Well, for it to be entrapment, an undercover cop would have to suggest to the thief that he should take the bike. This had all the aspects of entrapment except for the undercover cop egging him on.
As far as the "immigrant" comment. It doesn't really matter if the guy was an immigrant. I believe he was, because as he spoke to the cops, he had a thick accent. He also didn't seem to know much english because he used very simple words. But it is irrelevent to the discussion. I mentioned it because if the guy was fluent in english, he might have talked his way out of getting arrested. The cops heard all they needed when he said that he thought somebody left it and so he took it. Did he think somebody misplaced it? Did he think somebody intentionally left it for others? I can't read minds, and neither can the cops. A lock on a bike says "this is my property, do not take it" but an unlocked bike doesn't send the same message. That is the only reason I put the immigrant comment in there. He could have been an "undocumented worker" for all I know. I didn't suggest he was an immigrant solely based on his appearance, he also spoke on the video. So no, I can't recognise immigrants on sight, nor do I claim to be able to.
property property property. Is that cash is your pocket your property, or the goverments? The cops couldn't have done this sting with a hundred dollar bill laying on the ground. Could they have done the same with a CD player? What about a razor scooter? A skateboard? I'm all for bike thieves getting caught, but this wasn't about getting bike thieves, this was shooting fish in a barrel.
Do you condsider leaving a bike in the city unlocked as irresponsible? Or is it just foolish or unwise? Or is it proper behavior for a bike owner to leave his highly portable device sitting unlocked out in public? This was nothing more than an honesty test. How many of you have made a bad decision in a fraction of a second?
If I had instead started a thread lamenting that my $2000 dollar bike was taken because I left it in the city unlocked, would I have been called a fool or an idiot, or both? A $100 dollar bike has 2 wheels, a handlebar and a seat. A $3000 dollar bike has 2 wheels, a handlebar and a seat. The devil is in the details. To the uninformed, a bike is a bike is a bike. A $100 bike quickly depreciates to the point at which it doesn't seem unreasonable for someone to leave it for others. This is why I see them out with the trash. A $500 bike doesn't depreciate as quickly, but it will eventually also get to the point at which it is thrown out. It happens.