SAN DIMAS >> Joel “Joey” Gutierrez has been riding the same bicycle through the streets of San Dimas every day for 20 years.
Each morning, he dons his headphones, sings his favorite songs and goes for a ride around the neighborhood, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Andy Berg said.
“Riding his bike and singing is his daily routine and it brings him great joy,” Berg said of Gutierrez, 41, who has Down Syndrome. “The victim is well liked by everyone in the neighborhood.
So when two opportunistic thieves stole Gutierrez’s black and white BMX-style bicycle from his garage in the 1000 block of Sherwood Court about 10 a.m. Saturday following his daily ride, that didn’t sit well with the deputy who took the report, or his colleagues.
“Once the handling deputy realized the significance of the stolen bike, he and his
patrol partners from San Dimas Station jumped into action,” Berg said. “Within two hours deputies pooled their money, contacted Incycle (Bicycles), San Dimas, and purchased a new bike.”
Deputies cheerfully presented the new bike to Gutierrez and his father Saturday afternoon in the lobby of the sheriff’s station.
Neighbors reported seeing two male thieves leave Gutierrez garage with his bike and flee the neighborhood in a newer-model, white car.
Anyone with information can reach the sheriff’s San Dimas Station at 909-450-2700.

PHOTOS courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department