First-Ever Conviction For Drunken Scootering In LA

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – An intoxicated man who knocked over a pedestrian while riding a scooter in West Los Angeles has become the first person in L.A. to be convicted for a scooter-related DUI.

Nicholas Kauffroath, 28, pled no contest Thursday to one count of operating a motorized scooter under the influence and one count of hit-and-run. He was sentenced to 36 months of probation and ordered to pay a $550 fine, along with restitution to the victim.

On Aug. 4, Nicholas Kauffroath was riding a Bird scooter when he collided into a 64-year-old pedestrian on a sidewalk who was leaving a movie theater at the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Sawtelle Boulevard, according to the L.A. city attorney's office.

The victim fell to the ground, but Kauffroath did not stop, instead, continuing on his way to a nearby apartment building, the city attorney's office said.

Responding police located Kauffroath and determined his blood-alcohol level was at .279, more than three times the legal limit, the city attorney's office reports. He was taken into custody.

The victim, meanwhile, suffered a knee abrasion.

Kauffroath is the first person ever in the city of L.A. to be prosecuted for operating a scooter under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

KCAL9's Greg Mills spoke to pedestrians who wanted to remind the scooter riders to be careful.

"Sometimes when I walk I think from the back someone might hit me," says Angelina Jeyko.