SEATTLE — Police are warning several neighborhoods of recent motorcycle thefts, possibly involving three or four people lifting the bikes onto rental trucks.
Neighborhood groups in the Fremont, Wallingford and Ballard areas received a memo from Seattle Police, stating: "Thieves are roaming the neighborhoods in the early morning hours using trucks, mostly rental type trucks of the orange and white variety. There are at least three or four working together as they are lifting the bikes up and carrying them to the trucks despite having disc brake locks and other passive type deterrents."
Emily Hogan said that her friend's motorcycle was stolen outside her home about two weeks ago.
"I didn't see anything. I didn't hear anything. It was crazy," Hogan said.
They were inside for only a few hours, but that was enough time for thieves to do their work.
A local bike shop employee recommended parking motorcycles in visible areas, if there is no available garage. That way, neighbors can keep an eye out for people lifting 500-pound motorcycles.
But Hogan said, "At midnight, no one's going to be around except people stealing motorcycles."
Stephen Guglielmo didn't know about the thefts.
Guglielmo said one of his motorcycles "has a stem lock, so you turn it to the side and then you lock it. But that doesn't really prevent anything."
Bikes with U-locks and even disc brake locks are susceptible, according to the police memo to neighbors.
"I'll probably just link them all together, so it'll be much more difficult to get them all out. I'll probably hook my roommates in on that as well," Guglielmo said.
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