A Ballard resident used Craigslist to locate a bicycle stolen from his home earlier this week – and, with the help of police, tricked the thief into delivering the bike back.
The victim reported he returned home last Sunday only to find a cut lock, in place of his now missing red, Specialized Hardrock bicycle that he’d left chained to the stairs outside his apartment. He filed an online report with the police department, then went to Craigslist and found an advertisement for a suspiciously similar bike.
The victim called the person who ran the ad and arranged a meeting for Monday. He also called police, provided a detailed description of the stolen property, including the location of certain stickers, and asked officers to tag along.
When the victim and officers met the man who ran the ad, they found the bike was indeed the victim’s. The suspect was arrested for possession of stolen property and booked into King County Jail.
If your bike gets stolen, check out SPD’s Twitter feed, @Getyourbikeback.