Tempe Police reported the following incident Wednesday:
A 34-year-old Guadalupe man was arrested June 3 on the 400 block of West Baseline Road on suspicion of third degree burglary and theft, according to a police report.
Witnesses spotted the man enter a closed fenced area and remove a grey and red Huffy beach cruiser valued at $100, police reported.
Soon after, maintenance employees working inside the complex nearby confronted the man, leading him to let the beach cruiser go and continue on his way, according to the report.
However, the same maintenance employees followed and witnessed the man take a second bike: a gold Motobecane street bike valued at $500, police reported.
The employees provided a description of the man for a police dispatch and an officer circulated the area for the subject, according to the report.
The officer soon found the man at the east yard entrance of the location, just south of Manhattan, police reported.
The man was instructed to exit the yard and sit just outside the fenced area of the house, according to the report
The man appeared to be visibly sweating and sad he had no idea why the officer wished to speak with him, police reported.
During his arrest, the man kept asking why he was being detained and said he thought the beach cruiser belonged to his cousin while the Motobecane belonged to him, according to the report.
The true owners of both the bicycles are willing to aid in the prosecution, police reported.
The man was booked into Tempe City Jail and held to see a judge, according to the report.
Reach the reporter at aplante@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @aimeenplante
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