Two 11-year-olds face charges after police say they threw rocks at passing cars and rode e-bikes at an increased rate of speed through a Ballantyne intersection.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) South Division officers responded to a welfare check at Blakeney Heath Road and Ardrey Kell Road after a caller reported juveniles on e-bikes throwing rocks at vehicles, the department said in a statement on X on Saturday, Oct. 10.

Officers found two e-bikes being ridden unsafely at an increased rate of speed and attempted a traffic stop. One juvenile stopped. The other fled.

The CMPD Aviation Unit helped officers identify and locate the second juvenile at a nearby residence. Both e-bikes were seized.

Both 11-year-olds were charged with failure to heed lights and sirens and no operator's license. They were released to their guardians, CMPD said.

The department did not say when the incident occurred, describing only that officers "recently responded." No additional charges related to the rock-throwing, such as property damage, have been announced.

Mecklenburg County communities tighten e-bike rules

The Ballantyne incident lands as communities across Mecklenburg County tighten rules on young e-bike riders.

Charlotte City Council discussed changes to the city's e-bike ordinance in July after a 77% increase in e-bike accidents through July compared with the same period in 2025, WBTV reported. A council safety committee asked CMPD to draft a proposal for new city rules in August, according to the Charlotte Observer. No vote date has been set.

Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation staff told county commissioners on Thursday, Oct. 8, that they want to update e-bike rules on the county's 80-plus miles of greenway trails for the first time since 2012.

Nearby towns have already acted. Matthews approved rules in September banning e-bikes from sidewalks unless the rider is 16 or younger, with fines of $100 to $200 for repeat offenders, WFAE reported. Huntersville passed an ordinance requiring helmets for riders under 18 and capping e-bike speeds at 28 mph.

When Huntersville adopted its rules in September, Police Chief Brian Vaughn said the department would hold parents accountable. "We will stop and cite if they are a juvenile," Vaughn told WSOC-TV. "We're also holding parents responsible for the actions of the juveniles."

Charlotte has no comparable ordinance yet. The city did approve a youth curfew pilot program on Sept. 29, running Nov. 1 through Aug. 31, 2027, that bars anyone under 18 from public spaces between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Residents with information about the Blakeney Heath Road incident can contact CMPD's South Division or call 311 for non-emergency reports.