Recovery of a Stolen Bike: video

[JorgeGortex]

Thought everyone would appreciate this. Awesome detective work, and even better outcome. Sometimes bad people do get what they deserve.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-GVpIaPEGM&feature=player_embedded

Topic

[krazygl00]

I know…I KNOW it is completely weird…

…but why do I feel badly for the bike thief?

[KLizotte]

I have zero sympathy for the thief. I do think cops still don’t treat bike theft seriously though; they underestimate how much some of them cost.

[hencio]

Ditto on having zero sympathy for the thief. Glad to see the owner get his ride back.

[bobco85]

I’m glad the guy got his bike back, but I would never try and get it back in that way as it would be too risky. The thief could have had a weapon on him. Also, it irked me when they said that the thief almost got away with it had they not gathered this evidence (confession by the thief that he knew it was stolen).

That said, there’s a part of me that wishes I had that kind of coordination to get back my bike that was stolen in May 2011 (although it was worth $600 instead of the $2,500 in the video).

[MCL1981]

That was awesome.

[Riley Casey]

I had two bikes stolen from the garage behind my house in one year. I was annoyed and put out at the time but later learned that they were probably taken by a neighbor kid who had a long standing drug problem. That thief I felt sorry for. The opportunistic weasel in this video? Not at all. ” Its not illegal to buy stolen stuff, I looked it up dude”. Really? REALLY?? Sheesh

@krazygl00 28403 wrote:

I know…I KNOW it is completely weird…

…but why do I feel badly for the bike thief?

[DaveK]

I’ve said it previously but I don’t see why we shouldn’t punish bike thieves the same way we punished horse thieves back in the day.

[eminva]

When I was in college and my bike was stolen, my mother, ever the sunny optimist, said, “Maybe someone got it who needs it more than you!”

Uh, and there’s someone who needs it more than a hapless student working her way through college tending bar?

The replacement bike cost a month’s worth of wages and tips — in real terms, probably the most expensive bike I’ve ever bought.

Liz

[TwoWheelsDC]

BikeSnobNYC gave a pretty amusing analysis of this video in his post yesterday.

[baiskeli]

@krazygl00 28403 wrote:

I know…I KNOW it is completely weird…

…but why do I feel badly for the bike thief?

Yes, it is weird to feel “badLY”. It means you have a medical problem.

[Arlingtonrider]

Zero sympathy for the thief. And it’s not just the cost — it’s also the bond we have with our bikes and the time we’ve spent finding them and getting them set up correctly.

[Mikey]

When the cop asked him how he could prove it was his bike, I wanted to point out that the front tube and headset had obviously perked up and were riding a little higher, and that you can see the seat stays actually wagging, when the bike heard it’s owner’s voice. Sorry companion’s voice.

[Terpfan]

I didn’t feel bad for the thief, I was almost hoping he got hit by the car running away.

[MCL1981]

This is however a good time to mention… You should put some inconspicuous markings on the bike with an engraver. Like your initials and birthday or last four or something. That when the police say “How do you know this bike is yours”, you can point to the personally identifiable information on it. Something more than “Well I bought these cool tires and that is my favorite style fork”.

I think this video would have been much better if he just whipped out a tazer and put him to the ground with it. As soon as he started to run, ZAP. Don’t taze me bro— ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[DaveK]

@MCL1981 28473 wrote:

This is however a good time to mention… You should put some inconspicuous markings on the bike with an engraver. Like your initials and birthday or last four or something. That when the police say “How do you know this bike is yours”, you can point to the personally identifiable information on it. Something more than “Well I bought these cool tires and that is my favorite style fork”.

My favorite trick is to write a note detailing your ownership of the bike and put it inside the endcap of the handlebar, then replace the endcap. If it ever gets stolen and you’re in a situation where it’s in question (i.e. proving it’s yours to a cop) just pop the end cap off the handlebar and ask the thief how it got there.

[Author]

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