81-year-old veteran dies weeks after being allegedly struck by 14-year-old on e-motorcycle in Lake Forest

An Aliso Viejo mother has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran died on Thursday, weeks after he was allegedly struck by a 14-year-old riding an e-motorcycle in Lake Forest, prosecutors announced.

The crash occurred on April 16 at Toledo Way and Ridge Route Drive, where authorities say the teen was performing wheelies in the roadway when he struck Ed Ashman as he walked home from El Toro High School, where he worked as a substitute teacher.

The 14-year-old fled the scene but was later identified with the help of witnesses and taken into custody, authorities said.

Prosecutors allege the boy's mother, 50-year-old Tommi Jo Mejer of Aliso Viejo, had previously been warned about the dangers of allowing her son to ride the e-motorcycle.

"This mother essentially handed her 14-year-old son a deadly weapon, and despite multiple warnings of the dangers, continued to let him illegally ride an e-motorcycle until he finally killed someone," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said.

In an amended complaint filed after Ashman's death, Mejer is now charged with one felony count of involuntary manslaughter, along with felony counts of child endangerment and accessory after the fact, as well as several misdemeanors.

Also read:Support pours in for elderly Lake Forest e-motorcycle crash victim

If convicted on all counts, she faces up to seven years and eight months in state prison.

She is due to be arraigned on May 21 in Newport Beach.

Legal experts say it is rare for prosecutors to file criminal charges against parents for a child's actions and that such cases are typically reserved for extreme circumstances.

"I think this is an unusual case. It's designed to send a message," said Laurie L. Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School, in a previous interview. "I don't think they're going to be charging parents every time a child does something reckless.”

Levenson said the case appeared "egregious" based on prosecutors' allegations that the mother had been warned about her son's dangerous behavior and later tried to conceal the crash.

Levenson could not immediately be reached for comment on the upgraded charge.

Spitzer said in a news release that the 2025 Surron Ultra Bee, which the teen was riding, requires a motorcycle license, insurance, license plate and registration to use on a public street, and without it the vehicle can only be used on private property or off-highway vehicle areas.

The Ultra Bee can reach speeds up to 58 mph and go from zero to 31 mph in 2.3 seconds, the release stated.

When sheriff’s deputies investigating the crash that injured Ashman questioned Mejer, she allegedly said her family didn’t own an e-motorcycle or have access to one, prosecutors said.

Orange County prosecutors have now charged three parents since January for allowing their children to illegally ride e-motorcycles, which are more powerful than e-bikes and require riders to be at least 16 and licensed to operate on public roads.

Richard Eyssallenne, a Yorba Linda father whose 12-year-old son was seriously injured when the boy allegedly ran a red light and was hit by a car while riding an e-motorcycle that had been illegally modified to go up to 50 miles per hour, has pleaded not guilty to felony child abuse and delinquency charges.

And a 51-year-old Westminster resident is facing misdemeanor child abuse and delinquency charges after allegedly being warned his sons were riding illegally. No injuries were reported in connection to his case. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, court records show.

Due to the boy’s age, prosecutors under state law are unable to discuss whether they are pursuing charges against the boy in the Ashman case, OCDA spokeswoman Kimberly Edds said.

As of Friday, May 1, more than $105,000 had been raised on GoFundMe to support Ashman and his family for what could have been an extensive recovery.

“I want to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who has donated,” the organizer, Joyanne Goodfellow, wrote in an update on Friday. “Your generosity is going to be a massive help in ensuring Ed is honored properly and that his final expenses are taken care of. It's a relief to know that, because of this community, the financial burden of this loss is one less thing for his loved ones to worry about.a long recovery after the crash.”

She added, “We want to be respectful of the family's privacy as they navigate these first few days. We don’t have details regarding services at this time, but we will share any information here if and when the family feels it is appropriate.”

Staff writer Sean Emery contributed to this report.

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This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 12:44 PM.