Police searching for vandals riding e-bikes who continue to target Irvine's Great Park
Orange County police are searching for a group of e-bike riding vandals who continue to target Great Park in Irvine, leaving behind broken toilets, burnt waste and other serious damage in recent weeks.
Investigators say that the issue has been tormenting them for months now, so much so that some families are too scared to visit at all.
Since the string of vandalism started, at least one fire has been ignited in the sink of the restrooms, multiple toilets have been destroyed and bathroom partitions are being torn off of their hinges.
"We have at least six toilets that have been damaged by either fireworks or baseball bats," said Irvine Police Department's Kyle Oldoerp.
On top of this, they've vandalized signs using sharpies and left skidmarks from the e-bikes that investigators believe they use to get to and from the park.
The tire tracks are part of the evidence that investigators have used to determine who may be responsible for the crimes, but no arrests have yet been made.
Oldoerp says that the rubberized safety matting, which protects children if they fall while playing, has had to be repaired already due to damage from the bike tires.
Faridoon Baqi, a nearby homeowner, says his kids are no longer allowed at the park because of the suspects.
"They're horrible," he said. "That's scary, actually. I wouldn't send my daughter out there now, even if I'm at work and the nanny goes over. I wouldn't send her out there, it's not something we'd do."
In recent days, with their sights set of e-bike riders and motorcyclists, police have issued citations and tickets for five consecutive days, and even impounded three e-motorcycles, which are not legal on public roads.
In exchange for those fines, the teenagers are being offered educational programs by police.
