Photo: Stock Image
The recent ubiquity of electric bicycles throughout the City of Santa Barbara is creating problems for motorists, pedestrians, human-powered cyclists, and those responsible for maintaining lawful peace and tranquility among its citizens.
The difficulty of that task was made apparent in the early evening of July 21st on the sidewalks of Santa Barbara’s State Street, known for generations as a center of tourist and shopping activity.
According to Santa Barbara Police Department Public Information Officer Sgt. Ethan Ragsdale, juvenile e-bike riders—some of whom were riding at speed and weaving among pedestrians—were suddenly “confronted by one of those pedestrians.”
65-year-old Santa Barbara resident Kyle Donald Calvello had apparently had enough of dodging a phalanx of daring e-bikers when he “allegedly hit a girl and shoved a boy” after they were reportedly riding their e-bikes on the sidewalk on State Street.
The situation quickly escalated into a physical fight when an unidentified bystander stepped in to confront Calvello. At that point, bystanders called 911 Emergency SBPD Dispatch to report the fight, while others recorded a video that was later posted on Instagram, showing Calvello “throwing an A-frame sidewalk sign at the other man.”
Responding SBPD officers arrived to discover Calvello and the juveniles still embroiled in a verbal confrontation, while the unidentified adult male involved had already fled the scene.
Calvello was taken into custody and transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on charges of battery, child endangerment, and criminal threats, with his bail set at $50,000.
