The incident occurred around 5 p.m. Wednesday, when Glen Cove police officers stopped a vehicle on Shore Road. Lt. John Nagle of the Glen Cove Police Department said two youths, believed to be between 13 and 14 years old, approached officers while they were conducting the stop.
The youths allegedly cursed and yelled at the officers before speeding away on their e-bikes. They then circled back as officers had the driver out of the vehicle and were conducting an investigation, Nagle said.
“When the two kids came back, they started telling the officers, ‘That guy has a gun, he has a gun,’” Nagle said.
Nagle said the claim heightened the tension of an already potentially dangerous situation for both the officers and the driver they had stopped.
“A car stop alone raises the stress level for the police officers because that's, you know, one of the most prevalent ways cops lose their lives, and also raises the stress level to the person who's being pulled over,” Nagle said. “Obviously we have thick skin, we're used to being cursed at, but when you interject yourself into a police investigation, you know, that could become criminal.”
He said telling officers that someone involved in the stop had a gun elevated the situation further.
“When you're telling your officers that the person has a gun, you know, you're raising that stress level exponentially,” Nagle said.
No one was injured during the incident.
Police initially sought the public's assistance in identifying the two youths, releasing photographs of them. By Thursday, however, investigators believed they had determined who they were, and the department removed its Facebook post seeking information.
“I believe we have a firm grip on who they are,” Nagle said. “My detectives will be paying their homes a visit tonight to discuss this with their parents and children.”
According to Nagle, police believe the same two youths may also be connected to several other incidents around Glen Cove.
“We've been getting incidents where these two, we believe it's the same two individuals, have been destroying property,” he said.
Nagle said police have received reports of riders going onto residential lawns and performing burnouts that damaged grass. In another incident, he said, a rider allegedly kicked the driver's-side mirror of a vehicle during a road-rage encounter.
“We have numerous reports of them driving recklessly throughout the city,” Nagle said.
The incidents come as Glen Cove police have increased enforcement of illegal e-bikes and e-scooters over the past year, describing their use as a growing public-safety concern. Police have particularly focused on young riders operating vehicles that they are either too young to legally use or that are not permitted on public roads.
E-bikes are divided into three classifications. Class 1 e-bikes provide pedal assistance and can reach speeds of up to 20 mph, while Class 2 e-bikes are throttle-assisted and also reach up to 20 mph. Class 3 e-bikes are throttle-assisted, can reach 25 mph and are permitted only in New York City.
Riders must be at least 16 years old to operate an e-bike or e-scooter. E-scooters cannot exceed 15 mph. Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes, along with e-scooters, are prohibited from being operated in public areas in Nassau County.
For police, Nagle said, the immediate objective is not only investigating what happened on Shore Road but making the youths' parents aware of the seriousness of the behavior.
“You can't be driving these e-bikes when you're 14 years old around the neighborhood,” Nagle said. “So hopefully we can educate the parents and let them know that this is what your kid's are doing.”
Nagle said police hope that intervention can prevent a similar incident from ending far differently.
