Bike Thief Returns For Lock

Bike Thief Returns For Lock, A man stole a bike worth hundreds of dollars from a store in Belmont and then hours later returned to the same spot looking for a lock, according to police. Surveillance video captured the thief walking into Wheel Works bike shop in Belmont, moving through the Monday sale crowd. Video showed the man making off with a $600 mountain bike and wheeling it by the front doors. Manager Gary Wood thought he’d seen the last of the thief but then, “he walked back into the store two hours later wearing a different shirt.”

“That’s pretty rare. I’ve certainly not heard of anyone come back a second time,” said Douglas Baumgartner, a salesperson.

“One of our sales people at the counter asked if they could help him and he said he was looking for a bike lock,” Wood said.

With the surveillance images fresh in their minds, the staff recognized the man who had walked out with the stolen bike just two hours before.

“He knew that people recognized him so he started to walk out. I started to follow him out of the store,” Wood said.

The bike thief still got away, but Belmont police say they’ve identified a couple of possible suspects.

Wood said he’s confident the brazen thief won’t be back.

“I think he knows what kind of video surveillance we have now,” Wood said.

Belmont police said once they identify the man, he will face larceny charges.