Police Catch a Suspected Bicycle Thief with Expensive Taste

A suspected bicycle thief was arrested after police staked out a location in Long Beach where four bicycles had recently been stolen and took video of him, authorities said today.

Each bicycle, some worth as much as $1,000, was taken from racks at 54th Place and Ocean Boulevard, police said.

Although the  bicycles had been secured with locks, the suspect was able to cut through the locks.

Elpidio Vargas, 47, was detained and then booked following a stakeout Monday when observers saw him dragging a bicycle away with a cable lock still attached that had clearly been cut, police said.

Police discovered cable cutters in his backpack. Vargas' storage unit was searched and two very expensive bicycles were recovered, police said.

--City News Service