Thieves fleeing in a truck after stealing a bike worth $10,000 from a Chino store, run over and critically injured an employee who was chasing after them, the Chino Police Department said.
Two male suspects entered the bike store, Incycle Chino, on 2345 Mountain Ave. at around 4:15 p.m., grabbed the bike, threw it onto the back of a GMC Sierra truck driven by a female driver, and fled, according to police.
The store manager, Megan Rodriguez, and store mechanic, Raul Ureno, chased the suspects outside.
Rodriguez was run over after she grabbed onto the suspects’ truck in an attempt to get the bike back.
The 30-year-old suffered breaks to her hip, ribs and foot, as well as a fractured skull. She was transported to a hospital in critical condition, according to authorities.
Ureno said he then got into a car with a customer and chased the suspects.
When traffic forced the truck to stop in the 12300 block of Central Avenue, Ureno attempted to punch out the suspects’ windows, then grabbed the bike out of the back of the truck.
“This is only material, but it was important for Megan, and at that point Megan is important to me so I’m no longer thinking,” Ureno said.
A GoFundMe fundraiser was set up to help cover Rodriguez’s rehabilitation costs.
Investigators discovered that before coming to the store, the two suspects were caught on camera looking at bikes at the store’s San Dimas location.
The suspects face felony hit-and-run, robbery and attempted murder charges, according to police.
The store’s owner is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone with information leading to the arrest of the suspects involved.
“I want them caught and punished,” store owner Dominic galenti said. “I mean this is a bike. You really going to try to kill someone over a bicycle? I don’t understand that.”
The suspects and the truck were seen in graphic surveillance video that caught the incident.
Police described one of the suspects as a white male, possibly in his 20’s, standing at around 5 Feet 9 Inches tall, weighing 190 Pounds. He had a full beard and was last seen wearing a black baseball cap, sunglasses, black Hollister hooded sweatshirt, ripped denim jeans and black shoes.
The second man was described as a white or Hispanic male in his 20’s, standing at around 5 Feet 11 Inches tall, weighing 165 Pounds. He was last seen wearing a white and blue baseball cap, sunglasses, a black jacket with a gray hood, a red and blue flannel shirt, black pants and black shoes with white lining.
The driver was described as a white female with a thin build and short stature. She has light-colored hair and was last seen wearing round frame sunglasses, a thick black hooded sweatshirt and red lipstick.
The three fled in a blue-gray GMC Sierra truck with a black paper plate on the rear and chrome detailing on the sides, handles and mirrors. The rear driver door is missing the chrome trim. It is possibly a 2008 model.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Chino Police Department detectives at 909-334–3005 or email ccarrino@chinopd.org.