WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: E-bikes stolen by burglar(s) – and what they left behind

| Crime | West Seattle news

Andrew reports this happened overnight:

Last night somebody broke into our detached garage in Fauntleroy/Arbor Heights and stole our three eBikes – three Rad bikes – an orange Rad Wagon, a black Rad Cruiser and a foldable white Rad Expand.

And, it gets a little weird, the thieves LEFT some items behind – two blue inflatable paddle boards.

It took us a while to figure out that the paddle boards were likely stolen from a neighbor then dumped when the thieves found something better (our eBikes).

If you have any information, the preliminary SPD report # is T00005086 – we’ll substitute the permanent number available. (Update: It’s 24-934593.)

Laura July 6, 2024 (1:19 pm)

I’m so sorry to hear this happened to you. Same thing happened to us 2 weeks ago near 42nd and Brandon. 2 e-bikes and my gravel bike. Our kid is really upset we can’t go for bike rides right now. We are at a loss on how to proceed. Police aren’t doing anything. Insurance is a joke these days. It’s all very upsetting.

Anne July 6, 2024 (1:39 pm)

I’m truly sorry you’re families bikes were stolen -but it really makes my blood boil when I hear “ the police don’t do anything” what exactly do you want the police to do-sit outside your house 24/7?
- Jeff July 6, 2024 (3:46 pm)
  
  I’d like them to go look under the tarps beside derelict RVs, and make some effort to return to OBVIOUSLY stolen property. As is, they won’t help you get it back and specifically advise you not to do it yourself. If that’s not “nothing” under this set of circumstances, what is?
  - Anne July 6, 2024 (4:19 pm)
    
    Riiight-let’s get them right on that-hey you guys- go look under tarps next to vehicles being used by the homeless – I’ll just bet they have the ok to do that.
    - Laura July 6, 2024 (4:55 pm)
      
      It’s also worth noting that the value of my bikes stolen and I suspect this case as well exceeds $10k which is considered a felony. I would expect police to find the thieves and prosecute them to the full extent of the law. The police is only emboldening these lowlifes for more (and likely increasingly worse types of) crime by not taking action to find them and hold them accountable.
    - K July 6, 2024 (5:10 pm)
      
      You’re lucky if they’re even willing to write a police report sometimes. No one’s asking for 24/7 patrols outside their house. A minimum amount of follow up would be an improvement, and would make a huge difference towards getting items back and keeping insurance costs down.
  - Laura July 6, 2024 (4:28 pm)
    
    ^^ precisely what Jeff said. There are tons of homeless camps around Seattle with rows of clearly stolen bikes. Let’s start there. Or start by giving me a call when I file a police report. Or start by giving me a number I can call when I find my stolen bikes for sale on Craigslist. Start by supporting citizens that pay high taxes to live here, actually contribute to the neighborhood, and want to feel safe. There are a few suggestions.
  - Bill July 6, 2024 (6:29 pm)
    
    How will us amateurs know when it’s ’obviously Stolen’ ? By the ‘obviously stolen” tags on the bikes? Asking for a Homeless Friend.
    - A-aron July 10, 2024 (11:38 pm)
      
      C-mon man, doesn’t take a pro to figure things out. When you see a busted down r.v. with piles of bikes, car doors, shopping carts and kids toys scattered everywhere ,its all stolen. Everyone knows it. Tweakers spend $ on drugs and cigarettes. They steal everything else.
bill July 6, 2024 (3:35 pm)

It won’t help now but you can add explicit coverage for bikes to your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance.
- Laura July 6, 2024 (4:30 pm)
  
  Not necessarily true. A lot of insurance companies are moving away from insuring bikes due to theft. It’s also a very negative mark and jacks up premiums when there was a claim for stolen bikes
  - Amy July 6, 2024 (7:06 pm)
    
    How about we stop targeting homeless people Laura. Also property crime rates very low on the priority for all police dept, not just Seattle.
    - Laura July 6, 2024 (9:04 pm)
      
      Let me rephrase. I’d like Seattle police to do a better job targeting property crime criminals. If some homeless people happen to be a subset of that group then so be it. My observation following searches for our stolen bikes is that there are quite a few encampments with rows of obviously stolen bikes covered by blue tarps. My objective thing is that we target all criminals here, not specifically the homeless. Hope that helps clarify.
    - Canton July 8, 2024 (8:16 am)
      
      Thieves come from all economic levels, whether it’s a bike stolen by the homeless, or a local totem pole stolen by the wealthy. Stop your pandering to criminals so you can fluff your social ego.

Admiral-2009 July 6, 2024 (3:20 pm)

Laura – I feel your pain, my nice street bike was stolen a few years ago and it’s still frustrating. The City wants people to ride bikes, the ongoing theft problem, the lack of proactive police response and criminal penalties for the thieves is a big deterrent for many.

Anne July 6, 2024 (4:23 pm)

What exactly is “ proactive police response” in regards to stolen bikes? Be everywhere in case one is stolen?
- Laura July 6, 2024 (4:47 pm)
  
  Anne, I gave a few simple suggestions above as a starting point for where the police can be more proactive.

Derp July 6, 2024 (4:50 pm)

I would say this is someone that has seen you ride them and put them away, not the homeless. I mean, how do they pick one garage over another without knowing what is in there. All these car thefts, aren’t the homeless either. Maybe here or there, but not everyone. I am sorry that has happened to you and the family

OneTimeCharley July 6, 2024 (7:17 pm)

Bingo. Cruise the neighborhoods, or the grocery store bike racks, looking for folks enjoying their E-bikes. Follow at a distance of about a block away. Watch which home the bikes return too. Jot it down and come back in a few days. Voila. The theft issue specifically is what has been keeping me from investing in an E-bike, even though I would love to have one. My cardiologist would really love me to have one too. I believe we should be simply putting (and keeping) more thieves in jail. It’s hard to be proactive when your police force has the same number of officers as we did in 1958. Seattle population at that time was approximately a quarter of a million fewer people…and that’s within the city limits. If considering the entire MSA the population has probably more than tripled. I think for me, at the time being, I will have to put an E-bike in the category of things that I call the ‘it sure would be nice, but I need to live out in the country to have one myself’ list. A manmade swim pond is also in this category.

sgs July 6, 2024 (10:43 pm)

This situation is not connected with your loss, but last Monday morning at 5:15 I was awakened by a nice black pick up truck driving slowly down our alley with 2 guys stopping every few houses and getting out and looking for something. I did not witness them taking anything but from my 2nd floor location, I saw that the truck bed was filled with bikes.

CW July 7, 2024 (8:02 am)

That’s what I would call suspicious and where I’d have the expectation to call the police and have a response unless something more pressing is happening. However, that is not what happens these days. Most likely you call 911, get put on hold, and if you are lucky, police respond a couple of hours later. I put AirTags on everything.

j w July 7, 2024 (7:42 am)

Seen that white bike with blue seat heading E on 98th. Then they took a left on 37th Ave SW. Looked like a white guy in his 20’s riding it. July 6th mid day guessing 1pm ish.

Eric 43 July 7, 2024 (9:49 am)

Long time West Seattle resident and worked in local bike shop for 5 years bicycle theft was getting rampant then and now it’s even worse I’ve had three bikes stolen from my yard my house is on hill with private road in admiral district summer before last I have recovered two bikes that were my friends found the bikes at the RV encampment on harbor Ave that was getting out of control

Anna July 7, 2024 (10:42 am)

To the family that got their e-bikes stolen, I’m so sorry this happened to you. Theives don’t seem to care that actual people, actually WORK hard for and save for the things they buy like your bikes. Instead, they prefer to be parasites and steal what others actually work to achieve. I do have a question in the event Andrew who posted this theft is reading…were you storing the bikes with the batteries attached and unlocked or with the keys in them? I have this idea that if I keep the batteries locked and separate from the bikes thieves will find it too difficult to steal them because they’re such heavy bikes (or not worth stealing without the batteries.) Now I’m wondering if I’m just kidding myself.Again, very sorry to those who work for what they buy and get those things stolen by people who didn’t but think they deserve them or the money they can get for them.

bolo July 8, 2024 (11:32 am)

Not Andrew, but removing the battery and taking it with you when parking the bike will make it less desirable to a potential thief, but is not 100% theft deterrent. Best I have found is to securely lock the bike with both a high quality strong U-lock, and a disc brake lock that has a loud alarm.

Madison Brodahl July 7, 2024 (7:06 pm)

Hello I am very sorry about your e-bikes. These paddle boards were stolen from Alki Adventure Camp. We contacted Tracy and are trying out to get them back before camp this week!thank you. Madisonbrodahl@gmail.com

Andrew July 8, 2024 (8:41 am)

Great news: Madison and I have connected and her stolen paddle boards will be returned to Alki Adventure Camp within the hour so that the kids of West Seattle can continue their adventures this summer!! My family is thrilled that we were able to figure out what happened and, ultimately, connect with Madison and Alki Adventure camp to provide at least a partial happy ending to this story. We also appreciate the healthy discussion and all of the support from our neighbors and, of course, the West Seattle Blog for their critical role in making this connection happen. I don’t know what any of us would do without you. Thank you.

Sorry, comment time is over.