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3 Charged With Stealing $20,000 Worth of Bikes, Parts From Lakefront Shop

By Mauricio Peña | September 23, 2014 6:17pm
 Burglars make away with $20,000 worth of bicycles and accessories from Chicago Lakeshore trail bikeshop.
Bike Burglars
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LAKEVIEW — Three men have been charged with burglary after allegedly stealing $20,000 worth of bicycles and accessories from a bike shop on the lakefront bike path.

Jeremiah Aviles, 19, of the 6100 block of South Albany Avenue; Israel Perez, 19, of the 2100 block of South May Street; and Mauricio Franco, 22, of 3200 block of West Cermak Road, were each charged with one felony count of burglary on Saturday, said Officer Jose Estrada, a Chicago Police spokesman.

According to police, the three men entered the Lakeshore Bike shop, located on the 3600 block of Recreation Drive after it closed on Sept. 13.

Surveillance footage from a neighboring store allegedly caught Aviles, Perez and Franco entering the shop at 5 a.m. on Sept. 14.

 Israel Perez, 19,(left), Jeremiah Aviles, 19, (center), and Mauricio Franco, 22 were arrested on Friday and each charged with felony burglary on Saturday.
Israel Perez, 19,(left), Jeremiah Aviles, 19, (center), and Mauricio Franco, 22 were arrested on Friday and each charged with felony burglary on Saturday.
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CPD News Affairs

The trio allegedly made off with five bikes, including a Specialized Venge worth $7,000, two Fuji Norcoms and a Kestrel Talon.

The three men were arrested on Sept. 19.

"These guys knew what they were looking for," said Chris Lentine, who has been a manager of the shop for more than two years.

Lentine said this is the second time the 11-year-old bike shop has been burglarized.

Earlier this summer, the shop saw a loss of $600 during another break in. The shop chalked up the burglary as a petty incident with a broken computer being stolen and a few bikes worth $200.

However, the most recent burglary hit the shop hard after slower than normal  business this summer.

The cost of the stolen items made up 25 percent of revenue made the summer, Lentine said.

"This wasn't cheap stuff," Lentine said. "But we've recovered some of the items."

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