MIAMI (WSVN) - An electric bike store owner was left in shock after a customer who shopped there before stole one of his bikes during a test ride.
Surveillance video captured a man and child exiting a car and walking into the SoFlo e-Bike Shop at 7411 Biscayne Blvd., Tuesday afternoon.
The pair made their way around the store, as they looked at various bikes.
Arnaldo Dorna, the store’s owner, said they’d visited the store before and even previously purchased a bike from him.
“He came a few times for a few little things, and it looks like a good guy,” said Dorna.
Video then shows Dorna helping the man try out one of the bikes outside the store.
Dorna said he was going through his usual process of making sure his customers pick the right bike.
“Because I know him, usually I ask for identification, but you know, it’s been here for a while, he gets me on the fact that he has his family,” said Dorna.
Moments later, the man leaves the parking lot for what Dorna believed to just be a test ride. The man never returned with the bike.
“He went past, right the bike outside, he did a few loops over here and took off,” said Dorna.
Stunned by the brazen act happening right in front of him, it took Dorna a few minutes to realize he just watched the man steal his bike.
“He got me, he got me, and that’s it, I lost the bike,” said Dorna.
He believes the man must’ve been planning this for some time and was prepared.
“Probably his wife was in the back with the car, just waiting for him to come up and throw the bike inside the car,” he said.
Now he’s left eating the cost of the bike, valued at $3,000.
It was business as usual for the small shop on Wednesday, but Dorna says robberies like this make it difficult to stay open.
“I’m trying to survive, especially in the very low season. This is not a great year for many of the bike shops around,” he said.
He also said this has taken an emotional toll on him on top of the financial hit.
“Not just financially, but my feelings. I feel violated,” he said.
Dorna said that because of robberies, the expensive location and lower sales, he plans to move his business to a new location in the coming months.
If you have any information on this theft or the subject’s whereabouts, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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