Photo by Stephanie Ervin. 

Long Beach police arrested a man attempting to steal a locked bicycle with a shovel near Bluff Park Wednesday, authorities said.

Bike thefts in the city, particularly near the beach path, are not a rare occurrence; the Long Beach Police Department’s (LBPD) 2016 crime statistics show the city has seen 167 bike thefts between January and April of this year. However, this is actually a decrease, the statistics show. In fact, it’s 80 less bike thefts than the same period in 2015.

Officers responded to the bike path near the 14th Place stairs at about 12:15PM on Wednesday, June 1, said Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD) Sgt. Brad Johnson. Long Beach lifeguards also responded to the scene.

Authorities said the suspect was seen trying to break the bike lock with a shovel.

The man allegedly hit the chain so hard he broke the shovel, said Long Beach resident Stephanie Ervin who witnessed the incident. She said as soon as authorities arrived the suspect ditched a stroller with what appeared to be full of his belongings and took off up the nearby stairs.

Officers were able to catch up to the suspect and quickly take him into custody, Johnson said.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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