All you people who are considering 'vigalante' justice in response to stonle bikes and bike theives, her is a little story, which is true, BTW. I was a cloase friend with this guy.

My friend had a couple of bikes stolen, cheap POS bikes, bot a big deal. He got into BMX riding, and his bike was stolen. Obviously he was pissed off. His plan was, to leave a bait bike at a signpost in his nieghborhood, and steak it out. This neighborhood was a little bit of a crime area.
While he waited with a U-Lock and a 3' section of chain, a would be thief started to take the bike. He brust out of the bushes, and attacked the guy with this 3' section of chain and U-lock. The thief ended up really messed up, broken jaw, concussion, missing teeth.
He was arrested, and convicted on assaut and battery charges with a deadly weapon and intent to kill. He went away for 18mos, due to being on probation for tresspassing charges brought on upon but skating boarding in an area where skateboarding wasn't allowed. (signs which said 'no skateboarding')
The thief got off on a petty theft charge, no jail time, small fine. He also won a large settlement from my friend's family.
Who got taught a lesson here?
If you catch a thief red handed will the cops really care? I don't think so.