Family of boy killed in Fresno scooter crash calls for stricter safety rules

Dominiq Puentes was riding a moped scooter in northwest Fresno when he crashed at Bullard and Palm Avenues and died at the hospital, turning one family’s loss into a hard warning about what happens when children are on motorized vehicles built for roads they are too young to navigate.

Puentes was 13. His cousin, 12, was critically injured in the same crash. His parents, Brandon Escobedo and Brittany Escobedo, said he loved his mother, his family and his cousins, and that he leaves behind five siblings. The family has organized a GoFundMe to help pay funeral expenses.

The crash has become part of a wider local alarm after a string of serious incidents involving e-bikes, pocket bikes and similar devices. Fresno police said the city saw two e-bike fatalities in 2025, and ABC30 reported that a 2025 San Jose State University report found more than 900 e-bike crashes in 2024. Over the same weekend as Puentes’ death, another 13-year-old died and two other children were seriously injured in separate Fresno crashes involving e-bikes or similar motorized devices, including a Sunday night collision at West and Shields avenues involving a 14-year-old on a gas-powered mini bike.

California law sets clear age and equipment limits that many families may not realize. The DMV says moped riders must be at least 16 and have an M1 or M2 motorcycle license. Motorized scooter riders must also be at least 16, wear a helmet, and have a valid driver’s license or permit. Those scooters are limited to bicycle paths, trails or bikeways, not sidewalks, and must not exceed 15 mph. Pocket bikes and miniature motorcycles cannot be registered or legally operated on public streets because they do not meet federal safety standards.

Fresno Police Sgt. Michael McCray said parents should make sure any vehicle bought for a child is safe and that the child is trained to use it. Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp said criminal liability for parents would depend on whether they had been put on notice that a child was riding recklessly or illegally and still allowed it to continue.

The crash also landed in the shadow of a policy shift at Fresno State. The university announced on April 24 that it will ban motorized vehicles including e-bikes, e-scooters and skateboards on campus starting with the fall semester on Aug. 19. Puentes’ parents said they support that decision, and argue the same caution should extend well beyond campus gates in northwest Fresno and across the city.