Thread started by Creative Thing at 08.17.10 - 8:56 pm

From the Long Beach Press Telegram web site:

LONG BEACH - Police have arrested another alleged bicycle thief suspected of contributing to the city's recent 75 percent leap in bike thefts.

Arrested Saturday was Matthew Sutcliffe, 32, a Long Beach transient.

Sutcliffe was arrested by Long Beach Police officers after he allegedly tried to break into a home in the 100 block of West Sixth Street around 12:30 a.m., said Nancy Pratt, an LBPD spokeswoman.

Police were called after the resident heard someone trying to get into his apartment through his sliding glass door. When the resident confronted the suspect, he grabbed the victim's bike and pedaled away, Pratt said.

As the victim was giving a description of the bike thief to patrol officers, Sutcliffe was stopped near West Chester Place and Fairbanks Avenue by a team of Long Beach officers assigned to a special bike theft task force.

"(The officers in the task force) were preparing to issue the suspect a citation when the description from the burglary was sent out," Pratt said. "They heard the description, saw it matched their guy and put two and two together."

Sutcliffe was arrested for residential burglary, petty theft and parole violation and is being held without bail.

After interviewing Sutcliffe, investigators learned he is likely responsible for a number of other thefts, Pratt said, noting the investigation is on-going.

Part of that investigation includes a photo e-mailed to police about two weeks
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ago showing a man using bolt cutters to steal a bicycle from a parking stand Ocean Boulevard and Pine Avenue.

"The detective who interviewed the suspect and knows what he looks like ... saw the picture and realized it was (Sutcliffe)," Pratt said.

While police are thankful the picture was sent in, authorities urged anyone who sees such activity to call 911 immediately.

"Anytime citizens take part in helping us ... we are very thankful," Pratt stressed. "But we would also like to point out that if they had called 911, we might have been able to catch this guy before the weekend and before who knows how many other victims were hit."

Pratt said detectives are now checking to see if the bicycle in the photo was reported stolen or registered. So far nothing has come up.

"People need to register their bicycles and report them stolen," Pratt said.

Police also recommend cyclists invest in "U" style bike locks and urge anyone who sees a theft, or similar suspicious activity, to call 911 right away.