I caught a junkie burglar a few years back. He'd robbed our house the day before (and taken half the loot in my 3 day old cycling backpack) and wandered back the next day while i was there with the landlord getting our window fixed to rib on eof the neighbours. He got spooked and walked off but i followed him and watched him break into another house so i stopped him and he ran off but i followed him until he eventually stopped and turned round and told me he was goning to smash my face in and pulled out the U part of a bicycle d lock and swung it at me. His rather drugs ravished body failed him though and the lock slipped out his hand and bounced away. You should have then seen the look on his face. 10 seconds later he was begging me not to hurt him and saying he couldn't breathe as i pinned him to the ground. I pointed out to him that if he couldn't breathe he'd be dead and he was very compliant after that. Old bill picked him up and he was a career junkie burglar (in his forties!) with 50+ offences on his record. Never got our stuff back, sold straight to his dealer no doubt. Got a bottle of wine off the chap who's house i stopped being robbed though! Wanted to hurt the burglar but restrained myself, particularly because he was black and i thought i'd get the racial card thrown at me. That and there were quite a few witnesses where i caught him.
Bike Forum
Have you ever caught someone trying to nick your bike?
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Posted 1 year ago #
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Not a story of catching a thief in the act, but when I last worked at a bike shop we had a clear out of crap, all really old worthless bike parts, broken, worn out or just plain unwanted. We were scratching our heads what to do with it all, and thought that a cardboard bike box left outside with the crap in would be an interesting experiment... It was there for less than an hour, would have loved to see the thiefs face when he opened the box up!
Easygirl, ace story, the only thing I would say when faced with these kind of heroin users is that they thieve for their lives, the saying "Ham and eggs, a days work for the chicken, a lifetime commitment for the pig" comes to mind.Posted 1 year ago # -
Soulwood - i did the same when i cleared my garage out. Had 3 old Halfords-type bikes in various states of disrepair and it wasn't worth the expensive of getting them running again. Put 'em in a skip i hired, closed the garage door and watched from the window. Took all of about ten minutes before the pikeys were squabbling over the remains of the bikes!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Cycling along peshed in Byker in the early 90's at midnight, some bloke walking his dog up ahead bends down as I approach and undoes the dog chain, swings it and it wraps round my neck. He yanks it to pull me off the bike but I manage to punch him in the head and get away.
Also in Newcastle, Fenham this time. Me and the gf wake at 2am to the sound of the front doorbell. Bizzarre. Sort of half wake and then we hear mens voices and heavy footsteps so we're stumbling around trying to get dressed, trousers on backwards etc. They try her bedroom door which had one of those little bathroom latches on and you hear them laugh and carry on! Absolutely petrified. GF is holding me back but really, I wasn't that keen to go out there and they knew it. I'm picking up various bottles and squash rackets etc and weighing up their value as weapons. Went out tentatively when the noise had died to see a taxi heading off.
What had happened was her housemate had her coat nicked in a club, keys and wallet with address. Scallies move quick, try doorbell, no answer let themselves in. Use cab firm because who suspects a cab firm? They get a cut. Police arrive and say that without doubt it was a family up the road. Amazingly, bearing in mind it now 3am, there a 10 year old kid riding round. Police say he's their lookout to see if Police are on the scene.
Another mate had her stereo nicked in a separate burglary and the house opposite played the CD that was in it at the time at full volume for the next week.
Another mate was burgled in Sydney Grove, Fenham but no break in. Turns out they came through the loft. Police took them into next door and all their stuff is there.
Too many tales of burglary from Newcastle.
Posted 1 year ago # -
In the mid 90s my brother worked on a ship that was based out of Dublin doing salvage work (its actually used in the film Michael Collins and my brother can be seen walking behind Liam Neeson in one of the scenes).
The ship used to regularly berth in Dublin, and permanently chained up to a lampost by the berth was a very rusty, decrepid bike that must have been left for years.
Him and an australian chef from the ship were very, very pissed one night and wanted to go into the city centre for more beer. They thought it would be very funny to take the rusty bike and both ride it into town. They got a hacksaw and proceeded to cut the chain.
Unfortunately the police were passing by who promptly arrested them for attempted theft and carrying a weapon (the hacksaw). In the large open plan holding cell at the police station, the aussie was immediately befriended while my brother was told in no uncertain terms what fate would befall him if the other prisoners got the chance. He then went to court and found himself sentenced to 6 months!
Luckily his solicitor arranged some bail for them both to sort out their personal effects on the ship, at which point they both promptly disappeared!
Now that is justice!
Posted 1 year ago # -
No, but some years back near Nottingham I caught a guy lifting someone elses bike. What amazed me was this scumbag was in broad daylight outside a supermarket. Loads of people were looking and going by. No one said a word or did anything as he carried it off with the rear wheel lifted. It was just shouting to me "I'm a bike thief" but NO ONE did anything! (Fool who left it only locked it through the wheel).
It was before I had a mobile, but I followed the guy kind of discretely. He dumped it a couple of hundred meters away in a pub car park, and went away to fetch his mates. I called the Coppers with full description, and they had him rounded up within ten minutes.
What was staggering was the complete lack of interest from loads of people from daylight robbery right under their noses.
The bloke who's bike it was never quite worked out what happened. I met him at the police station later (he had his bike back by then), and he thought I was some sort of undercover cop!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Christ, I'm getting a bigger chain.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Never had to intervene myself, but my Dad has on a number of occasions. He is not a big man, but of solid frame and a former county-champion sprinter (and still runs marathons). He is also a pillar of the community and a mild-mannered man, but does not appreciate being robbed.
1. In my folks' old house, he walked into the living room to find someone sizing up the stereo. Gave chase. Sufficient adrenaline was generated in the would-be thief for him to clear a 6ft fence on his way out of the garden. My Dad chased him for over a mile before eventually losing him. He knew who it was (actually a very distant relation!) and reported it to the police. Nothing done about it, other than the police trying to get my Dad to pin it on someone else, despite him telling them exactly whodunnit.
2. Packing car in driveway to go on holiday. My Dad walks out the front door to find someone robbing the contents of the car. Gives chase. Catches him in the street outside. Recovers property and gives would-be thief some encouragement not to do it again. Thief runs off. Reported to police, but nothing came of it (although their reply to my Dad's question about whether or not he was within his rights to hit the bloke was apparently "Ideally what you want is a big stick, sir.").
3. Carbon copy of above. Again my Dad catches the guy, despite pulling a hamstring in the initial acceleration, and recovers the stolen property.
My Dad rocks.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I lived in Westminster for a bit, we used to have loads of car break ins. Local kids would rob anything from your car. My upstairs neighbour had a bag and some stuff nicked from his car one night. Police attended and said that the local kids used a crutch to break the windows, apparently one of them would pretend to be on crutches, a few of them would look around and then one would smash the window. Anyway a few weeks went by and my neighbour was coming back from the pub a bit pissed. Noticed a young guy with crutches near his car. Dude stops and bends down behind his car. Neighbour goes mental, runs over and proceeds to kick the crap out of the guy, really went to town on him. About 2 minutes in he notices the dark blue cast on the guys left leg... I'd like to say he did the decent thing and apologised, but he panicked and legged it. Only told me about 6 months later.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I used to work in Woking Surrey . They had a mad parking scheme where it worked out cheaper to pay every 2 hours, than pay all day. My collegue used to cycle in and lock his bike in the cycle park provided by the council .
One day we are off to top up my parking meter and we see this lad carrying a front wheel less bike .' Thats my bike ' states collegue. I sent him to quickly double check whilst I follow scummer up the road.
About 30 seconds later colleague comes back and confirsm its his bike.
Right Ho. No messing about , Hit the Fecker from behind and floor him.
Grab the little shit's arm and collar and launch him up against a brick wall. Really give him some verbal and don't give him the chance to see me or get a word in as I'm not a big lad .
The people in the shop I have him pinned up against come out ' We've called the Police . You better let him go' Yeah , right like thats going to happen . then 2 lads in suits appear ,' we watched him stealing car stereos in the car park yesterday '.
the Police arrive after about 10 mins. ' Hello Warren, in the back mate'.
Smack head scum , known persistant offender . Had to give statemenst etc. He gets let off witha cautiuon .Wish I had broken his arm when I had him pinned up against the wall.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I caught someone who nicked my old whyte e5. Did the right thing and held him face down in the street while on the phone to the police until they arrived. Despite having hundreds of offences and not even twenty he got another supervision order. Next time I would give them a shoeing as doing the right thing does nothing. Obviously hit myself as well so it lookeed like I was defending myself.I was off to the alps the day I caught him.
Posted 1 year ago # -
@singletrackmind - good story mate. I'm currently enjoying a Treacle Stout
Luverly!!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Many years back my brother had his road bike stolen from work, later that evening I was walking past a local establishment when I saw my Bro's bike sat outside the pub, As i went to retrieve it 2 scrotes came out the pub and one went to get on the bike, I went to stop them and they started threatening me !! I was a touch angry so I gave them both a dry slap before they legged it leaving behind my Bro's bike and another bike that we handed into the local old bill. I dont know if the other bike was stolen but I doubt they called the police to report it stolen.
I also had a bike stolen from my local boozer many years ago so put a word in to some local scrotes and the following day a 13 year old lad appeared at my front door with the bike saying he found it ! sometimes being part of a well known rough family pays
Posted 1 year ago # -
what is a dry slap and where can I get one?
Posted 1 year ago # -
not bike
comming out of mates house in cambridge, my mate says isnt that your car pulling away?
i immediately threw what i had at the driverside window; a half full plastic oasis bottle which did nothing other than make the guy floor it
so later that day back near my house, other side of town, i see my car go past and pull in to talk to some scrote on a bike, call police
police come, chase him, loose him, find him, he crashes it into a warehouse, writing it off and then gets away
hed hada busy day though my car was now stuffed with crates of eggs several cases of baby lotion and a shit load of toilet rolls,
- the police never found out where he stole these items fromPosted 1 year ago #
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