How a Homeless Stole My Bike

August 9, 2008.

So I come from past midnight 1 night and lock my bike on the stairway.

I use the bike chain around the wooden bannister. The next morning, the bike is gone. And the wooden bannister peg is broken.

So someone stole my bike!

But I sort of knew who it was.

Went to the police department at 12:20, and got nothing accomplished.

Did I register my bike? No. Did I know the serial number of my bike? No.

So then I go home and decide to go to this 1 place where I last saw the homeless guy a couple of months ago. I was following him 1 night with binoculars and saw him disappear in this 1 area 2 blocks from my apartment so I went.

I jump in, and when I look out, I see some Black guy on a bike! I decide, well I should look at what bike he's on, and when I do, it looks like my bike! I jump right out, and then at the corner he puts the bike down right on the sidewalk and walks into a pizza place.

I go damn, this is my opportunity to steal it back from him. I run on up and get out my camera and take a quick picture of the bike then put it back in the pocket and pick it up. Wow it's my bike! I walk it, and then he comes out of the store shouting "Ay that's my bike." Wow, what a nasty voice. So I let go and he takes it.

He knows me. I've seen him so many times before. I've biked past him the previous days and I've even walked past him carrying groceries while he's sitting in his usual spot around my corner. But he says "Someone sold it to me."

The manager in the pizza looks out at the window at me. Anyways, the guy freaks out and bikes away. I walk into the pizza place and ask the manager (who thought I was the thief) if there is security cameras and he said yes. Then I told him I'll call 911.

The cops come, in the big pattie wagon and they go in and see the store's surveillance cameras. They apparently know that guy.

They're charging him with something where he uses forces or violence on me while I'm with my bike to steal it.

There's this funny scene where when 1 of the cops was sitting in the car with the door open writing the report, he saw a hot chick in a B.M.W. He goes "I can get that car for you if you want." I go "No thanks." He goes "Why not, hot chick with a nice ******* B.M.W. You want that?"

I was about to tell him I was virgin lol. But yeah, he flirted with some girls later.

That night, around 11:20 p.m., I was walking around my corner, and sat down and then some White homeless guy comes and asks for 50 cents. I said no. He asks another guy, who says no, and then he asks another female, whom ignored him.

Then he continued talking to me, saying he has a bus pass with 6 dollars in it and he only needs 50 more cents and that I could take him to a train station to verify how much is in it and he just needs 50 more cents.

I go, "Do you know where Troy street is?" He goes "Yeah I know." And I say "Point it to me." (We were a block away from it.)

And then I go "Who's the big Black guy that sits on Troy street all the time?" And he goes "The hunky chunk?" I go yeah. And he goes "the muscular one?" And I go "Yeah, that's him. What can you tell me about him?"

Well he told me a little about where his girlfriend lives and where his aunt lives, but didn't want to tell me much, so I reached into my pocket and gave him 2 bucks. And then we continued talking.

He told me his girlfriend lives in a blue and white apartment, on the 2nd floor, between Kimball and Hamlin, Montrose and Irving Park, and that 3 houses from that, is his aunt's house.

So I spent the next hour and a half walking down the streets between the Kimball and Hamlin looking for a blue white apartment building and can't find 1. I saw many blue white houses though, so she probably lived in a 2-flat.

But around 12:50 to 1 a.m. I went into the police department again to update the information on the police report.

But yeah, he's in hideout for now.

This is how me and him 1st met:

May 20, 2008.

I heard all this shouting outside my window but ignored.

At around 10:30 at night, I go out with my bike and on the back of 2nd floor stairway outside, I look down and saw this angry Black homeless man all shoutin and swearing. He came from away from the side. He continues swearing when he saw me and then I could tell he was swearing at me.

He walked into the alley, and got pissed, and then walked my direction, picked up a rock, and threw it at me! Oh lol..

Then he walks into the alley still swearing.

This is the view of the back of my building where I was on the 2nd floor.

And this is my view down onto the alley.

With flash.

Without flash.

The lights are actually more orange and not that yellow but oh well.

Anyways, so I go inside and make a 911 call. And say he threw a rock at me, an assault charge. But when I say he might be a homeless they back down, so I gave up, and hung up.

So I decide to follow this guy, and when I see police car, try to arrest him that way.

I go back inside to put on gray sweater with hood on so he can't see my face. And follow him for a bit. He usually goes in circles. But then he eventually went somewhere.

I'm 2 blocks behind him. I use my binoculars to eye him. Then, he somehow disappeared. I run up the 2 blocks to where I lost him and still couldn't find him. So I made a left turn into the residential neighborhood which is where that empty building photo was. At that time, though, it was just mountains of sand.

Then I go "Damn, where did he go?"

Then, from the street where I came from he came walking in. I go wow, how did I lose him. Then I walk out into the alley and when I came back, he's gone. I go damn, how did I lose him again?

Some blah blah blah store happened for the next 2 hours I don't feel like typing but 2 hours later this woman that got evicted asked me to go check her bedroom window in the alley to see if her sister was throwing her stuff out. I go okay. I run down the alley and instantly see a police car. I put on my binoculars and saw it was empty. I told her "Hey, there's an empty police car there. We can ask them for help."

Then later the police walked into the car. And I told her okay, let's ask the police for a lighter (this was before I had 1).

Then, I saw that homeless guy! I run on over to the police car, passing the homeless guy, where I took my hood off, so now he knew I rated.

Oh well.

But I raise my finger, and the police car lower its windows, and I go "Excuse me, but that guy over there assaulted me."

Well they refuse to arrest him. They go "If we arrest him, he we will a warm place to sleep tonite, he will get free meals, etc." And to stay away from him and all that.

Wonderful. Although I sort of agree with them, obviously. They say they've arrested him multiple times, and that he eventually gets out of jail. This means they won't mind if I kick his ***.

Anyways, bout 6 days later, I saw human **** on the stairways between the 2nd and 3rd floor inside. Ohohoho.

A month later, I talked with a woman downstairs, and she said a month before, the homeless guy threw a rock at the window. And the landlord (whom is an attorney) wants to press charges.

Another time, he took a **** in the garbage can by our laundry room, so yeah, we got lots of charges on this guy.

I was actually warned from some of the residents that it wasn't safe to lock my bike down there, but I didn't care. I wanted some drama to happen lol.

August 12, 2008.

I got a call at 11:16 a.m. from the police officer when I was sleeping and he said he found the guy and got him arrested. And I was to go to the police station in like half an hour to sign something.

I then call my landlord (whom is an attorney) that he was caught and he said to tell them that he wants to press additional charges (like trespassing) and to give his number to anyone if needed.

When I arrive, the cop tells me I'm suppose to go to a room later where I have to identify him. Fun...

Later when a detective at another police station calls me, he asks my side of the story, well the truth is, my story doesn't fit with the charge of what the cop arrested him with. He was sort of a dummy. He charged the guy with strong-arm robbery, a felony. Anyways, when I saw him again in the police station. I handed the phone to him and the detective cop told him he didn't think his charge was going to work, and to charge him with misdemeanor theft.

Since the charge is being dropped from felony to misdemeanor, there is no lineup where I have to identify him. His court date isn't going to be the next day, but in 5 weeks.

And if I don't show up in court, the charge is dropped, and he gets free.

Anyways, on the phone with the detective cop I told him my landlord attorney wants to press additional charges with him, so he said I could give him my number.

Called my landlord and gave him his number and he hasn't gotten back to me since.

I talked to a woman downstairs from my apartment, and she took photos of all the vandalism he's done, so this Friday I'm going to go to the police station with her and see if she can get more charges on this guy.

She was horrified when I told her my bike was stolen but I said it was worth it.

August 14, 2008.

Saw someone that looked like him on the way to school, and I guess it wasn't him.

Then, I saw him window washing around 4:20 at the pizza place, the site where he stole my bike. He glanced at me once and then again, while window washing. I just continued walking past him and ignored him.

So yeah, he got out of the police station. I think they have a policy to not hold them for 5 weeks for misdemeanor charges.

Got it confirmed by around 8:40 p.m. when I went into the pizza store. I go "So did you get a new window washer?" and they go "No, he's just from around the neighborhood."

I guess he does it for 50 cents or a free slice of pizza.

August 15, 2008.

Got a call from non-uniform and non-police car cops at 11:41 a.m., whom called me over. I talked with them, and they knew about my bike theft. And they showed me a paper with his photo and asked if he looked like him. I said yea. And then they asked about how he stole my bike. I said he already got arrested for that. And they go "Oh he already got arrested." Then they shake their heads and go hmm, and tell me that they picked up the paper yesterday, and that they'll confirm with the police station about that.

August 16, 2008.

Saw him shortly at 6:22 p.m., where he had an argument with the landlord's cousin. Probably about money.

That's him. Pretty muscular, huh?

I call a neighbor at 6:29 p.m. I lost him around 7:05 p.m., which is when my below neighbor calls me saying she sees him outside and shouting in the back, so I run to my apartment. I see him leaving, so I left the building again. I lost him again by 7:50 p.m., but found him later. A couple of hours later, he saw me, and started shouting at me, about how I got him arrested and he came out of the police station the next day. With his arms out he says "You put me in jail, I come out the next day." Then he spat at me, on my hair, at 8:40 p.m., then walks across the street. He hung around the bus stop bench. Some Hispanics in white shirts gave him a small bag of food, and he put it under the bench.

Anyways, here's him peeing.

He is left of the lamp.

I had a photo of him looking like he's dancing but it's a bit blurry.

I lost him around 10:00, and went home. Went back out, and found him again at around 10:16 p.m., where he was sleeping on just around the corner.

September 29, 2008.

Today was day in court.

He did not show up.

Judge called his name and he was not there. And in order for his charge to drop, I had to not be there. But I was there.

So then after I stood up and they knew I was there, the public prosecutor read to the judge all the arrests he had (or down to 2000). He must have said 10 in a row, including battery and felony burglary. He was the worst 1 in the court!

So now there is warrant for his arrest. So if I see him I will let the police department know.

I actually saw him last Sunday sleeping on the 2nd floor stairwar, just a couple feet from my door. Luckily I did not wake him up.

I really want to go visit my Mom's house this Christmas (4 weeks) and I worry he could get caught and have date of court in my absence!

October 17, 2008.

Around 6:30 p.m. I got a call from my downstairs neighbor that that homeless guy was down in our basement again, *with* a mountain bike. And she scared him off and called 911 and then the police came and are looking for him.

And *I* am in school right now, almost 7 p.m. And lab till like 10. I'll have you know I spend my weekend nights (mostly) going down the streets and alley looking for him and yet he comes over to my apartment building on a Friday night. :/

Oh well.

And if the police do catch him they might call me.