JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An attorney for a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officer charged with battery after pulling a teenager off a bike at a skate park said the officer intervened because the teen was riding an electric motorcycle capable of dangerous speeds, not a standard e-bike.
Off-duty JSO Officer Stephen Hicks was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery after a confrontation Saturday at Sunshine Skate Park. Surveillance video shows Hicks grabbing a teenage rider and throwing him to the ground.
According to Hicks’ attorney, the distinction between an e-bike and an electric motorcycle is critical. Attorney Phil Vogelsang, general counsel for the Fraternal Order of Police, said the bike involved can reach speeds of nearly 50 miles per hour and is subject to different laws than an e-bike…