A Picture is Worth...Stolen Bikes
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.24.08
The story of Igor the bicycle thief in Toronto just gets more astonishing by the day; his concert pianist wife, "one of Canada's best accompanists," was just charged. He seems to be personally responsible for the City's reputation as the bike theft capital of North America; the picture shows just some of the 2,000 bicycles police have pulled out of houses, garages and warehouses.
I will stop being churlish and asking why it took so long, and will just be thankful that it might be over. ::Eye
More on Bike Thieves, and how to slow them down:
Toronto Bike Theft King Closed Down. Finally.
How to Prevent Bike Theft :
The Bike Thief: Video Exposes Cyclist's Vulnerability
This is a very weird story. They weren't even selling the bikes? Was it just some kind of kleptomaniac's dream?
Wow...each bike theft may be petty, but the ongoing consipracy is a massive felony. In the US, this would be an extremely long, perhaps lifetime sentence, depending on prior offending history.
that is so weird. . .
Think of the thousands of people this idiot has given anguish. Canada should reinstate the death penalty exclusively for this guy.
Some people will be able to identify their bikes and get them back. Many will be unclaimed.
What should be done with the unclaimed bicycles?
I say paint them all green and begin a "bike share" program in Toronto.
What the hell is everyone thinking? This guy will get off with a slap of the wrist, pay some fines, and business as usual, except no bike for you!
I was down there and there are some beauty bikes and I wish I can bid on some, but if they think that E-Bay is the best method, they are wrong. A lot of people don't have computers and this is unfair.
Do the right thing and hold a public auction.
This story gets more ridiculous by the day. The police are now saying they have seized over 3,000 bikes. What took them so long to arrest the guy? He was in the same location for 16 years. And it is a well known fact - among the cycling community - that there are a few shops that routinely fence stolen goods. His was just one of them.
Perhaps it happened now because (1) his unsightly shop was in a trendy area; (2) the City wants to push its stagnating bicycle/green plan; or (3) the police were getting too much heat for not addressing this issue sooner.