Known bike thief (allegedly)

Austin K. explains:

He finds a bike and then pretends to talk on the phone for a few minutes, then takes his tool out and hides it behind his phone while he unscrews and yanks the seat/post. This happened about a block away. After he did that, I followed him a bit and snuck up to him/scared the shit out of him and ripped it from his hands as he was trying to put it in his bag, then i gave him a “nudge” into the street with my foot. We went back and forth for a bit then he ran off. I ended up getting it back to the owner when he came out a few minutes later.  Saddest part was that there were 4 people around him watching him do it, they knew what was happening, they did nothing. If you see something bad happening do something, put your life on hold for a second and help out if you’re able. Don’t let creeps like this ruin someones day.

Read on.

30 Responses to “Known bike thief (allegedly)”

  1. Jonboywalton says:

    A seat thief, maybe it was him that took my 15 y/o Brooks. I’ll be keeping an eye out for him. Be warned, if I see my seat (yes, after 15 tears I’d recognize it anywhere) on your bike you will loose some teeth.

  2. SuperLesbian says:

    Whats the nudge with the foot? I must learn this

  3. Justin says:

    He IS a thief, i caught him stealing parts off a locked up bike in Valencia near 24th. confronted him, and made him put each part back on the bike!

  4. MASQ says:

    I feel the same way, some people just have to grow some balls. I’m sending good karma towards your way.

  5. boo urns says:

    This guy has an obvious drug prob, and will be dead in a year or 2. I feel worst about his life then a bike seat.

    Maybe i got my priorities all wrong?

    • 300baud says:

      The part you got wrong is thinking there’s some reason to decide which is worse. We can feel compassion for both the drug addict and the theft victims. And solving one problem solves both.

  6. triple0 says:

    It doesn’t matter if you catch (or harass) the street-level thieves, there are hundreds. You’ve got to catch the fencers who pay these dudes a few bucks, and take all the parts to Flea Markets at Laney College, Ashby BART, or the Collesium. SFPD knows that’s where all the bike/bike parts go, but they do nothing.

    • cTo says:

      Do they sell them for cheap, at least? Cause I really need my seat post back. It wasnt even a GOOD one, but I cant f*ing use my f*in bike without it and I don’t want to shell out for a new one.

  7. eric says:

    this guy broke into my neighbors house and mine twice over a two day period and stole.our bikes and tools. neighbor.took a picture of him before he fled. sfpd picked him up but he was.released without.charges. thank you kamala harris!

    eric

    • olu says:

      There is a lot of blame to go around since judges routinely dismiss cases that are low level and nonviolent rather than clog up the courts.

      I think this speaks the fact that we need some alternative to locking people up for everything. I don’t know what it is. But if the DA and courts don’t really want to deal with petty street crimes, there will be no incentive to stop them short of vigilantes.

  8. Stu says:

    This is John. He can be seen carrying various stolen items throughout the neighborhood. I have called the cops on him several times. For whatever reason he never gets booked.

    • cjonesplay says:

      John used to be Cathy’s boyfriend and they lived in Osage Alley together until Cathy died. Now he roams the TL mostly that I can tell.

      He broke into my car one St. Patty’s Day and stole all my stuff. I was smoking on my roof and saw him casually pushing my amplifier in it’s case with all my crap on top of it across 24th St. I approached him and he denied everything, then I told him I would call the cops. He sat on the amp in the middle of the road and demanded $20. I whittled him down to a buck, threw it at him and grabbed my stuff.

      He used to be the most notorious loser thief in my ‘hood for many years, he is nasty and mean and gets high on crack and talks like a baby sometimes. He accumulated several shopping carts full of stolen goods and made little forts outside my window for a long time, and the cops have busted him so much that I guess they’re just tired of dealing with him by now.

      This is the City – deal with it. There is no law here, as much as you people think that there is. There is only the law of the land, so watch your own ass or go back to Mars.

      If John does steal your stuff, he’s pretty easy to locate and haggle with to get your stuff back. Best of luck to you, fellow whiteys.

  9. Quin2013 says:

    It surprises me that many people, will walk over a person lying on the sidewalk and not think about if this person is breathing.

    There are so many people out there that are just too afraid of saying anything until something happens to them.

    I’m no superhero or anything like that, but when ever I see some one doing something that I know is not correct, I say something. I just have to. No one else will, and you all know there aren’t enough cops walking the beat to catch these jerks.

    • Quin2013 says:

      So to you, the writer and the one who DID SOMETHING; GOOD FOR YOU AND THANK YOU FOR DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!

  10. tc says:

    Good on you for doing something about it…

  11. OK, just one more.

    See, I don’t understand why you don’t put on a green-and-yellow wet-suit, wedge a couple of billy-clubs into brackets on your back, and beat the living crap out of random thieves after haunting the streets like a bird of prey.

    That seems like a much more direct approach, for people who are willing to risk their lives for other peoples’ bike seats.

  12. heather says:

    Good luck saving the world one bicycle thief at a time! I hope you dont get shot.

  13. D Wild says:

    Fuck Yeah!!!
    My Bike Got Stolen from my house… How about that shit?

    Bike Thiefs should be treated like in the Middle East, have their hands cut off.

    someone earns the money, works like a jack ass and then someone one else comes in and takes it…

  14. dave says:

    John is my new hero. I wish he’d start stealing expensive cars.

    The new Mission blows.

  15. except this guy steals from wherever – mostly downtown it seems.

  16. Herman Goehring says:

    I feel sorry for him. Just shoot him.

  17. joshua-roddy says:

    I tried to “recover” some stolen wheels from this guy at 6th and market once and he pulled a shank out on me…. watch out for this dude