riders\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-ebikes-towed.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-ebikes-towed.jpg"},"articleSection":"Featured","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Levi Landry"}],"creator":["Levi Landry"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNwheels","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-05-27T19:05:50Z","datePublished":"2026-05-27T19:05:50Z","dateModified":"2026-05-27T19:05:52Z"},"rendered":"