Cook County Commissioner Scuffles With Bike Thief
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Cook County commissioner was planning to file a complaint after scuffling with a bike thief in the River North neighborhood on Monday.
Commissioner John Fritchey said he was driving north on LaSalle Street on Monday, when he noticed a man on an old bike, pulling the tire off another bike.
"I rolled down my window and yelled at him. He saw me and proceeded to ride away," Fritchey said.
The commissioner said he circled the block, and saw the man again, this time putting the stolen tire on a stolen bike frame, so Fritchey started taking pictures, which the man did not like.
"We scuffled back and forth. I tried to take the tire from him. He backed off and that swung the tire at me, and caught me across the back, and you'll feel that. A bike tire is not exactly the lightest thing," Fritchey said. "Then after that I didn't think it was in anybody's best interest for it to go any further than that."
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Fritchey said a friend of his looked at his pictures and identifiedd the man as the one who stole her bike near Willis Tower a few weeks ago. He said the man is well known in the River North and downtown area as a thief.
The commissioner and his friend planned to file a police report on Tuesday.
