MACON, Ga. — A bold criminal carried off what one passerby called an “Escape from Alcatraz”-style theft.
The stakes weren’t as high, but at least one technique used was eye-catching.
At least one thief cut a hole in the back wall of Bike Tech Macon. They walked through the roughly 4-foot-tall gap, and walked out with roughly $1,000-$2,000 worth of goods and cash.
The Vineville Avenue store owner Bobby Schorr called it a “gaping hole.”
He says that unwanted visitor—or visitors—struck around 3 a.m. Friday morning.
Footprints Schorr says he discovered in the morning show they walked all over the store before a motion sensor detected them.
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office wouldn’t yet say how many suspects they think there were, but they are working the case.
Luckily, they had a good alarm system,” said Sergeant Linda Howard. “That picked up their movement within the business that alerted (the sheriff’s office) to get here.”
Deputies arrived “within seconds of the alarm call,” according to Howard.
For Lucious Hawthorne, who’s worked at Bike Tech for more than three decades, the theft cuts close.
“It does frustrate me,” he said. “I just worked on that bike yesterday.”
That bike—a customer’s bike in for repairs—was taken, as well as some cash from the register, according to Schorr.
He estimates, all in, it was $1,000-$2,000 worth of goods.
What’s maybe more interesting is what was left behind.
For every thousand dollars in goods that were taken, there were easily ten times that left untouched in the shop.
“It’s obvious they didn’t necessarily know (what to look for),” said Schorr. “Or they were hitting us for cash. That’s my guess.”
If that really was the motive, Schorr says there was an easier way.
“If you needed $100 that bad, just come ask,” he said.
Sergeant Linda Howard said cases like these where a thief cuts into a building are rare, but not unheard of. This is the first cut-in case the sheriff’s office has handled in 2020, but last year, she said there were several.
When asked if he thought, given the nature of the crime, any of his employees were involved in an inside job, Schorr adamantly said no. He said his employees have worked at Bike Tech for years and are very trustworthy.
Sergeant Howard noted that property crimes can sometimes be difficult to solve. Oftentimes, tips break cases.
If you know anything, call Macon Regional Crimestoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.
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