Bikes to Fight Crime? A Lance Armstrong Story...
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada
on 05.24.06

Remember kids, you don't need a ginormous SUV like Batman to fight crime. The Enquirer reports that seven time winner of the Tour de France Lance Armstrong used his bike to play super-hero. "The supercyclist was biking with a pal near the beach in Santa Monica, when a mugger pushed down a woman and sprinted off with her purse. Who knew they even had muggers in Santa Monica? Lance reportedly turned around, raced after the scruffy bad guy and bumped him to the turf with a crafty front-wheel whack. The reports says Lance snagged the purse from the sprawled perp, who reportedly then beat feet and ran off. The report then claims that Armstrong cycled the snatched satchel back to its owner and resumed his recreational ride." Bikes: 1 Muggers: 0 ::Lance uses bike to foil crime?, ::Lance Armstrong Foils Mugger in California, via ::Cyclelicious
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I heard a similar story a few years ago. Sorry, I can't find the account online at the moment.
Two women were walking down a road (I believe in south Asia), when a group of 3-4 men attacked them. One of the women suddenly opened up a can o' whoopass, and sent all of the men running. Was she packing Heat? Nope, she was one of the world's leading Karate champs.
And horses to fight crime. From the NYTimes:
" So are police departments around the country. After decades of being viewed as a quaint 19th-century throwback, horseback policing is undergoing a resurgence in cities like Honolulu, Las Vegas and Oklahoma City. Law enforcement officials have come to appreciate the tactical and economic advantages of a mobile crime-fighting force whose members cost one-fifth the price of a Crown Victoria cruiser."
And which, I'll add, does not run on fossil fuels!
I'd prefer if they used bicycles, though. I'm not quite convinced most horses are happy in urban environments...
Police officers would also be in better shape with bikes!
Ever been to Santa Monica?