A duo of determined thieves used power tools to cut through locks and steal bikes from an underground parking garage on two occasions last weekend in downtown Durango.
The thefts occurred early Saturday and early Sunday at the Mears Building, 543 East Second Ave., which has studio suites above the parking garage, according to the Durango Police Department.
One of the bikes taken was a Trek e-bike belonging to Christina Rinderle, a local real estate broker and former Durango mayor.
Surveillance video showed the suspects wearing masks, with one operating a grinding saw – sparks flying through the air, she said.
“They were bold, they drove into the garage,” she said.
Rinderle is concerned the thefts might be part of a larger crime wave in Durango. She was informed of other thefts that have happened within the last week, and she has talked to a couple of friends who said they were the victims of attempted robberies at their houses.
“It’s really hard to see a lot of people dealing with break-ins around the community any time of year, but especially at the holidays,” she said. “It feels a little grinchy.”
It is the second time this year thieves have entered the Mears parking garage to steal bikes, she said. In April, she had two bikes stolen, including an e-bike and a Santa Cruz mountain bike, she said.
The parking garage has a garage door, but the door was inoperable in April. Last weekend, the thieves somehow gained access to the garage, possibly after having learned the garage door code or using some other technology to remotely open the door, Rinderle said.
She said the building has upgraded its security systems, including installing more cameras.
Durango police Cmdr. Nick Stasi said bike thefts are not uncommon in Durango. But more recently, thieves have been using tools to cut through locks, he said.
“We’ve had a few bikes reported stolen recently where the locks were cut, and then we had one at the library within the last couple of weeks,” he said. “People buy high-quality locks, but if somebody has the right tools, a lock is a deterrent but unfortunately it is never 100% guaranteed (to prevent theft).”
On one occasion last weekend at the Mears building, the suspects drove a red Jeep into the parking garage. The suspects can be seen on video walking around before leaving with the bikes. The Jeep is described as a 2010 to 2016 Compass or Grand Cherokee with a distinguishable black hood.
The vehicle had a “ghost” license plate, meaning the plate (SEL4472) didn’t come back as being registered to that vehicle, Stasi said. It also didn’t come back as being stolen, he said. The plate was purportedly out of Texas.
Anyone with information about the thefts is asked to email the Durango Police Department at durangopolicepio@durangoco.gov or call 385-2900.
Police encourage bike owners to use high-quality bike locks in well-lit areas if parking bikes outdoors. They should also record the serial number on their bikes and, even better, register their bikes with the DPD so if the bike is recovered police can match it to the owner, or if a bike is reported stolen they can enter it into a national database of stolen bikes.
shane@durangoherald.com
