LYNNWOOD — A forceful claim to a bicycle bought at a thrift store has led to felony robbery charges for two men.
The case stems from an Aug. 7 encounter in a parking lot behind a grocery store on Highway 99 in Lynnwood.
The victim told police he was minding his business, riding his bicycle with his dog perched in the basket.
A car pulled up. Two men got out and ordered him to get off the bike. They threatened him with a beating if he failed to comply, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Matt Hunter said in court papers filed earlier this week.
One man claimed the bike was his. The pair left with the bike.
The victim called police. He reportedly was holding his small dog when officers arrived.
He explained that he’d purchased the bicycle at a thrift store a few weeks before and had placed a note in the seat post with his name and other information.
Officers spotted two men on bikes not far away. Both were in their mid-30s.
One was riding a bike that matched the one the victim said had been taken. A check turned up the note in the seat tube, Hunter wrote.
The victim identified the bike riders as the men who’d confronted him.
When questioned by officers, one of them allegedly told them the bike was his, that it had been stolen and he hadn’t reported the theft.
The pair are facing second-degree robbery charges based on the theory that they used threat of force to take property.
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