L.A. sees big jump in bike thefts, prompting some vigilante justice

Although crime across L.A. is dropping, there is one glaring exception: bicycle thefts, which rose 29% last year. Nearly 2,000 bikes were reported stolen last year -- and authorities believe the actual number of thefts was much higher because so many people don’t report stolen bikes.

LAPD detectives believe the increase is due in part to more people using bikes to get around in some neighborhoods. A Times analysis found the USC campus, downtown L.A. and Venice to be hot spots for bike thefts.

Detectives recently broke up a bicycle theft ring and nabbed two men who swiped bikes downtown and sold them on Craigslist. At the motel of one of the alleged thieves, they said they found bolt cutters, hacksaws and a Mercedes-Benz equipped with a bike rack.

Some bike messengers last month took justice into their own hands when they caught two suspected thieves, teenage boys who attended a local Catholic high school. According to police, the messengers stripped down the teens to their boxer shorts before taking their cellphones, backpacks and clothes.

“They meted out street justice. We don’t condone street justice. They never threatened them. But they made it clear: don’t mess with another person’s property,” Los Angeles Police Lt. Paul Vernon said. “This incident and the arrests are the tip of the iceberg when comes to people stealing bicycles.”

Vernon said the two boys told police they were robbed by about 20 men on bicycles at 6th Street and Grand Avenue about 3 p.m. on Jan. 12. Investigators said they cannot prove the boys were stealing bikes and continue to look for the assailants. 

Still, the incident has been the talk of the downtown biking world. “There wasn’t any violence. ... They were stripped of their clothes and sent home,” said bike messenger Douglas Forrest, who says the action was the talk of various bike shops and collectives.

In the downtown area, the number of bikes reported stolen increased last year by 57% -- and cyclists have noticed. “They’ll take anything they can get these days. It has gotten really bad." Forrest said.

Downtown, bicycles are most likely to be stolen between noon and 6 p.m. and Wednesdays are the hottest days for theft, according to an LAPD analysis. The Richard Riordan Library, named incidentally for the cycling former mayor, is a favorite spot for thieves. Poorly designed racks out of sight from passersby make it easier for thieves, said L.A. cycle activist Steve Box.

Ironically, Box said, some of the worst positioned racks can be found at the new LAPD headquarters. Some of the upside-down U-shaped racks the city uses have even been cut and the gap covered with stickers, he said. Bike thieves simply slip out the locked bicycles.

-- Richard Winton

Photo: Hundreds of recovered bicycles in an LAPD warehouse downtown. Credit: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[seanpaul]

wife & I bicycle in Los Felix area, and the other day, while walking on Vermont Ave., we witnessed two black teenagers quickly cut the cable locks on two bicycles, right in front of the mexican owners at recycle center, and the blacks rode off, while the mexicans unsuccessfully ran after them.

====

nice of stan to inject race into this discussion, even though it was unwarranted.

[tom]

it seems fair to note details of theft, even religion, if it's a fact, all you pc policemen will make us inhuman yet.

Strip and punish, wow, that's a good deed, and necessary, given
that the Cops are so apathetic and pathetic that they couldn't catch a thief if said thief ran past them with red hands.

What's a fat cop with a donut in a cruiser care about a cyclist? And your mayor and city council, like they could care...

And all you whiners and chiselers and hand wringers, Hey, if you can't make a postive difference, why not just stay out of the way.

I think bicycle thieves should be stripped, put in stocks and spit on until they never think it's worth the risk ever again. Singapore Justice. Chop Chop.

[Tony]

I am glad to see some street justice being done to bike thieves. I had my bike stolen and know how it feels. I filled out a police report but never did any good. The LAPD never called. I know they have bigger fish to fry but still . . .

[Ron Milam]

Ten years ago I joked with a co-worker at the LA County Bicycle Coalition that I look forward to the day when bike theft becomes a problem in Los Angeles because it would mean bikes were in demand. Now that day is here and I experienced it first hand when someone stole the front tire of one of my bikes a few months back. I hope the LAPD allocates more resources to this growing problem. We also need more facilities like the Bikestation that provide safe and secure bicycle parking, as well as more bike racks throughout the city. I hope this doesn't deter people from experiencing the joys of bicycling in Los Angeles.

[andy]

for Gaby (first comment):

"collectives" = bicycle kitchen, for one.

[ubrayj02]

Bike theft is done for fun (by broke teenage boys looking for a ride) and for profit (by crooked bike shop owners buying them on the side, by junkies, and professional bike thieves).

As for the teenagers scoring a new ride, there is a lot that can be done to address this.

When it comes to drug addicts and professional thieves, it gets a bit harder. In cities like Amsterdam it is the drug addicts livelihood to steal bikes, and there are rings of bike thieves that make a living snagging bikes. Perhaps a PSA about proper bike locking technique is in order?

http://www.streetfilms.org/hal-grades-your-bike-locking/

[Kupo]

"The illegal immigrant bike messenger crew needs to be rounded up and charged with felony child molestation and robbery. Then deported. Where do you think these messengers get their bikes? Bike "messengers' just call themselves that to cover for other crimes they are so proficientat. With the advent of secure internet, bike messengers really only do only three things these days-steal, transport meth and cocaine to prosperous downtown business folks and stage phony car/bike/bus accidents. Let's get real here. People who strip and rob teenagers deserve to be one place- STATE PRISON!" - Jim M

what is this guy smoking? seriously? lets get real here!

[NoGooder]

I stole twnty bikes alone this month. I have sold them each for 100 apiece. I usually look for higher end models. I love dumb Los Angelans, Los Angelenos, Los Anglicans, what are you idiots calling yourselves these days?

[peteMT]

Hey Joe Garcia, suppose he had said that he saw two white guys stealing bikes from two other white guys?

Would he be racist then?

Let me guess. You're Mexican.

[Art]

I don't understand why everybody jumping on Stan's back for stating the race. I for one would wish they would mention race more often. Especially when the police are seeking help from the public and the news don't mention the race of the individual they looking for. Seesh, its not racist to mention race. Stop trying to hide behind the PC curtain and grow up. I'm not white and i'm not from LA. I'm from NYC, we more tolerant than most of the country.

[Gill Bates]

Good for the bike messengers.

Maybe those two thieves will actually learn a lesson and stop stealing.

[Simon Scott]

After my beloved beach cruiser was stolen from my parking garage in Venice I vowed to get another bike and climb back 'in the saddle'. To date I haven't because I don't want to donate more money to the bike thieves.

Am I asking for the impossible before I commit more money to a new bike... a lock solution that works as advertised? Perhaps there is an excellent business idea here, build a lock thats unbreakable, or one that fries the bike thief with 10,000v ... where are you clever inventors?

[Alan G]

So basically all other crime rates have fallen, but bicycle thefts have increased 29%. That means that LAPD isn't doing their job. It also means that if your bike is stolen, you won't get help from the police. So in turn, the bicyclists have to go out and search for their stolen bikes on their own. They have to punish the criminals themselves. This is what happens when the system fails. It is also illustrates how bicyclists are treated as second-class citizens.

[paco gavnav]

one of the easiest ways to put a huge dent in the probability your bike will get stolen is to use two locks... a u-lock and a cable lock.

both can be broken by a knowledgeable bike thief, but each lock requires a rather large tool of its own to do so. a thief with an eye on your bike will likely move on to an easier target... it's worth the extra bucks.

[Daniel]

This is in response to Jim M.'s completely ignorant post. "Illegal immigrant bike messengers just steal, transport coke and meth and stage phony car accidents". You could not be more disinformed. I have a been a bike messenger in Sacramento for three years. I am not an illegal immigrant, neither are ANY of the other messengers in town. I don't transport coke/meth, neither do ANY of the other messengers in town. I don't stage phony car accidents, neither do ANY of the other messengers in town. We don't deliver drugs, we deliver legal documents. We are not a bunch of druggie low-lifes, in fact almost half of us in this town are college graduates, and it is thinking like yours that gives us a bad image. I can speak for every messenger here when I say we are courteous, intelligent, and we do this job because we love to ride and we get to do it for a living. If you are ignorant on a subject you shouldn't run your mouth like you know something, because frankly it just makes you look like an ass. Kudos to the messengers who caught these kids, you let them off easy, and didn't add to the bad messenger image like Jim M. did!

[Timber]

The LAPD could do some bike theft stings. Here in Venice, they do street prostitution stings and crosswalk stop stings in front of the Staples store on Lincoln all the time, while eating donuts on the rooftop parking. Maybe they could cable-lock a bike or two in front of the store at the same time for bait.

[Benji Molina]

Pretty much everyone who commented on this story who- you can tell based on what they said- doesn't ride a bike came from a place of complete ignorance.