CMPD Takes E-Bike Enforcement to the Skies

Flight tracking data from ADS-B Exchange / path enhanced using AI

A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department helicopter tracked children riding e-bikes in Cornelius on Tuesday afternoon.

Data posted on ADS-B Exchange, a flight-tracking website, shows the helicopter entering Cornelius around 2:58 p.m., flying over Hough High School before heading to the North Mecklenburg Recreation Center. The helicopter then traveled west, flying search grids over Caldwell Station, Coachman’s Trace and Robbins Park.

The helicopter left the area at 3:28 p.m. and returned to Charlotte.

A Cornelius Police Department spokesperson said CMPD informed the department that the helicopter was tracking e-bikers “who were operating recklessly.” Cornelius police also dispatched officers, but none of the riders were apprehended.

CMPD did not respond to questions seeking additional information about the incident.