Bikes returned to owners after being stolen

PRINCE GEORGE— Two bike owners were reunited with their bikes yesterday, following two thefts in public places during daylight hours.

Yesterday (April 9), at approximately 8:15 a.m., the Prince George RCMP received a report of a theft of a bike at a convenience store near the corner of 15th Avenue and Central Street. The bike was left unlocked for a few minutes when it was stolen. Frontline officers searched the area for the male youth suspect. The bike was located and recovered shortly after by the owners near the corner of Winnipeg Street and 20th Avenue. The suspect fled the scene and was not located.

“This shows how quickly a bike thief can disappear from the scene of the crime, even when the crime is reported right away” spokesperson for the Prince George RCMP Cpl. Craig Douglass says. “Within a few short minutes, the thief and the bike can be halfway across town. The message here is that owners need to take steps to prevent their bikes from being stolen, even at a public place during daylight hours.”

The Prince George RCMP received another report yesterday (April 9) of a theft of a bicycle from the 300 block of Victoria Street in downtown Prince George at approximately 1 p.m. A member of the public witnessed a man cut the cable lock off a bike and ride away. Within a few short minutes, the Detachment Commander and Operations Officer for the Prince George Detachment Supt. Brown and Insp. Wright, observed a male matching the description provided to them of the suspect approaching the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Dominion Street on a bike. The two officers activated the emergency lights in the unmarked police vehicle and attempted to stop the male. The male fled into a near-by parking lot where he was cornered and taken into custody without further incident. The bike was confirmed to have been the one stolen minutes before.