[RideApart] - Brazen Scooter Thieves Make Off With Vespa in Broad Daylight

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  1. Newsbot

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    Brazen Scooter Thieves Make Off With Vespa in Broad Daylight

    Two thieves successfully steal Vespa by pushing it down the street past dozens of cameras.


    Here in Los Angeles, motorcycle theft is a very real and present danger. It is a plague on the two-wheeled community, and thieves devise increasingly sophisticated and cunning new MO’s to get around security systems. Sometimes it’s the simplest tactics that can take owners by surprise, as was demonstrated by some particularly brazen scooter thieves who stole a Vespa from a dealership in Sherman Oaks, California.

    READ MORE: 5 Ways to Protect Against Motorcycle Theft While Traveling | RideApart

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    You can never be too careful when it comes to locking up your ride.

    According to CBS Los Angeles, the thieves – a man and a woman – walked up to a scooter parked outside of Sherman Oaks Vespa, and simply swung a leg over the thing and pushed/walked it away. Keep in mind this took place at 4 p.m. on Ventura Blvd which is a busy thoroughfare with ample foot and vehicle traffic. Video of the incident shows the male suspect hopping on the scooter and walking it away. Shortly thereafter, the woman hopped on and the guy proceeded to push her down the sidewalk of Ventura Blvd, passing dozens of camera’s along the way.

    Despite the two thieves not wearing masks, and all the security footage of the theft, the couple managed to successfully get away with Vespa. The impromptu theft didn’t appear to be premeditated, and seemed more opportunistic than anything. It is assumed that the couple are probably local to the area, or have friends that live nearby, though they could have just as easily had a van or pickup parked a few blocks away. None of the storefront security camera footage shown on KCAL9 – the local news station that run the story – got a very good look at the faces of couple either.

    READ MORE: Locks, Anchors, and LoJack - How To Combat Motorcycle Theft | RideApart

    “He was pushing her on bike and fellow businesses down the road here all have, like, six-second clips of the bike going through their video cameras,” said David Meyer, owner of Sherman Oaks Vespa.

    Making matters even worse is the fact the scooter stolen didn't belong to the dealership, it was a customer's scoot in for service. Meyer was forced to make the wildly uncomfortable call to the owner to inform her that her Vespa had been stolen.

    “She lost her baby yesterday to someone that won’t even be able to use it,” he said.

    Because the thieves don’t have the keys, Meyer says the couple won’t be able to start up the Vespa, and he added that there isn’t much of a market for used parts, albeit a cursory craigslist and eBay search suggesst otherwise.

    READ MORE: Ask a Motorcycle Thief | RideApart

    Hopefully the couple will be brought to justice and the owner will be reunited with her Vespa. Unfortunately, the reality is that only roughly 30-percent of stolen motorcycles are recovered (as a point of reference about 60-percent of stolen cars are recovered).


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