Grown man steals child’s bike, prompts Nanaimo RCMP investigation
Posted April 4, 2017 10:38 am.
Last Updated April 4, 2017 2:01 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NANAIMO (NEWS 1130) – A young boy on Vancouver Island is crushed after a man stole his brother’s bike right out from under him. And while Mounties deal with stolen bikes all the time, the details of this particular case has them pulling out all the stops.
12-year-old Wyatt Snikkers and his 9-year-old brother Ewan were out riding their bikes on a Saturday afternoon at the end of March. Ewan ran into the Nanaimo Aquatic Centre to grab a snack from the vending machine while Wyatt watched their rides.
Constable Gary O’Brien says that’s when a man, who at first appeared to be friendly, came up and asked Wyatt for the time.
He followed that with “time to steal your bike.”
“He was very upset, and the male pretended to punch him in the face and that made it even worse. The kids didn’t know what to do,” O’Brien says.
The boys’ mother, Quinn Verbrugge, says Ewan saved up for two years to buy that bike.
“They’re scared to go over there now. They still ride their bikes in the bushes, but not around the neighbourhood.”
Police have surveillance footage of the suspect. He’s described as white, about 25 to 35-years-old, 5’6″ tall with a thin build and short blond hair. He was wearing a black jacket, light coloured blue jeans, beige Timberland boots, and sunglasses with white rims.
Verbrugge isn’t holding out hope that her son’s bike will be recovered, but she wants the man caught so he doesn’t do this to anyone else’s kids.
Anyone with information can call Nanaimo RCMP at 250.754.2345 or Crime Stoppers at 1.800.222.TIPS.
O’Brien adds the man will likely face charges related to possession of stolen property. He could also face a robbery charge because of how he threatened to punch the child.
