Obviously, it was a group activity and the little shiiiite thought it was mob-rule night. Obviously, he was wrong and the group got punished. I have no sympathy for one brat or a group of brats.

But were 14 squad cars necessary? LAPD HATE cyclists... and this is coming from a non cyclist. Just from what I've seen in the past they're very prejudice against them. Or they just don't understand.

If you want to ride a bike, move to Thousand Oaks or Scottsdale, Arizona. Get the F Outtathaway!!!

I would be pretty damn pissed if the cops didnt find the little cowards in this gang who stole from the store! what good is having a police force if they arent allowed to search people who steal? the person who made this video makes a big deal out of the fact that the store manager didnt provide a good description. obvious that this person never worked at a retail store before. when little punk high school kids mob your store it happens so quick you cant get a decent description.

bunch of bored valley rich kids stealing beer. what else is new. trash the whole lot of em. the valley is a real piece of fuckin work. first it was ugly smelly punk rockers then it was skate punks then it was taggers and now its fixed gear. they are bored and have no parental figures because mommy and daddy are busy filming pornos. these kids in the valley need to grow up and get jobs.

Fourteen patrol cars does seem overboard at first, but I can see why LAPD respond with such numbers, especially if the call came in from store personnel that exaggerated the number of cyclists and their alleged crimes. Better to have the extra officers and not need them then roll on a scene understaffed -- and 37 potential suspects is no small number.

It's a frustrating shame all cyclists had to pay such a price for the selfish actions of one, but if there's a positive to take away from this (at least from what's shown on camera), it's how cooperative the proceedings progressed.

Wow, way to over generalize a group of people you've never met, "The Motorist". Some bored valley kids also take to bar hopping then driving home and street racing in cars, putting their own and others lives at risk. Stealing is wrong absolutely and should be punished accordingly, but there are worse things people could be doing then riding bikes and hanging out.

I get harassed by cops when I'm alone for either sitting down outside my work on a cell phone, walking home alone, or riding in a car driven by my persian friend - THAT is illegal and unwarranted. F-ing racist cops.

However, a group of cyclists where one(or a few, who knows what the clerk said exactly) - fitting the description of a shoplifter with a bicycle - is sort of warranted. If the actual shoplifter had any balls, he could've just admitted it immediately and spared everyone else.

The shoplifter should be both banned from riding again and taken out - Nancy Kerrigan style - for putting everyone through this. He should've just admitted it immediately to spare the rest.

Hahahah, The Motorist is the best LAist Troll in a long time. Keep it comin' dude!

What whiners motorist? I didn't hear anyone whining.

Answer this question Oh wise one; how many patrol cars show up for a murder? Bet it isn't fourteen.

Seems to me your priorities are seriously twisted. I certainly think so. When my car was broken into some years ago one cop showed up. The damage to my vehicle amounted to close to $700.00 not $5.00. And all the cop did was bitch about the punks who vandalized my car and then told me there was little that could be done about it.

Wow.

I guess if I'd been a business I'd have gotten a better outcome.

I see this as a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Geniuses! I love how everyone's first reaction is WHAA!! WHAA!! the cops treated us badly!! they frisked my poopiehole!! mommy mommy my 4th amendment right was violated!! when it was you ingrates and your gang that shoplifted in the first place!! always someone else's fault!! how about just paying for your beer if it was "only" $5!! bunch of turd burglers!!!

cops in the valley have nothing much to do anyway heh I hope next time they frisk every hair on your cornholes and make you each clean the dingoberries off each other's taint!! punishment ala MOTORIST STYLE beeeeoooootch!

happy motoring.

QUOTE:(two others were arrested and released on scene for possession of marijuana)

uh... earth to everyone if the police didnt actually take you in and process you fingerprint anal cavity search etc. then you werent arrested you were just detained for questioning at the scene of the crime. you got white carded as they say. it's ok, no one saw you all teary eyed in the back of the squad car promising you wont ever smoke drugs again heh

keep on truckin!

I'm no legal expert but from what I understand if you're accused of shoplifting and detained but no items are found you can bring legal charges on the store for false accusation, or something to that effect. That's why department stores usually wait until shoplifters actually leave the store with the items before detaining them so they have evidence and intent.

It's a bunch of people hanging out. Motorist, you talk about this "gang" loitering in front of the store for too long as though they had any idea someone was stealing. Everyone who went to the store besides the thief bought food and drink legally, you know, creating economic activity that probably more then paid for the losses from lone ass hole. Instances of theft from the bike rides are rare, and need to be addressed seriously when it happens. But the bigger positive people rarely talk about is the economic activity these social bike rides create for late night businesses that ordinarily only have a trickling of customers at odd hours.

This was a lone thief hiding under the cover of a group, this was in no way a gang or some kind of coordinated effort. Everyone else in the group and the larger night cycling community was pissed the hell off this guy decided to steal a beer. These people had no interest in being anyone's cover, and would likely have paid the store for their loss had they known an item was stolen.

Unfortunately on a ride a few months ago some beer was stolen, but when the owner made this known the ride organizer paid the loss out of pocket to keep good faith with the store. The community later found the thief when he confessed, repented and coughed up the money.

This was a highly disproportionate use of police force for the minor crime at hand with dozens of people unrelated to the crime having their items searched without probable cause. This is not what our tax money should be paying for.

Motorist: > so the cops should just let every 40 member gang roam around and steal long as it's less than $10

Now you are talking out your butt. No one ever said that was a gang; not even the police.

Slander much?

I have some inside information indicating that the Motorist is in reality a very, very angry 12-year-old girl.

Let's all move along.

>typical bicycle rider

I drive a Lincoln AND ride a bike know-it-all

>off in their own dream world of how things should be

You are the one dreaming.

>living like champagne communists just rolling along with no jobs and no stress heh

If I'm a communist you are a Nazi. Guess who is closer to the truth with that one.

>have you ever worked retail??

yes. And I never expected $2,000 worth of police protection for a five dollar item.

>any of you prima donnas? the oldest trick in the book is for coordinated gangs to distract and steal. the manager of this store wasnt about to fall for that old trick.

Once again you slander the thirty-six riders who had nothing to do with this. You should be sued.

>look if you want to complain about something complain about how a member of your gang group stole some beer and made all you cherry asses get searched.

Now you are saying I'm a member of a gang? Better back off buster. It'll only take a little time to have the administrators here tell me who you are so I get sic my lawyer on you.

> but dont blame the cops for searching the whole lot of what they see as a gang of delinquents causing problems for a store which was understaffed to handle the mob.

You love that word "gang" don't you?

> robberies are no joke and not coming down hard on you people for stealing is like an invitation for gangs groups to come back and do even more dirty shit.

Administrator. I need to know who motorist is so I can sue him for slander. I'd like this information quickly if you don't mind.

> tell you if I see a big gang group of bicycle riders I know what you people are all about I'll call the cops just on principal!!

It's a felony to knowingly call in a false report.

"typical bicycle rider, off in their own dream world of how things should be, living like champagne communists just rolling along with no jobs and no stress heh" - The Poet, The Motorist

It's pretty nice living in a communist fantasy land where my imaginary job pays for bicycles that are delivered to me out of the sky. I pay for my rent in Santa Monica with tooth fairy money and have enough left over to cover my student loan payments. Life is grand!

"you should be driving cars supporting america through these tough times."

What sort of ass backward logic is that? Lets increase our foreign oil dependence so we can raise gas prices even further and contribute to world instability, yay! You know that whole supply and demand thing? Gas prices only dropped in the past two months because demand dropped, the supply is the same. I ride a bike and it makes your gas cheaper.

Motorist needs a 12-12-12