WeHo Experiencing a Rash of Bicycle Thefts

West Hollywood is a city that’s still struggling over bicycles. Some residents are avid cyclers (the city recently launched WeHo Pedals, a public bike sharing program) and some residents want to see them off the streets.

But there is at least one big fan of bicycles — he steals them.

The management of Westview Towers, the condominium building at 1155 N. La Cienega Blvd., recently sent tenants a note warning them that “we have been experiencing a string of bicycles being stolen from Westview Towers since last week.”

The note reminded tenants to be “extremely cautious” and to call the building’s front desk if someone walks into the gated garage behind them.

A WEHOville reader also posted on Facebook a link to a video of two men stealing a bicycle from a parking garage at 7530 Lexington Ave. in West Hollywood.

Detective Peadar Sullivan of the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station says they are investigating the thefts at Westview. “We’ve seen an uptick in general” in bicycle thefts, he said. “The bike theft trend has been going on for a month or two.”

Sullivan said it’s a somewhat difficult crime to investigate because thieves often chop the bikes off, leaving little clear evidence of who owned the bike. He said they sometime sell stolen bikes to other people on the street.

However the Sheriff’s Station did discover a collection of bikes recently at an abandoned piece of property at 7715 Santa Monica Blvd. Sullivan has announced that owners of the five bikes retrieved there can pick them up at the station.

Sullivan says he also has an eye on a suspect, but the trick is to catch him in the act.