CANMORE – A thrown pair of bolt cutter and a left-behind bike have police thinking there may have been some witnesses to a bike theft earlier this week.
Overnight on Aug. 28, Canmore RCMP said suspect(s) originally tried to steal three mountain bikes from the Solara Resort and Spa parkade. The suspects had cut the locks to a storage locker and stole the bikes, two valued at approximately $8,000 each and one valued at $10,000.
Upon investigating, RCMP found one of the three mountain bikes on the other side of the parkade garage along with a pair of bolt cutter stashed under a parked vehicle.
"We believe the suspects were interrupted in the process, so we are asking if there are any local or out of town witnesses to contact Canmore RCMP with information," Canmore Cpl. Sabrina Clayton said.
Earlier this year, Canmore RCMP asked anyone who had their bike stolen to contact police.
In May, RCMP said they had received at least 10 complaints of stolen bicycles in less than 30 days, but had also noticed an increase in stolen bicycle complaints circulating on social media that had not been reported.
"We need statements and we need people to tell us, so we can investigate it. We are continuing to investigate all [reported] thefts, but the best way to bring it to a successful conclusion is to contact us," Sgt. Stan Andronyk said at the time.
Last fall, the RCMP also recovered more than 30 stolen bicycles after a call about a suspicious vehicle led to a valuable tip about organized crime.
John Gil Cortez, 24, was charged with 10 criminal offences after 32 bicycles were recovered, 12 from a stolen U-Haul and 20 more from a storage unit in Calgary – all suspected to be from the Canmore area.
Because police believe the suspect was interrupted earlier this week, Canmore RMCP is asking anyone who may have seen anything to come forward with information.
If you have information regarding this incident, the suspect(s) or any other criminal activity, call Canmore RCMP at 403-678-5519. If you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or go online at Crimestoppers.ca.
