Excited for the upcoming spring season, a Williams Lake teen discovery Wednesday that his BMX bike was stolen out of his garage on McDougall Avenue sometime in the last month.
Having a teen looking for his stolen bike isn’t a remarkable event in the lakecity — that is, until you see who it is.
This Saturday will mark four years exactly since Mason Toop was robbed at gunpoint at 14 years old for his BMX bike while riding at the skate park in Boitanio Park on his birthday. The violent crime shocked the community and led to Take Back the Park rallies and surveillance cameras being installed around the city.
Read More: Residents take back Boitanio Park
Now, almost four years to the day, Toop discovered the bike doanted to him following the robbery, has been taken now, too.
“Do you remember back in 2016 when some loser decided to pull a gun on me and steal my bike on my birthday? BMO was very generous and decided to buy me a new bike! Well four years later, the bike was in my garage and someone decided to break in and steal it,” Toop posted on social media, along with a picture of the bike, a silver and orange We the People (WTP) bike.
“This happened probably a month or so ago but I didn’t realize until the other day when the snow finally melted and I went to go for a little ride, just to find that my bike was MIA! That being said, if anybody sees this bike around town please call or text me or the police.”
Read More: Teen robbed of bike by gunpoint in Boitanio Park
When asked by the Tribune how he has recovered since the robbery, Toop said he still goes to Boitanio Park to bike “all the time” and recalls how he felt the day the crime occurred.
“In the moment while he pulled the gun I wasn’t necessarily scared for my safety, rather it was more of a ‘here we go again’ moment. I have seen many people get robbed at that park. I’ve literally only owned one bike that I purchased and sold. Ever since I was little my bikes have been getting stolen from my house. I’ve had two other more expensive bikes that were stolen along with my brother’s bikes,” Toop said.
“Not that I’m some tough guy that doesn’t get phased by that sort of thing but it just didn’t surprise me, you know? I’ve basically lived my free days at that park so there’s not a lot that I haven’t seen, haha.”
Toop said no one was ever charged for the robbery, however, through his own social media search he feels he knows by name two of the three suspects.
Though he knows it’s a longshot, Toop is still hoping the public will keep a look out for his stolen bike, which has orange on the tires and a silver frame.
In the meantime, he’s still looking forward to bike season.
“I’ve been shovelling off the snow and chipping at the ice. I’m excited for the next season.”
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