A foot chase this week leading Lethbridge Police right to suspected bicycle chop shop.
Tuesday afternoon (May 28) an officer on bike patrol downtown witnessed a man known to police near the Coalbanks Inn. The man tried to get into a nearby cab, however he took off through the Lady Luck Lounge, continued down an alley and up the fire escape of the Coalbanks Inn to the third floor where he allegedly broke into an occupied unit, ran through it and ended up in a neighbouring suite.
Police knocked on the door and told the man he was under arrest for break and enter. A short time later the suspect opened the door and police found several high end bicycles and bike components in various states of disassembly along with a large volume of cell phones in plain sight.
The woman living in that apartment and a second man inside were also arrested on outstanding warrants.
A search warrant recovered two high end bikes – one that had been reported stolen in 2017 – along with four bike frames with altered serial numbers, several bike forks, nine rims/tires and other bike components that were hidden in a false ceiling. Police also seized more than 50 cell phones that had been damaged or altered to remove the batteries, a stolen wallet, identity documents, narcotics and needles filled with methamphetamine solution.
37 year old John Carl Michael Wipf and 29 year old Jade Tiffany Ann Little, both of Lethbridge are facing a long list of charges, including possession of stolen property.
