Two SPD bike officers put the brakes on a suspected bicycle thief Saturday after they spotted him walking a high-end Cannondale through Cal Anderson Park and pedaled over to chat him up about his bike.
Officer Drew Fowler, a long-time cycling enthusiast, asked the man about his pricey silver Cannondale, and became suspicious when the man said he’d bought it from a website for $400–about one-tenth of its retail value.
Officer Fowler (pictured right) and his partner Jose Silva asked the man if they could take a look at the bike’s serial number, and he obliged. Officer Fowler quickly signed up for an account onBikeindex.org and discovered the bike’s owner had listed it as stolen.
After taking the man into custody for possession of stolen property, officers found a set of bolt cutters inside his backpack.
Officers booked the suspect into the King County Jail for investigation of stolen property and referred the case to mental health court.
With the help of BikeIndex, Officer Fowler was able to contact the Cannondale’s rightful owner and return the bicycle:
Via email: “Thanks to @bikeindex & Ofc Fowler of @seattlepd for recovering my bike 2 days after it was stolen!” pic.twitter.com/Icy4XKwxXf
— BikeIndex Seattle (@stolenbikessea) January 4, 2016