More on the attempted theft of a $10,000 mountain bike that left the manager of the Incycle Chino store critically injured.
Incycle store manager Megan Rodriguez suffered a broken hip, ribs and foot, as well as a fractured skull, when she was run over by the thieves’ truck as they tried to get away with the bike.
Store mechanic Raul Ureno was able to retrieve the bicycle from the back of the truck after chasing them down in his car, but wasn’t able to prevent them from getting away.
According to KTLA-5, police are looking for the following suspects.
Police described one of the suspects as a white male, possibly in his 20’s, standing at around 5 Feet 9 Inches tall, weighing 190 Pounds. He had a full beard and was last seen wearing a black baseball cap, sunglasses, black Hollister hooded sweatshirt, ripped denim jeans and black shoes.
The second man was described as a white or Hispanic male in his 20’s, standing at around 5 Feet 11 Inches tall, weighing 165 Pounds. He was last seen wearing a white and blue baseball cap, sunglasses, a black jacket with a gray hood, a red and blue flannel shirt, black pants and black shoes with white lining.
The driver was described as a white female with a thin build and short stature. She has light-colored hair and was last seen wearing round frame sunglasses, a thick black hooded sweatshirt and red lipstick.
The truck they ran down Rodriguez with is described this way.
The three fled in a blue-gray GMC Sierra truck with a black paper plate on the rear and chrome detailing on the sides, handles and mirrors. The rear driver door is missing the chrome trim. It is possibly a 2008 model.
Security video shows the suspects casing the San Dimas Incycle store before moving on to hit the Chino Incycle location.
As of this writing, a crowdfunding page for Megan Rodriguez has raised over $16,000 of the $25,000 goal in less than 24 hours.
However, it also shows Rodriguez slipping under the truck’s rear wheel as she tried to stop the thieves; you may not want to see that.
There’s a $10,000 reward for information leading to their arrest.
Let’s catch these assholes.
Photo of Megan Rodriguez from GoFundMe page. Thanks to Steve S for the heads-up.
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Curbed looks at the proposal for a Green New Deal for Los Angeles to fight climate change.
We’ll know city leaders serious when they finally commit to efficient, clean transit and safe bike lanes and sidewalks, and take concrete steps to reduce the number of cars on the street.
Including in Paul Koretz’ and Gil Cedillo’s auto-centric districts.
Until then, it’s all just more talk. And more BS.
Just like all the other far-reaching the city has adopted, and forgotten.
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No, it’s not a safety measure to make pedestrians wave a brightly colored flag to cross the street.
The flags should be white.
Because it’s a failure of street design and a surrender to the dominance of motor vehicles.
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Yes, the dispute was over a motorcycle, not a bicycle.
But the point remains: Don’t set your mother on fire if she refuses to buy you a new one.
Seriously.
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Local
South LA residents held a vigil for fallen bicyclist James Findley, who was killed by a speeding, street-racing driver on Monday.
KCBS-2/KCAL-9 says e-scooter injuries — and the resulting lawsuits — continue to climb.
The Eastsider looks at plans to build a 1,000-foot bikeway to connect the Arroyo Seco Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail with the Arroyo Seco Bicycle Path along the LA River.
Lawndale residents are concerned that bike thieves are targeting their neighborhood. Someone should tell them that bike thieves are targeting every neighborhood.
The Santa Monica Police Department will conduct their next bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement operations this Friday and Monday, targeting any violations that put people on bikes or on foot at risk, regardless of who commits them. So once again, ride to the letter of the law until you cross the city limits so you’re not the one who gets ticketed.
State
A San Diego man warns against the dangers of e-scooters after he barely survived a crash when he rode out in front of a driver. The easy way to avoid that is just obey the right-of-way and don’t ride out in front of anyone.
A new Ventura workshop gives homeless people a place where they can fix their bikes and buy low cost parts, while allowing them to work for store credit.
Caught on video: A trip down a San Jose bikeway shows all three major kinds of bike lanes in just three minutes.
A San Francisco TV station says homeless people have set up a used bike shop behind a children’s playground. Or more likely, a bike chop shop, just like the dozens in the LA area.
National
The Bike League outlines a Green New Deal for bicycles.
Bicycling offers tips on how to buy a used bicycle. Although they left out the most important one — make sure it’s not stolen.
A VeloNews podcast examines why the remaining Performance Bicycle stores are going belly up.
A proposal intended to fight bike theft by homeless people in Alaska would make it a crime to possess a bicycle with the serial number removed, with a fine up to $10,000; that would allow police to seize the bike to search for the real owner. Then again, if homeless people could pay a $10,000 fine, they probably wouldn’t be homeless.
Utah’s on-again, off-again bill to legalize the Idaho Stop Law is back on again, after passing a vote in the state House.
The first Colorado city has taken advantage of the state’s new modified Idaho Stop law allowing bicyclists to treat stop signs as yields; the law allows each town to decide for themselves whether to let it go into effect. The problem with that is that what’s legal for bike riders in one town may not be legal across the street, with no way to tells you’ve gone into another jurisdiction, or what the law is there.
The traffic safety denier attack on road diets continues to spread across the US, as demonstrated by an op-ed from the Waverly, Iowa branch of Keep the US Moving — the offspring of LA-based motorist pressure group Keep LA Moving — claiming that road diets prevent emergency vehicles from getting through.
Chicago will host the city’s first-ever summit of black bike riders next week.
A carfree Detroit resident describes how he survived the polar vortex.
A Buffalo NY newspaper marks the passing of one of the few blind bike mechanics in the US.
Good for them. A DC proposal would prohibit drivers from stopping, standing or parking in a bike lane, while limiting the situations where they can even drive into one.
The latest Shift Up Podcast discusses an Atlanta tour company’s use of bikes as a gateway tool to celebrate history and explore the city.
A New Orleans TV station says bike riders are afraid of getting hit by cars in shared bike lanes. Someone should tell them that sharrows aren’t bike lanes. And I’d be scared too.
Miami Dolphins cornerback Dee Delaney kept his word, buying a custodian at The Citadel the new bicycle he promised him as a freshman.
International
Cambridge, England residents are outraged that police apparently have better things to do than ticket people for riding bikes on the sidewalk.
A British man forgives the truck driver who put him in a coma for a month by crashing into his bike when the driver changed lanes without warning, and tells him to get on with his life. The court was almost as kind, settling for a weak slap on the wrist by fining him the equivalent of just $641 and letting him keep his license.
Darn those pesky bike riders, getting in the way of the Netherlands becoming the world leader in driverless cars.
An Aussie writer examines how a Green Wave can make bicycling easier, by setting traffic lights to give bike riders continuous green lights.
Competitive Cycling
Cycling scion Taylor Phinney says he’s all in for April’s Paris-Roubaix classic after last year’s eighth place finish.
The Movistar pro cycling team is the latest to offer a virtual cycling competition, allowing you to compete against the pros from the comfort of your own home.
Pro cyclist Fabio Aru gave the pope his Colnago racing bike to be auctioned off, with the proceeds going to an aid project.
Finally…
Science says sports drinks work, even if they are overhyped. Evidently, you’re not allowed to carry cats on your bike.
And your next car-mounted bike rack could be held on by suction cups.
No, really.
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Happy Valentines Day to all.
If you find yourself alone this year, take a few minutes to do something nice for yourself today.
Just don’t ride your bike until this rain lets up if you don’t have to. And if you do, light yourself up so drivers can see you despite the limited visibility.
