A Victoria, B.C. e-bike store was the target of a wild robbery early Thursday morning. A suspect took the standard smash-n-grab tactic to extremes, using an industrial forklift to ram into the front of Ride the Glide, in Saanich’s Broadmead Village. He then made off with $16,000 worth of bikes, still on the forklift.
Owners were alerted to the theft-in-progress by the store’s security system, co-owner Alicia Bester told Check News. She and co-owner Michael Bester made it to Broadmead Village just on time to see the forklift leaving the shopping centre, loaded up with four e-bikes on a pallet.
The forklift, also stolen from a nearby construction site, obviously isn’t the fastest getaway vehicle. After seeing Ride The Glide’s storefront “smashed to absolute pieces,” according to Alicia Besler, the pair took off in pursuit.
At first, they followed in a car updating the police on the thief’s movements. Perhaps realizing he wasn’t going to shake his trailers in the forklift, the thief took off on foot. He was trying to take two e-bikes with him.
That’s when Michael Besler leapt into action. The co-owner chased the thief on foot, knocking him off balance and off the bike. The suspect then continued to flee on foot. He was later located by a police service dog.
The four e-bikes, which had already started falling off the pallet before the suspect switched tactics to abandon the lift, are all significantly damaged. Ride The Glide’s storefront is absolutely mangled. The store’s owners are assessing further damage to other bikes in the store.
Bike theft always sucks, but this wild incident is a major hurdle for a store like Ride The Glide. We’re happy to hear both co-owners are OK and already looking forward. If you’re in the area, be sure to stop by and support Ride The Glide when they’re back up and running.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…