8 men have been indicted on 227 counts for allegedly committing a series of crimes including bike shop burglaries and multiple attempted burglaries and thefts in Colorado.
The crimes were carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic from December 2019 until June 2020 with the total value of the stolen vehicles, stolen property, and property damage coming to $1.5 million with the approximate value of the stolen bikes at $985,000.
The robberies focussed on high-end mountain bikes and it's believed that in total 29 bike shops were raided in the spree. The
Colorado Attorney General describes how the burglaries were planned on Facebook Messenger with the individuals operating in groups of up to four to steal either a box truck or van and ram it into the front doors or windows of a bicycle shop, or break the front windows with large landscaping rocks or other tools. After grabbing the bikes, they transferred the stolen goods to another individual for suspected transport out of the country before abandoning the vehicle used in the burglary and fleeing in a second stolen vehicle. One break-in saw $90,000 worth of mountain bikes stolen within five minutes.
The shops that were targeted include: Giant Cycling World in Littleton (hit four times), Totally Wired Cyclery in Fraser (hit twice in 10 days), Boulder Cycle Sport in Boulder, Redstone Cyclery in Lyons, and Cenna Custom Cycles in Longmont.
Attorney General Weiser said, "Working with our law enforcement partners, we broke up this multi-layered criminal enterprise that harmed several businesses and nonprofit organizations in the mountain communities and Denver metro and Boulder areas. We will hold these individuals to account for their actions and harm they caused to the victims and our communities."
Michael Dougherty, Boulder County District Attorney, said: “From speaking with bike store owners, I know that these break-ins and thefts have caused significant harm for the victims and our communities. This indictment is the direct result of a united, tireless effort to bring down a multi-jurisdictional theft operation. The District Attorney’s Office appreciates our strong partnerships with the Boulder Police Department, FBI, and the Attorney General’s Office. Our office remains committed to ensuring that the individuals involved in these property crimes are held fully responsible for their actions. I want to thank Attorney General Weiser for putting together this team effort and fighting for community safety."
The defendants (Kevin Acosta-Larkin, Austin Butler, Gerald Garcia, Maurice Leday, Gregory Melina, Salvador Mena-Barreno, Jason Quijada, and Adrian Rocha-Chairez) are variously charged with violating Colorado’s Organized Crime Control Act (F2), first-degree aggravated motor vehicle theft (F4), second-degree burglary (F4), theft (F4), and criminal mischief (F6), in addition to other charges.
Maris Herold, Boulder Police Chief, said: “This was a complex investigation that would not have been possible were it not for the great work of everyone involved and the phenomenal collaboration of all of these agencies. The City of Boulder experiences over one million dollars in bike theft yearly, causing significant community harm. This investigation and subsequent arrests are not only a good example of the hard work and dedication of what detectives do every day, but it also shows the community how seriously we take these crimes.”
A grand jury indictment is merely a formal accusation that an individual committed a crime under Colorado laws. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. We'll update this story as the trial of these men progresses.
More info, here.
They only managed to steal 3 mid-spec bikes in five minutes?
To which I thought, that is a bit harsh and a lot messy, but fair.
getyarn.io/yarn-clip/bc6cf9d8-f0f0-4412-9900-7febeb327714
Flash mob gets caught looting bike shops. This is an everyday occurrence in San Francisco
What if the riots weren't riots at all...just Turrets Awareness Marches gone amuck?
The big issue seems to be that these folks were "organized" and selective. Because they used Facebook to communicate and had a plan...
Nice way to leave an easily identifiable trail for the police. Thank you dumb thieves.
$1500 for stolen bike
Then open an Incognito window, paste and go to copied link.
"what are you in for essay" ?
"Messenger"
"Vatos loco"
So no way to protect yourself or others from theives; crazy ex employee; etc etc
Are you bring meta, saying they used Meta, to steal some Metas?
I went to CU and lost a really nice DJ on campus. They were doing this same ish 15 years ago. Roll up with a box truck, and a crew goes wild…
You´re welcome!
Not much you can do to stop that that. Most shops don't own the building they're in, so they are very limited in what they can do.
The lease for the offices I'm in includes a minor refurb (carpets, patch & paint walls where required) every 5 years when we exercise the option to extend, and a major refurb (lighting, partition walls) on renewal of the 5+5 contract.
Ultimately though, many businesses might choose upping their insurance as a cheaper option.
Tracking devices would be pretty easy - even if a bike is getting stripped, a tracking device might give you a few hours time window to follow the thieves.
For the time being, assuming my lock is easy work for a modern thief, my best protection is to keep my bike near to much more expensive bikes!! Not exactly reliable!
All for a tracking device that's not going to work when the bike is in the back of a box truck with a sheet-metal shell? Good luck with that.
Trackers are useful for catching a small proportion of the dumbest of the dumb petty thieves.
But yeah crime tourism has become a thing, it's worth thinking about what leads to that.
www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-chilean-burglars-robbery-fbi-crime-ring-20190423-story.html
This article is not current, but it's going on a lot.
“Behind the Bars”
What on Earth has the gender of the perpetrators got to do with the subject of a bike theft ring? Try substituting men for some other minority group and you will see my point.
You can do better, Pinkbike.
Want us Americans to pretend to know anything about a random suburb in Whales?
We're talking about THIEVES. And if @SangamonTaylor wants to ask or imply that they're illegal WHEN THE ARTICLE CLEARING STATES THE BIKES WERE BEING SMUGGLED OUT OF THE COUNTRY???
He's not racist. It's a commonality. Freaking Dora the Explorer is a better detective than you social justice half wits.
They were very organized.
"giantwhip jamessmurthwaite's article
3 hours
8 Men Charged in $1.5 Million Mountain Bike Shop Burglary Criminal Ring Investigation
@FoesKnows: you don't even live in the states and you're trying to defend a racist schmuck
giantwhip jamessmurthwaite's article
3 hours
8 Men Charged in $1.5 Million Mountain Bike Shop Burglary Criminal Ring Investigation
@FoesKnows: and all of a sudden your comment is better than mine. STFU
giantwhip jamessmurthwaite's article
8 hours
8 Men Charged in $1.5 Million Mountain Bike Shop Burglary Criminal Ring Investigation
@blowmyfuse: I can comment wherever TF I want. They are thieves, that's the only thing you need to focus on. You're trying to justifying being a racist pos
giantwhip jamessmurthwaite's article
9 hours
8 Men Charged in $1.5 Million Mountain Bike Shop Burglary Criminal Ring Investigation
No one cares what your opinion is
giantwhip jamessmurthwaite's article
9 hours
8 Men Charged in $1.5 Million Mountain Bike Shop Burglary Criminal Ring Investigation
If deporting is something you want can we deport you to an island?
giantwhip jamessmurthwaite's article
9 hours
8 Men Charged in $1.5 Million Mountain Bike Shop Burglary Criminal Ring Investigation
@blowmyfuse: JC you're a douche
giantwhip edspratt's article
17 hours
6 Environmental Initiatives in the Bike Industry: Recycled Batteries, Carbon Neutral Production & More
@BikesNRussets: you're still a terrible troll
giantwhip edspratt's article
17 hours
6 Environmental Initiatives in the Bike Industry: Recycled Batteries, Carbon Neutral Production & More
@TheR: JC you're trash
giantwhip jamessmurthwaite's article
Nov 18, 2021
Video: Brandon Semenuk’s Rally Raw 100
@diamondback1x9: Was I talking to you? No I wasn't. If I was I would say what I said above
giantwhip jamessmurthwaite's article
Nov 18, 2021
Video: Brandon Semenuk’s Rally Raw 100
Stfu"
Because you don't have people on cobbled boats floating to your shores or 25,000 people hanging out under a bridge so they can walk in daily. Your border is an ocean. Happy for you Islanders.
But it's also irrelevant, as you've yet to produce an iota of data to support your point. Anything that is claimed without evidence can be dismissed without evidence, so until you produce some I'm afraid it appears that you're talking out of your ass.