Bike Thief Caught in Action!

This morning, Portland Police nabbed a bike burglar in action at Athlete’s Lounge on NW 26th and Vaughn. This wasn’t just someone snipping a lock, but someone accused of planning to make off with numerous high-end bikes after breaking the store’s glass door:

On Wednesday June 13, 2012, at 4:12 a.m., Portland Police officers assigned to Central Precinct responded to the report of a burglary in progress at Athletes Lounge, located at 2671 Northwest Vaughn Street.

Officers and a police K-9 unit arrived and established a perimeter around the business and used a loud hail to order people in the building to come outside.

26-year-old Daniel Lee Scott exited the building and was taken into custody without incident.

Scott had removed several high-end bicycles from the store prior to police arriving. All items were recovered and returned to the business.

Scott was booked into the Multnomah County Jail on charges on charges of Burglary in the Second Degree, Criminal Mischief in the First Degree, and four counts of Aggravated Theft in the First Degree. Bail is set at $90,000.

This reminds me of the string of brazen bike store break-ins this fall, when six bike shops were burgled in one week. Police spokesman Pete Simpson says there is no immediate link between this arrest and the fall break-ins, but that detectives are looking into the reports to see if there are any connections.