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Officers also ask help to find the buyer of a second electric bike stolen from a man with Parkinson’s disease
By Miriam RafteryPhoto, left: Electric bicycle recovered by San Diego Police. The owner has not yet been identified.
January 15, 2020 (San Diego) – San Diego Police seek help to resolve two cases involving stolen electric bicycles. Police are looking for the owner of an electric bike (photo, left) recovered from a suspect who admitted to stealing another electric bike from a man with Parkinson’s disease in Rancho Peñasquitos and selling it at the Qualcomm swap meet on January 7th.
Sergeant Matthew Botkin says he hopes media coverage will help to identify the unknown victim of the bike recovered by police and also “appeal to good nature of the person who unknowingly bought the other electric bike in hopes they will do the right thing and return it.”
The bike shown at right was stolen from Bill Pitcher the day after he purchased it. An avid biker, he feared his cycling days were over after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and was delighted upon receiving his new bike. He went for a ride and parked outside a neighbor’s home in Rancho Peñasquitos, only to discover it stolen a short time later.
Photo, right: factory image of bike similar to the model stolen from Parkinson’s patient.Sergeant Botkin offers this advice to help police recover stolen property. “If you buy something new or have something unique, take an overall photo and take a closeup of the serial number or any unique aspects. Save them on a thumb drive, save them on your phone, and in the cloud so no matter what happens you can get access to them.” He adds that police in some cases will send photos out right away that can help officers identify stolen property immediately, such as if a motorist pulled over is wearing a watch similar to one reported stolen.
If you have information on either of these stolen bicycles, please call Sgt. Botkin at:
Desk: 619-531-2453
Cell: 619-455-6592
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