Caught! PBSO Catches Bike Thief With K-9, Overwhelming Force

A burglar was nabbed after stealing a bike from a house on the 2400 block of North Lakeside Road this afternoon.

The homeowner caught the thief stealing the bike out of the garage and chased him in a car, calling police along the way. The thief ditched the bike and ran into the golf course, where he was chased down by K-9 police dogs arriving on scene, one of which sunk its teeth into the thief's arm.

The bike burglar tries to get to his feet after being treated for injuries occurred when he was 'arrested' by a K-9 unit.

At a little after 3 p.m., the thief was being attended to by paramedics on the lawn of a home at the corner of North Lakeside Drive and 13th Avenue North, who bandaged his arm and appeared to be monitoring his vital signs. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue loaded him onto an ambulance on a stretcher a short time later.

The poor lad, no doubt feeling a bit roughed up from the afternoon's events, is loaded into an ambulance on a stretcher while nursing his arm, which earlier found itself clutched in the jaws of an on-the-job police dog.

The crime occurred around 2 p.m. this afternoon, and brought scores of emergency response vehicles to this quiet corner of Lake Worth, including a fire truck, the aforementioned fire rescue ambulance, at least two K-9 units consisting of a dog and his human partner riding in large white SUVs, at least two unmarked vehicles, including one sedan and one SUV and a number of patrol cars driven by deputies and detectives. A helicopter was also dispatched to area to track the burglar from the skies. The scene was finally cleared just before 4 p.m.

Count the cars! There were so many emergency response vehicles at the corner of North Lakeside Drive and 13th Avenue North this afternoon that homeowners returning from work were rerouted.

The home that was burglarized, amazingly, has a sign prominently displayed in front for a security firm, indicating that the house has an alarm system. The thief, not caring to notice or too desperately in need of a bike (!) wasn't deterred.

A Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office detective on the scene this afternoon says there will be an investigation to determine whether this bike thief, so effectively apprehended, is also responsible for other burglaries in the city of Lake Worth.