Insets: Ed Ashman (GoFundMe). Background: The California high school where Ed Ashman worked as a substitute teacher and was walking home from when he was mowed down and killed (KTTV/YouTube).
A California teen plowed into an 81-year-old substitute teacher and war veteran while riding an e-bike then fled the scene, leaving the elderly educator — who is also a grandfather — in critical condition on the side of the road, cops say.
Ed Ashman, who served in the Vietnam War as a U.S. Airman, was walking home from El Toro High School in Lake Forest, where he teaches, when the 14-year-old suspect mowed him down with his electric motorcycle on Thursday, according to police.
Ashman was attempting to cross a street when the teen allegedly hit him. Authorities were called to the scene shortly before 4 p.m., with Ashman being found on the side of the road in the area of Toledo Way and Ridge Route Drive.
"When the deputies arrived, they located an 81-year-old victim with life-threatening injuries," the Orange County Sheriff's Department says in a Facebook post. "The suspect fled the area, and the 'e-bike' was determined to be an electric motorcycle designed for off-highway use."
Ashman was transported to a local hospital and was listed in critical condition, according to police. Witnesses provided a description of the teen who allegedly struck him with the e-bike, who was "suspected of driving recklessly at the time of the crash," per cops.
"The suspect was quickly identified, and a search warrant was served at a nearby residence in the city of Lake Forest," the sheriff's department says. "A 14-year-old male was subsequently arrested and booked at Orange County Juvenile Hall for charges related to the incident."
Police officials told local Fox affiliate KTTV that hit-and-run charges are expected to be filed against the teen, along with reckless driving.
"It's kind of sad that [Ashman] has to get injured this way from a stupid kid on a bike," an El Toro High School student told KTTV.
Police officials say the teen was suspected of riding an electric motorcycle with a 750-watt battery or more, allowing him to travel at speeds of 28 mph or more.
A GoFundMe launched for Ashman's family describes him as a "proud grandfather" who is "fighting through a series of severe injuries." The description says he was "walking home from El Toro High School," where he was a "beloved substitute teacher," when the crash unfolded.
"Our community was shaken this week by a tragic accident," the GoFundMe says. "Ed is in extremely difficult physical shape. The road to recovery will be incredibly long."
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