TCSO looking into teen e-moto 'street takeover' on 360, Westlake Drive

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]More than 50 young people on Emoto's driving down 360, blocking traffic and not listening to deputies, asking them to pull over. Last Saturday's street takeover, as the Travis County Sheriff's Office calls it, now prompting a letter from the sheriff to parents. Nabil Ramanda shows us what happened and how the department is working with schools to figure out who was involved.

[00:00:23]>> Emotos are the talk of the town lately, and not in a good way. 40 miles an hour.

[00:00:28]The almost cut right in front of me while I was pulling into a parking lot.

[00:00:32]>> Will Hail says he's crossed paths with a few.

[00:00:34]>> There's a bunch of kids that ride those around. They seem to disregard all the traffic rules.

[00:00:38]>> This video from West Austin showing two kids on emotos being pulled over, warned, then released. The latest incident though involving a large group of kids. Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez sent this letter out to families warning about the dangers. We saw one of the most dangerous things we've seen to date and that was a group of nearly 50 kids who were riding on public roadways. Uh they were on Westlake Drive. They were on Loop 360.

[00:01:07]>> Kristen Dark, the spokesperson for the Travis County Sheriff's Office. She says the group did not listen to commands from a deputy who was following behind.

[00:01:16]>> They refused all lawful orders. On top of that, they escalated what they were doing and started popping wheelies and other dangerous activities and on top of that offered our deputies some very disrespectful hand gestures. I would describe this as a street takeover. This is a group of very young people who decided that they were going to go ride no matter what. Dark says they're now using video and photos to identify those involved.

[00:01:43]>> And we are working with the police officers that work in the schools and with the school districts themselves to identify the students involved. And we will be taking measures to cite them for what was going on.

[00:01:59]>> No matter the age of the operator, you are still liable under the same laws of the roadway. Attorney Logan Campbell says depending on the incident, parents could be held accountable for their kids' actions.

[00:02:10]>> Are they operating this without a helmet? Are they not abiding by the laws? There's a lot of factors that can be taken into consideration. But in Texas, uh there there is a crime of child endangerment and that if you are by act or omission engaging in conduct that places a child in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury, you too can be charged with child endangerment, which is a state jail felony.

[00:02:35]>> For the Travis County Sheriff's Office, they're hoping to educate parents about what's going on and to make sure kids stay safe.

[00:02:42]>> We don't want to see tragedy strike. We don't want to see a child lose their life.

[00:02:48]>> Bill Ramodna, KXN News.

[00:02:51]>> And APD says they had reports of a large group of youth operating recklessly throughout Austin last Saturday in places like Lamar Boulevard, Congress A, and Sixth Street. They said callers reported the group was taking over lanes of traffic, driving into oncoming lanes, and then running red lights and performing wheelies and donuts. Next week in Austin, city leaders will look at regulations on where e dirt bikes and e- motorcycles can operate in the