Lakeview bike thief apparently NOT arrested

Tonight around 1:30am I confronted a guy with a battery powered grinder on a lock at the corner of Belmont and Broadway. The bike was a Lemond road bike with the number 3413 on the top tube. I walked up to the guy and asked him what he was doing and he said that he lost his key. I had some words with the guy for a few minutes and saw a guy down the block on the phone. I kept him occupied long enough for the cops to show up. They took my ID ran it found nothing I missed last call but still had time to buy booze.

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Permalink Reply by steve rulz on May 21, 2010 at 10:00pm
Ok so the guy was a bit heavy set with a black hoodie and glasses. One of the lenses had a large crack or scratch in it. I didn't get his real name. He told the police that he didn't have an ID. I was on the scene for about 10 minutes. I left bought beer. When I walked back the guy was still in the back of the cop car. The guy was alone. When confronted and given some shit he put the grinder in his bag and did hold his ground until the cops showed up. That's about all the info I have.
Permalink Reply by Anne on May 22, 2010 at 4:46am
wow very brave of you, good job!
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on May 22, 2010 at 5:44am
nice.
Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on May 22, 2010 at 6:50am
Well done! I assume the guy on the phone down the block called the cops. Thanks to him too.
Permalink Reply by heather s on May 22, 2010 at 7:08am
Really? I thought that if you get arrested with no ID on you, they'll hold you til they can positively identify you. If the guy was a thief, chances are he has a record already.

H3N3 said:
So when the police pulled up they didn't see him actively grinding on the lock?
Was your information taken as a witness?
I fear they just dumped him back into the street. It's unfortunate, but within Chicago city limits I think getting a pic of a bike thief to distribute within the bike community would probably be more of a deterrent than getting the police involved. Especially if it was someone 'known'; within the bike community. There's at least one used bike shop I suspect of being responsible for many of the recent U-lock thefts-- would be so great to get evidence that someone connected with the shop is out there stealing bikes.
Permalink Reply by Vilda on May 22, 2010 at 8:42am
No ID does mean you are supposed to be taken into custody. Supposed to be. I asked a friend to look into what happened on the police end of things. Will post if i learn more. They could have gotten him for possesion of burglary tools. But since they didn't see him attempting to steal, they likely didn't do an attempted theft.
Permalink Reply by Vilda on May 24, 2010 at 1:53pm
No arrest made. Looks like they let him go (no record). Advice for next time: Kick the guys ass then call the cops. At least then you know something bad happened to the guy.
Permalink Reply by Vilda on May 24, 2010 at 6:22pm
Trust me your rant doesn't hurt me and my buddies were just as confused as to why this guy got off. Likely cause the cop that responded to the scene had "better things to do." Here's the thing; on the Marauders ride we were the beneficiaries of this behavior when one rider got out of line and we counted ourselves lucky that he didn't want to arrest the idiot. So it's a double edged sword.

Be careful what you wish for.

I would give you two pieces of advice. 1) Always kick the guys ass first. 2) if you are serious about traps set them and get a crew behind you. I would also get in contact with Spencer Thayer, he is part of a cop watch group and when/if you do make a stop he would likely have the resources to make sure there is follow through this time. Always depends on the responding officer.
Permalink Reply by steve rulz on May 24, 2010 at 6:59pm
Thanks for the advice. I have friends and that's probably why the guy didn't swing at me on Friday. I'm old enough and know better than to get myself in situations like that.
Permalink Reply by Liz on May 25, 2010 at 3:16am
wow, given the value of that bike (estimating over $1000) that's grand theft. If there was clear damage to the lock and a witness seeing the lock being damaged that is a major dropped ball for the police. I would file a complaint against the officers on the scene. They clearly where not following procedure (bringing someone in without ID until an identity is determined, and failure to follow through with a criminal caught in the act. Unless we make it clear to the police department that simply letting bike theifs go is not acceptable then bike theft will continue to be previlent.
Permalink Reply by Vilda on May 25, 2010 at 4:21am
Did you guys get the police officers names?

P.s. No way the cops new the value of the bike. Yes they dropped the ball, but let's be realistic about that one. ;-)
Permalink Reply by steve rulz on May 25, 2010 at 4:49am
I didn't get the cops names. I did mention to one of them that the bike was probably worth about $1500. He just made some response about how stupid it was for the owner to leave a bike worth that much outside.

Gabe said:
Did you guys get the police officers names?

P.s. No way the cops new the value of the bike. Yes they dropped the ball, but let's be realistic about that one. ;-)

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