They stole seven dirt bikes. Now their crime has gone viral.
Security video from a burglary in which seven dirt bikes were stolen from a Lakeland store has gone viral, according to Bay News 9.
The footage, posted to the Lakeland Police Department’s Facebook page, has been viewed more than 77,000 times and has been shared over 1,000 times since it was posted last week.
The burglary captured on film occurred around 6:30 a.m. Dec. 19 at the Fun Bike Center, located at 1845 E. Memorial Blvd. in Lakeland, according to the Lakeland Police Department’s post.
The video shows seven suspects wheeling dirt bikes out of the store after breaking in through the front door. The stolen bikes were then loaded into what appeared to be a box-style truck backed up to the doors, according to the department’s Facebook post.
The crime took less than five minutes as each of the suspects grabbed a bike and scrambled them out of the store and into the truck. They stopped only to open the doors wide enough to push the bikes through.
Stolen from the Fun Bike Center were seven Kawasaki dirt bikes, all green and white in color, either 2016 or 2017 models, according to the department’s Facebook post.
Samer Fidy, store manager, told Bay News 9 he believes the thieves targeted the dirt bikes because they would be driven off road and don’t require keys. Fidy also said he is receiving support from community members saying they are going to find the dirt bikes for him.
Bay News 9 reports the bikes are worth more than $50,000.
Anyone with information regarding this crime is asked to contact Detective Osterhage at 863-834-6964.
Sara Nealeigh: 941-745-7081, @saranealeigh
This story was originally published December 27, 2016 at 6:26 PM with the headline "They stole seven dirt bikes. Now their crime has gone viral.."