Man Wanted In Strong-Arm Robbery Of Boy Minutes After He Won Bicycle
WATTS (CBSLA.com) — The public's help was sought Wednesday to identify a man who strong-armed an 11-year-old boy off the bike he won at a Halloween celebration.
The robbery happened at about 12:20 p.m. on Halloween at Ted Watkins Park, 1335 East 103rd Street, according to detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department parks bureau.
The boy had just won a Micargi Tivola Beach Cruiser with a black frame, green rims and a white seat -- which retails for $179.99 on Amazon -- during a Halloween celebration at the park. The man approached the boy and forcefully pulled the bicycle from his grasp, then put a small girl onto the handlebars and rode the bicycle away, sheriff's officials said.
"The guy said, 'You don't need this bike,'" the boy, identified as Jeff, said. "So, he pushed me and he snatched it from my hands."
The boy and his mother chased after the man, but they were unable to catch him, authorities said.
The man was positively identified by the boy and his mother through pictures taken at the event. He was described as a Hispanic man between 30 and 35, 5-foot-10 and about 200 pounds. The man was photographed wearing a blue T-shirt, a dark blue baseball cap worn backwards and a tattoo on his left arm and neck that appears to be the St. Louis Cardinals logo.
Jeff has received a replacement bike from the store that donated the stolen bike, but he said he like the first bike better, since it was black with bright green accents.
The bike took on added importance because as one of seven kids, Jeff was used to hand-me-downs and has rarely had the chance to ride around on brand-new wheels.
Anyone with information about the suspected thief's identity or the robbery was being asked to contact Detective Daniel Cerda at (213) 216-7675.