btb103

TL;DR Version:

I went to the station and coordinated with a tactical team to execute the sting operation. The seller's address turns out to be associated with the Maniac Latin Disciples, one of Chicago's largest gangs. The seller brings the bike outside and the police immediately apprehend him. We all go back to the station where I determine that the bike, although the same make, model, and size, is not actually mine. The seller admits that he knew it was a stolen bike and will be charged with a class-c misdemeanor.

Long version:
https://bradleyt.tumblr.com/post/1299...stolen-bicycle

Background: Last Wednesday evening my bike was stolen from in front of my apartment. I let my guard down, the bike wasn't locked securely, and even though I came back out to ride it 15 minutes later, it was gone. I never filed a police report because I thought it was hopeless. I've had several bikes stolen before so I've become rather desensitized to the experience.

Yesterday, at the suggestion of a co-worker, I did a quick search on craigslist for the brand-name of my bike. Lo and behold, there was a match. Posted just the day before, with photos, was my exact make and model in what the seller described as a very tall size - my bike was the tallest size available in the line. The ad seemed fishy for several reasons: 1) The asking price was $250 - much lower than the bike's actual value ($480 new, so maybe $350-400 used). 2) The seller mis-described several features of the bike, calling it aluminum when it is actually steel, and calling the seat leather when it is in fact not. 3) The seller said he would accept RC cars, planes, or helicopters in exchange for the bike - maybe not that weird given the kinds of things that happen on craigslist but in combination with the other factors, definitely fishy.

The action begins: I called the seller to set-up a meeting. On the phone he told me that he was available that evening, he gave me his home address and we planned to meet after I got off work. After talking to the seller, I contacted the police and filed a report for the stolen bike. Vaguely, I was told that with a report filed, I could go to the police station in the district where the meeting was to take place and I would be able to get police assistance.

After work my girlfriend picked me up from work and we headed straight to the police station. I explained my situation to the officer at the front desk. It took us awhile to convince her that we were serious and even longer to get her to offer us any kind of help. Eventually she told us that the "tac team" might be able to assist us. "They're changing shifts right now, have a seat and you'll be helped when they're available." So we sit. And we wait. Thirty minutes pass without so much as a glance from the front desk officer. By now we're restless so I approach the front desk. She explains that they're almost ready and it will just be a few minutes longer.

Sure enough, within a few minutes a plain clothes officer comes out to the lobby and takes us to an office in the back. We explain our situation to the five or six other plain-clothes officers. My immediate impression: the people in this room are basically the Special Forces of the Chicago Police Department. They tell me they've handled similar situations before and they seem excited to start their night with my case. As they begin strategizing on how the "operation" will be executed, one officer mentions off-hand that it may be necessary to break down a door. "I love busting down doors," he says with a grin that tells me he's done this before.

As the plan develops, they search their database for the address I was given for the meet-up. Looking at the screen, then back to me, Doorbuster says "This house is MLD." With perfect innocence and wide eyes (read: ignorance) I respond, "I don't know what that means." "Maniac Latin Disciples". The house is known to be associated with one of Chicago's largest and most organized gangs, or so says Wikipedia anyway. Now the discussion turns to which of the officers won't be recognized by the residents of this house. There are but one or two of the whole team that can say they won't be immediately identified. The team decides that the seller would likely be spooked if one of them accompanied me to the door.

Eventually the plan crystallizes: I'll drive up in my girlfriend's car with two of the officers with me. Once in front of the house, I'll to call the seller and ask him to bring the bike outside. Once he's outside, the two officers from my car will rush the seller while two other squad cars pull in from different angles.

And that's exactly how it went down. When the seller brings out the bike, I begin searching for identifying markers. I notice scuffs on the sides of the handlebars, a missing bolt from the seat stay - both signs that the bike is indeed mine. Before I have time to look any further, the officers are already running towards us from my girlfriend's car. They push the seller against the fence and cuff him. At the same time, the two other squad cars pull in front of the house. An officer from one of these vehicles quickly ******* me into his car while another grabs the bike. They begin comparing the serial number I gave them to the number on the apprehended bike. They all match except the last three numbers. I explain to them the other identifying markers and they decide it's sound enough to take bike and seller back to the station to investigate further.

When we get back, I call the store where I purchased the bike to have them confirm that I have the correct serial number. It turns out I do. At the same time, the officers bring back the first bits of information from their interrogation of the seller. He knew it was a stolen bike but claims that he bought it from a scrapyard dealer for $75 3 weeks ago. This certainly doesn't match up with the story he told me on the phone: "The bike belonged to my brother but he left it to me before moving to California. I tried to ride it but it was just too big for me." As I inspect the bike further it becomes clear that the bike is not actually mine. There are still stock safety stickers that I had removed long ago, the black paint on the rims was still in tact, and the saddle wasn't as worn as I knew mine to be.

So although I did not recover MY bike, I was able to help the police apprehend a criminal - and even though the seller can't be charged with theft, he will be charged with possession of stolen property, a class-c misdemeanor. It was, without a doubt, one of the most exciting nights of my life.

undisputed83

Dude... you might want to move...

gholt

Good job on apprehending a theif. Now you need to find your bike.

dougmc

But it's not, unless you don't know the serial number.

Occasionally the police will bust somebody with a bike they think is stolen, and so they run the number ... and if there's no report, oh, not a stolen bike, on your way, citizen. Or they will raid a chop shop and try to get all the stuff back to the owners ... but don't know who you are.

Of course, this also means that the bike is likely to sell very fast, so you've got to move fast, and even then the chances are good that you won't move fast enough.

Interesting how you found another stolen bike with a serial number so close to yours ...

And considering who had the stolen bike, you really do want the police to help. Taking an extended test ride all the way home sounds poetic, but it's a good way to risk getting killed.

You done good ...

Seattle Forrest

Sorry, mate. That must have been hugely disappointing. I mean, you did a good deed, you may have helped reunite another stolen bike with its owner, and got a bike thief caught (and known to the police). Sucks that the bike was almost identical to yours - but not yours.

It takes a lot of honesty to have admitted that, instead of taking the bike home with you.

btb103

That's what I told my girlfriend! She gave me tons of grief for "wasting everyone's time" and not just taking the bicycle.

Grillparzer

But now you can buy it during the next police auction.

ews

I read that CL ad after you posted yesterday. I figured this was your bike. Am I reading this all wrong or is it an INCREDIBLE coincidence that someone offered to sell a stolen bike almost exactly like yours (down to the scuffs and missing bolts) and then it turns out it wasn't your bike?

dougmc

Wouldn't the police have prevented you from taking the bicycle?

After all, the serial number you reported did not match. I guess if you could show that you put down the wrong serial number somehow (find a receipt, paperwork, the store had it) they'd go for it, but without that ... it's quite a coincidence, but not your bike.

In any event, the guy they nailed did himself in. Had he simply stuck to his story, that the bike was not stolen, it sounds like they'd have nothing to hold him on unless somebody else had reported that bike with that serial number stolen.

Once again ... if you're a suspect, don't admit anything to the police. If they know, they know, they don't need you to confirm it. And if they're trying to get you to confirm it -- they likely suspect, but don't know.

o0adam0o

Dang! hehe. Sorry the bike wasnt yours.. but it was someones!

Dont feel bad... At least you didnt give the criminal a Horatio Cane line:

"Looks like we didnt get to negotiate... The only negotiating you will be doing... is with the Judge."

Yeeaaahhhh!

bhop

I hope you're going to change your phone number. Having one of Chicago's largest and most organized gangs with a beef against you probably sucks.

slcbob

Wow. That really ups the ante. Crazy how that all played out. Thanks for sharing all. Good luck.

vol

Thanks for the exciting story. Extremely disappointed that it may not be your bike. The coincidence is just too unlikely.

Could the thief have replaced a new sticker and wheel (or paint), as well as the saddle? Is there way to alter the serial number? It will be interesting to find the owner--or the original seller, which was perhaps a bike shop--of the bike with that serial number, if it indeed exists.

I mean, how likely that the owner of a bike with so close a serial number, so close condition of the bike (missing bolt, scratches on the handlebar, height, etc.)--how likely that the two of you both lost the bikes to theft around the same time, in the same general area?

KD5NRH

+1 I had a sheriff tell me once that if any neighborhood actually reported all the petty thefts and <$100 vandalisms that happen there, they'd have no problem getting enough patrols to actually catch the perpetrators. According to the official numbers, nearly half the crime that's happened in my neighborhood over the last two years has happened to me and to my (cop) neighbor. We know that's not really the case by a long shot, but we're the only ones reporting failed theft attempts, small thefts and minor property damage.

slcbob

Not very, but probably a LOT more likely than a great serial number forger getting involved in this program. Life is strange.

boro

I'm gonna go record the serial number on my bike RIGHT NOW.

KD5NRH

Best bet is to take a really good photo of it; that way if there's an unclear digit or something, you won't have to argue with some ultra-picky police department admin type later.

SouthFLpix

You handled the situation well, good job. Better then I would have, for sure.

undisputed83

Too bad you couldn't predict the future. You could have bought that bike for cheap lol... Hind sight is 20/20.

neil

What kind of a neighbourhood do you live in? It seems nuts that you'd even have a lot of crimes to report. I live in a downtown neighbourhood, and in the 3-1/2 years I've lived here, I have exact 1 crime that I could have reported (which I admittedly did not, because I thought it a bit ridiculous to report a stolen $8 mini-pump that didn't work very well.)

Unless trespassing and noise violations count. I did get the cops out to move out a loud and obnoxious homeless couple, and there've been a couple others (harmless guys) that I haven't reported. I also call bylaw enforcement whenever some garbage collector gets uppity and comes before 7am.

KD5NRH

Relatively nice, but there are a couple of rental houses in the area that attract groups of college students, who tend to be looking at houses because they've been kicked out of student housing for too many loud parties and/or public intoxication arrests. That translates to a fair number of drunks peeing in the yards at 3AM, driving across the lawn when they miss the corner, ( https://kd5nrh.smugmug.com/photos/699106061_FUuWD-M.jpg ) stealing anything that's not nailed down ( https://kd5nrh.smugmug.com/photos/672368396_tZ9V7-M.jpg ) and breaking into cars when they can't find anything that's not nailed down. ( https://kd5nrh.smugmug.com/Journalism...09_6oygE-M.jpg )

Most of them also know the neighbor is a cop, which results in some vandalism and theft just for the bragging rights of "sticking it to the pig." He's also black, and most of them are rednecks, which doesn't help matters any.

vol

Until the bike with the OP's serial number is found--and if turns out to be a different bike--, or the owner of this confiscated bike is found--and if he/she turns out to be a different person than the OP... until then, I will believe there are two theft cases, two bikes, two owners involved. (I need a smilie for bike thief).

By the way I'm surprised the cops treated a bike theft case so seriously. Maybe they wanted some excitement, too.

cradduck

Oh No!!! Not another Canada>US thread hijacking on the Bike Forums?!?!?

If your neighbor is a cop (mine is as well) the probability of having property damage happen goes way up.

My other neighbor is a firefighter (and avid cyclist) so the probability of him having really hot women at all his parties is really high.

I work at a hospital, and the probability of me coming home with a bad flu bug that I pass to the neighbors is high as well.

Its just the facts of life. Although the firefighter wins hands down.

....PS- OP, I really hope you get your bike back. Thieves are the scum of the earth and I really hope you let us know when your bike finally comes home.

slcbob

I thought things were pretty quiet here in Mayberry until I left my hockey skates, pound of back bacon, and new toque unattended on the stoop. Vanished straight away, ey.

chrisb71

That is pretty silly, if you lied to the police, it might have been found out. It was not only honest but also smart to not lie and try to get a stolen bike.

I'd still post it up on https://chicago.stolenbike.org/ there are people who go to the flea markets/ swaps and look for stolen bikes each week. If it's up there they'd add your serial number to the list of what to look for.