Dumb Thief Tries to Sell Stolen Bike on Craigslist, Gets Busted By Owner
If you had your bike stolen, what’s the first thing you would do? If this video is any indication, you should probably check Craigslist. (Note: video contains NSFW language)
That’s what Portland, Oregon-resident “Simon Jackson” did when his $2,500 two-wheeler was stolen. He found the pricey bike for sale in Seattle, so he and some of his buddies made the 160 mile trip up I-5 to set up a sting for the thief.
Wearing his lucky hat and using an app that made his cell phone number appear as a less suspicious Seattle-area one, Jackson tricked the thief “Craig” into meeting him at a coffee shop. He intended to call the police once the stolen good was produced and capture the whole scene on his camera phone.
A slow response time from the SPD threw a monkeywrench into the plan and the thief tried to escape on foot. This actually turned out to be a fortunate turn of events because as Simon pursued Craig the microphone on his cellphone captured Craig conceding he knew the bike was stolen, even though he continued to deny stealing it himself.
That piece of evidence was enough to have Craig arrested for trafficking of stolen goods, a Class B felony, when the cops finally did show up.
“Today is a good day,” Simon said, as he wheeled his beloved bike away.