In the past two weeks, four secured bicycles have been stolen from bike racks at 54th Place and Ocean Blvd in Long Beach. Fortunately, three of the bicycles have been recovered by The East Division Directed Enforcement Team.
According to the report, “The East Division Directed Enforcement Team conducted an undercover surveillance operation where the bicycles had been stolen.”
As the officers were observing the film, they saw a suspect dragging a bike along with a lock attached to it that had clearly been cut. Officers contacted the victim of the stolen bike and the victim confirmed that his bike was stolen.
The officers were led to the suspect’s storage unit and were able to recover two more bicycles that were stolen by the same suspect. Each bike had a value of approximately $1,000.
When confronting the suspect, police found cable cutters in the suspect’s back pack, ensuring that he was the thief.
The suspect, Elpidio Vargas, 47, was captured and arrested for Grand Theft and Petty Theft.
