Caught a bike thief in the act and followed him.

[c_dug]

With a bitter sweet ending.

I had an appointment at Hospital at 2.15 this afternoon, I parked the bike with the rest of the bikes there, it was in a slightly secluded area of the hospital out of sight of the main entrance, but it is the middle of the day and there were still people walking past so I didn't think anything of leaving it unchained.

I came out of the hospital at about 3, from the main entrance I could see a chavvy ~16 year old guy with a helmet in his hand looking in the direction of my bike, I figured he had a ped parked near my bike or something and thought nothing of it. As I walked towards the bike park he spotted me and made a call, I got to where he was standing and spotted his buddy standing at my bike just answering the phone. I put two and two together and realised what they were doing straight away. I got to my bike and it was apparent that they hadn't touched it yet. By this stage they were just walking off.

I got all my gear on and followed the hospitals one way system to the exit, to get home I needed to turn left. As I looked to the right before pulling out, I spotted Mr Chav's mate run across the road and jump onto a bus, but I didn't see any sign of his helmet holding companion. I paused for a second and as I did I spotted a helmet hover above a car, BINGO!

I turned right and rode past the chav, I slowed as I went past him and he gave me a very cheeky grin that had "whatcha gonna do?" written all over it. This pissed me off loads so I pulled over down the road in the expectation that he would stop, but he rode right past without even realising I had stopped, which worked out even better in the end.

I pulled back out one car behind him, and followed him, I hadn't made up my mind yet what exactly I was going to do, I'm a big enough guy but when it comes down to it I'm not much of a fighter and I know it. I kept a bit of a distance, I'd guess at between 2 and 6 cars, I followed him for a good two miles or so. He kept looking over his shoulder and spotting me, he knew I was following him.

He nearly lost me at a set of traffic lights they turned red with me at the front, he was a few cars ahead. I kept an eye on him and spotted him turn down a side road a few hundred meters down the road, he took a glance before he did and saw me sat at the lights. When the lights went green again I road in his direction and took a good look down the side road that he went down but I couldn't spot him. I took a gamble and carried on and took the next left in an attempt to head him off. It didn't pay off and I thought I'd lost him completely. I rode around the back roads a bit more but didn't spot him so decided to call it a day and head home, only I don't know that area at all and it turned out I was a little lost!

I had pulled onto the wrong main road, and the only way I knew back to where I had come from was by heading back through the roads I had followed the kid down. As I rode down one of the road I spotted the bastard fly across the junction at the end. Spurred on I took the next right and tried to head him off again. When I got back to the main road I spotted him pulled over at a house, there was a bus pulled over a few meters off the road, and off hopped his mate from the hospital.

I slowed right down next to him and shouted the first thing that came to my head, which was "You think I won't find you?" And sped off, before realising that the only way I know home was back past him again, I turned in a side road and headed back towards him. Only now he had a group with him of about 5 people, and a chain in his hand. As I rode in his direction he stepped into the road facing me and pulled his arm back to swing the chain at me, so I did the only thing I could and knocked the bike in to first and rode straight at him at full throttle. Luckily he shit it a little and didn't swing the chain, I don't think he expected the bike to accelerate as quickly as it did!

I figured I'd bitten off more than I could chew and got out of the area sharpish. I'm certain he lives around the roads he turned down. If I though I was being followed I'd head for roads I knew.

Who knows, maybe being followed back puts them off thieving for a while. Fingers crossed I may have saved a bike or two. Shame I'm too much of a pansy to have had a go when it was just the one or two guys. Oh well, live to fight another day and all that jazz.

Paint/google mashups to follow.
____________________
I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[EazyDuz]

And the moral of the story is, mind your own business.
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To shreds you say? Tss tss tss

[cliff]

Fair play to you for doing something though. That's better than doing nothing!

At least you will be able to recognise the little shit if you ever see him on his own...


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Sweet reggae music.

[Redoko]

[LordShaftesbu...]

Go back a few days later and if you see his ped parked anywhere set fire to it.

[P.]

[c_dug]

[steven_191]

[c_dug]

Hopefully these come out big enough.

https://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee81/paddy2007dug/bikestorypic1.jpg

https://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee81/paddy2007dug/bikestorypic2.jpg

https://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee81/paddy2007dug/BikeStorypic3.jpg
____________________
I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[J.M.]

The best part of this story for me was riding at him in first and him just getting out of the way - got some great clips in my mind of that thought!

Glad you got out of the hospital when you did though else this would probably have been another "gone" thread
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2004 R1 & 2018 XSR900

[mysterious_rider]

very well done.

[c_dug]

It wasn't even planned, it was just an "oh fuck" reaction when I saw him bring the chain back. Glad it worked, though if I had hit him I'm pretty sure I would have been buggered, both physically and legally.
____________________
I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[mysterious_rider]

Sod it, if you did hit him, run off, leave the bike, and just make sure you take your lid with you. Then 10 mins later go phone the old bill and tell them your bike has been stolen.

[waffles]

Did you get the ped registration? The sensible part of me would encourage you to grass them up to the police using that although im not sure how much good it would do.

The stupid part of me would be inclined to wait until you have insomnia one night, go find the ped and let all of the air out of the tyres and a cheeky note written using letters cut out of newspapers bragging that you stole their air.
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Theory test - 19/8/09, CBT - 11/10/09, MOD 1 - 16/8/10, MOD 2 - 27/10/10
Past rides Yamaha XT125X, Triumph TT600, Honda XR250
Current rides Suzuki GSXR 600, Honda MSX125

[Fifteen15]

[quote="c_dug"if I had hit him I'm pretty sure I would have been buggered, both physically and legally.[/quote]
You could have just said it was target fixation. You saw him swinging the chain so instinctively locked your eyes onto him and rode into him.

After riding away I would have gotten just out of sight and called plod. I'd love to get a bike thief knicked.
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"Pain is weakness leaving the body, and blood makes the grass grow faster...but I'll wear my gear anyway"

[Walloper]

You still don't know what he was doing at the bikes.
They could just have been 'shifty' looking.

Paranoia?
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W-ireless A-rtificial L-ifeform L-imited to O-bservation P-eacekeeping and E-fficient R-epair

[kerr]

was really wishing the end of the story was going to be you plowed the fucker down

[c_dug]

In the eyes of the law I'm sure they were perfectly innocent young lads, but believe me they were there to try and steal my bike, I knew it, and they knew that I knew it.
____________________
I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[N cee thirty]

pfft 5 people outside,its a full family job

wonder how many other bikes they've stolen,burn his
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'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30 Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[rac3r]

Got lucky wit the chain though
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Bikes : 2006 CBR125R - 2004 Monster 620ie - 2004 ZX-6R B1H - 2005 Monster S2R 800 - 2011 Street Triple - 2009 Streetfighter 1098 - 2014 ZX-6R 636

[Walloper]

[Quornholio]

Should have rang the police, and said they were tampering with it. By the time the po-lees were there, they'd have caught them in the act. Lol.

[c_dug]

[Walloper]

Ye canny burst someone coz it 'looks' like they are going to steal your bike.
It it as criminal to do that as it is to steal.

Think about it.

If they are 'stealing it' then go ahead with them.
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W-ireless A-rtificial L-ifeform L-imited to O-bservation P-eacekeeping and E-fficient R-epair

[LordShaftesbu...]