As a high volume of electric bikes and battery-powered scooters have been stolen from UCLA students in the past months, UCLA police are urging students to be extra vigilant with their modes of transportation across campus.
There were at least 64 scooter thefts over the past 60 days, the UCLA Police Department told NBC Los Angeles Wednesday.
But the thefts of e-bikes and e-scooters are nothing new as the UCLA police made more than two dozen arrests for vehicle thefts related to the rechargeable light-weight vehicles in 2024 alone.
Police said they were able to catch some of the thieves by utilizing GPS tracking devices on the bikes and scooters.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
“This is generally due to the type of scooters that have high-powered motors -- stuff that criminals can part out and sell on the internet or just sell the actual scooters for profit,” Acting Capt. Jefff Chobanian of the UCLA PD said.
🚨 Scooter Theft Awareness!🚨
— UCLA Police Department (@UCPDLA) December 4, 2024
UCPD is on the case when it comes to protecting your e-scooters and e-bikes 🚔🔍 We’re committed to investigating all leads and keeping campus safe by using our GPS Bait Program (newly expanded to include e-scooters!). pic.twitter.com/oonFYwBlDE
The people who have been arrested for stealing e-bikes were not associated with UCLA, Chobanian said.
“It’s people that come onto this campus to commit crimes.”
Chobanian recommended UCLA students and staff lock their scooters or bikes or take them indoors to deter thefts.
While investigators are using the GPS bait program to locate stolen vehicles, police do not want people to track their e-bike or e-scooter on their own.
“If they track them, they might go and try to get their stuff back. And they may get hurt, “ Chobanian explained.
