Police: Rash of Bike Thefts in Brookline

Due to a rash of bike thefts in town, the police planted a decoy on Harvard Street. On June 6, a black department-owned bicycle was locked with a combination lock to a bike rack in front of 448 Harvard Street. The police reported that there have been 15 bikes stolen in town since May.

At about 6:30 a.m., the officers observed a man in a white shirt standing over two bikes attached to the metal bike rack near the corner of Harvard Street and Thorndike Street. The officer reported that the man pulled something loose from the area of the bike and put something in his pocket and started walking away with the black bicycle.

The officer told the man to stop, to which the man asked, “Why are you stopping me? This is my bike.”

At this point, officers placed Vincent Richardson, 43, of 1 Nassau Street, Boston under arrest and charged him with larceny of a bicycle valued over $250. The bike was valued at $1,000.

Officers frisked the man and found a 10” Husky wire cutter and the cut cable lock that was attached to the Police bike.

According to the report, Richardson said that the white and blue bicycles that were leaning next to the tree were his. During the booking, officers reported that Richardson made statements affirming that he had stolen the bike.