All store owner Corey Piket can do is watch as security camera footage shows a thief break into his store and snatch an estimated $5,000 worth of merchandise before fleeing into the darkness.
The third break and enter in recent months at Oak Bay Bikes on the corner of the Island Highway and 106th St. happened at 4:40 a.m. Friday.
"It was the same time as always, sort of between 4:30 and 5:00, a single guy broke in through our front door," said Piket. "He obviously knew what he was doing because he avoided our security cameras on the outside of the building."
The culprit cut the lock on the front door, smashed the glass and cut the secondary lock.
He then went straight to a Specialized Demo 8 downhill bike and cut the lock on it.
"He took that and dropped it at the front door, ran around the counter and went straight to where we had a downhill fork, grabbed that and ran around to the door and rode off," Piket said. "He was in the store for less than a minute."
Piket said police responded quickly, arriving within four minutes of the glass being smashed, but too late to catch the suspect, who left few clues behind and was mindful to take his bolt cutters and any other evidence. His face and head were covered by a balaclava and hat. He also wore a down vest and long-sleeve shirt. Piket said he appeared to be well dressed overall.
"We got some good shots of him on our security cameras," Piket said.
Retail value of the bike is about $4,000. That plus the fork, a Rock Shox BoXXer valued at about $1,000 represents a $5,000 loss to the store.
Damage to the front door is estimated at about $600.
The bike is black with red accent graphics and the fork is black with green accent graphics.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com.