Two attempted thefts at bike shop
Electric Bikes of Santa Barbara was broken into twice in the past10 days, but police officers and the owner were able to retrieve the stolen bikes.
SANTA BARBARA — Two electric bicycles were almost stolen recently from Electric Bikes of Santa Barbara, 1345 State St.
The first attempt occurred at 2:30 a.m. Aug. 14, according to shop owner Scott LaMoine.
The suspects used the city signs indicating the closure of State Street to smash the window. They then climbed through and pulled a $6,000 bike through the window.
Police arrived due to the suspects setting off the alarm. Mr. LaMoine told them which bike was stolen, and they located the suspects riding it downtown and recovered it.
The second attempted bike theft occurred around 11:30 p.m. Sunday.
Mr. LaMoine said the suspect used the same sign to smash the same window to steal a bike, but the owner was present at the shop and heard the break in. He called 911, grabbed the bike from the suspect’s hands and the suspect escaped on a skateboard.
Mr. LaMoine contacted city officials to remove the metal signs “because it’s the perfect tool to break a window,” and the city removed them.
The store owner told the News-Press he’s putting up bars to make sure no one can fit the bikes through the windows.
— Grayce McCormick
Explosive devices rendered safe
SANTA BARBARA — The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office’s Bomb Squad and military resources from Vandenberg Air Force Base were deployed Saturday after military explosives were found in a storage shed at a Santa Barbara residence, police said.
At approximately 12:30 p.m. Saturday, the Santa Barbara Police Department received a call from a resident in the 300 block of Ladera Street who reported finding the devices, formerly owned by a deceased military veteran, said Anthony Wagner, police spokesman.
The Bomb Squad responded and verified the several live military explosive devices. Vandenberg resources also arrived to further evaluate a strategy to render the devices safe, Mr. Wagner said.
“Due to the age of the devices and possible instability, the military explosives team recommended detonating the items rather than transporting them back to the military base. Detonating the devices at the residence was not viable because of the proximity to nearby homes,” he said.
“A safety plan was devised to detonate the devices in a nearby park that could accommodate a large safety radius. Prior to transport, the Police Department evacuated Pershing Park and notified local businesses. No other evacuations were deemed necessary.”
Police escorted the military to the park approximately a block-and-a-half away from the original scene. The devices were rendered safe at approximately 6:50 p.m.
— Mitchell White
