A newly-released bicycle was stolen from BikeBike in Inglewood yesterday afternoon.
At 3 pm, the thief made off with an expensive Gazelle model electric bicycle, the only one of its kind in the province.
“I can tell you my spidey senses were going off pretty hard right away,” said Sean Carter, owner of BikeBike.
“He hit us at a time when there was a ton of people here, and I’m sure he did it on purpose.”
At BikeBike, a piece of identification and credit card are required before taking a bike on a test ride. Carter soon believed that the identification and credit card he had been given were fake.
By the time Carter could act, the thief had made off with the bicycle
He tried searching the area to see if he could see the thief and the bike, but he had to return to the store where customers were waiting.
Carter filed a report with the police, and posted the theft to Twitter. He has pictures of both the bike that was stolen and the fake identification the thief provided.
It’s early in the case, but police confirmed they are “investigating” the report.
Carter has asked the public to be on the look-out for the bicycle.
Be careful when buying bicycles second hand, Carter said
In light of this theft, Carter warned people to be careful when buying used bicycles.
“It’s important people not buy used bikes unless they know that they’re not stolen,” he said.
“A lot of people buy without giving it a second thought.”
Though BikeBike doesn’t deal in second-hand bicycles, stolen bicycles will often end up on that market.
At his shop, Carter helps customers register their bikes on Bike Index and Project 529.com when they buy from BikeBike.
However, the stolen bicycle did not make it to that point, as a sale was never processed.
The thief simply made off with the bike, leaving his fake documents behind.
“Oddly enough, the police were in yesterday morning,” Carter said
“I find it very ironic.”
The police were integrating the store’s sale system with theirs, so they would be notified of every new sale.
Shortly after the police visit, the bicycle was stolen – and it was the shop’s first theft.
If you see this bicycle, please contact police at 403-266-1234.
