On January 7th, West Shore RCMP received reports from two young boys informing police their bikes had been stolen while parked outside Westshore Town Centre.
After realizing their bikes had been stolen, the 12 and 13-year-olds informed mall security and proceeded to call police on their own to report the crime.
With help from the shopping centre providing video surveillance that captured the theft of the bikes, police were able to identify and locate both suspects that were later arrested for theft under $5,000.
Two 29-year-old suspects, a man and woman from East Sooke, were identified as the culprits.
Upon arriving on the property, police located one of the stolen bikes on site, while the other stolen bike was found nearby.
@WestshoreRCMP officers returned these bikes to 12 & 13 year old boys after the bikes were stolen from West Shore Mall. The boys called police right away & officers arrested the suspects. We are happy to get these Bikes back to the rightful owners! https://t.co/t3vObK2YLR pic.twitter.com/3GNhfeIUaI
— West Shore RCMP (@WestshoreRCMP) January 26, 2023
“We are happy to report that both bikes were recovered by police and returned to their rightful owners. The suspects were arrested and released on Undertakings with conditions to not attend the Westshore Town Centre and must attend court in March 2023,” said Cpl. Nancy Saggar.
As for the two middle schoolers, Candace Neuhaus, mother of 12-year-old Jackson Neuhaus, said she is proud of the boys.
“I’m just so proud of our boys for going straight to mall security to report their bikes stolen and then calling the police and making the report on their own. It was a very upsetting situation for them both and they handled it very maturely,” said Neuhaus.
