SAN DIEGO (KSWB) – Police on Friday released a video of a man they say stole a bike from a garage in a San Diego neighborhood, all while sharing a surprisingly sweet moment with the homeowner’s dog.
The theft occurred on July 15 around 10:40 p.m., after the suspect entered a garage in the Pacific Beach neighborhood and left with a 2019 black Electra three-speed bicycle, the San Diego Police Department said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
Video shared by police shows the man preparing to take off with the bike when a dog enters the garage from the house and approaches.
“Hi buddy,” the suspect says to the dog, setting the bike back in the garage.
“Alright, because you’re so cool, come here,” the suspect says, taking the dog’s face in his hands. “You’re the coolest dog I’ve ever known.”
At one point, he calls the dog a “sweetheart.”
“I love you too,” he says. “I want you to come home with me.”
After asking, aloud, where the dog’s “dad” is, the suspect then yells for the dog’s owner.
“Dad! Where are you?” he yells in the direction of the house, now rubbing the dog’s stomach.
A couple of cuddles later, the suspect leaves with the homeowner’s bike while the dog looks on.
The San Diego Police Department described the theft as a “rather peculiar turn of events” on Facebook. They’re now looking to identify the suspect and retrieve the bicycle.
The stolen bike, which is valued at around $1,300, featured “8-ball” caps on the tire valves, an “8-ball” logo on the frame and a rear wheel frame marked with a checkered black-and-white pattern, according to police.
Anyone with information related to the incident was asked to send SDPD a Facebook message with details. Anonymous tips can also be submitted via Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.