{"id":228003,"date":"2010-01-25T18:50:09","date_gmt":"2010-01-25T23:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.szone.us\/f80\/detectives-bust-bike-theft-ring-downtown-38580\/"},"modified":"2010-01-25T18:50:09","modified_gmt":"2010-01-25T23:50:09","slug":"detectives-bust-bike-theft-ring-downtown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/228003","title":{"rendered":"Detectives Bust Bike-theft Ring Downtown"},"content":{"rendered":"
01.25.10 03:45 PM
\nLos Angeles:<\/i><\/b> Los Angeles police detectives arrested two men over the weekend, whichbroke up a downtown Los Angeles bicycle-theft ring and netted severalstolen bicycles and parts, drug paraphernalia, and counterfeit money.<\/p>\n

\u0093This is a significant break for us,\u0094 said Lt. Paul Vernon, who headsup the Central Detective Division.  \u0093There were 123 bicycles stolendowntown in 2009.  That\u0092s 45 more than the year before, and we knowthere is more than one ring of thieves who are preying on bicyclists.\u0094<\/p>\n

Police point to the increasing popularity of bicycling for sport andtransportation among downtown residents and have attributed theincrease in thefts to the proliferation of bicycles, many costing inthe thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n

Friday, January 22, 2010, undercover detectives met a man in SantaMonica to buy a bicycle that he had posted on Craigslist.  The bike\u0092sreal owner had reported the bike stolen on the same day, taken from the500 block of Olympic Boulevard.    Konstantin Rostovtsev, 51, listedthe $600 Sirrus bicycle for $300, and included the after-marketon-board computer in the asking price.  After agreeing on the sale,detectives arrested the Ukranian native for receiving stolen property.  <\/p>\n

Detectives used information from Rostovtsev\u0092s arrest to identify EdwardRene Arciga, 43, as another source of stolen bicycles.  \u0093We calledArciga and asked him if he had bikes for sale,\u0094 Vernon said.  Saturday,undercover detectives met Arciga at the Olive Motel on SunsetBoulevard.  Arciga pulled a bicycle out of his Mercedes Benz\u0092s trunkand showed it to the detectives.  When the detectives arrested Arciga,an accomplice opened the motel room\u0092s door.  \u0093The detectives called theman out and could immediately see bolt cutters and more bikes,\u0094 Vernonadded.  <\/p>\n

\u0093This latter arrest was a gold mine,\u0094 said Lt. Vernon.  \u0093We found thetwo men were also bleaching money to counterfeit $100 bills.\u0094 Detectives found several counterfeit bills, a computer and a printerfor making money, and evidence of heroin use.  Secret Service agentsseized a laptop computer, the counterfeit bills and manufacturingmaterials.  Detectives booked Arciga for receiving stolen property, buthe may face additional federal charges for counterfeiting.  <\/p>\n

\u0093We think Arciga and Rostovtsev are just one of several rings workingdowntown,\u0094 Lt. Vernon warned.  \u0093All bicyclists need to protectthemselves with good locks, record their bike\u0092s serial number, and keepa receipt of the bike\u0092s purchase price to prove its value; andremember, don\u0092t leave a bike in a public place, even locked up, forlonger than is necessary.\u0094<\/p>\n

For more information, or interviews about this case, please contact Lt. Paul Vernon, Central Area Detectives at 213-972-1203.<\/p>\n

Tipsters can call Crimestoppers at 800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may contact Crimestoppers by texting the number 274637(C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messagesshould begin with the letters \u0093LAPD.\u0094 Tipsters may also go toLAPDOnline.org, click on \u0093webtips\u0094 and follow the prompts.<\/p>\n

LAPD News and Information …<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

01.25.10 03:45 PM Los Angeles: Los Angeles police detectives arrested two men over the weekend, whichbroke up a downtown Los Angeles bicycle-theft ring and netted severalstolen bicycles and parts, drug paraphernalia, and counterfeit money. \u0093This is a significant break for us,\u0094 said Lt. Paul Vernon, who headsup the Central Detective Division.  \u0093There were 123 bicycles stolendowntown […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4524,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-228003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4524"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228003\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}