A motorsports dealer on Vancouver Island located his stolen motorcycle and went and got it back 害羞草研究所� with cameras rolling.

Dustin Hofer, owner of Pride Motorsports Inc., had a Honda CFR250R motorbike stolen from his Cobble Hill dealership and a day and a half later, with the help of his business partner and another man, had taken it back from a property in Harewood in Nanaimo.

Hofer said surveillance video showed that the theft happened at 6:10 a.m. Sunday.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檝e had a lot of friends whose motorcycles were stolen in this past year. There害羞草研究所檚 a theft epidemic going on here in Victoria and the lower Island,害羞草研究所� Hofer said. 害羞草研究所淪o my route was not to go to the police right away. I wanted to reach out to social media. I know the power of social media.害羞草研究所�

He offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the bike and received hundreds of tips, including from two people who claimed they害羞草研究所檇 been offered the chance to buy the motorcycle. Hofer said he set up a meeting outside a Nanaimo fast food restaurant, but the sellers didn害羞草研究所檛 show. Another tip provided a street address.

害羞草研究所淲e made a decision that we would be safe and we were going to actually go to this person害羞草研究所檚 place of residence and retrieve this motorcycle,害羞草研究所� Hofer said.

They pulled into the driveway in the 900 block of Bruce Avenue, where they spotted the bike and Hofer called the police as his business partner met and shook hands with someone on the property.

害羞草研究所淎t that point, on live video, we told them that they害羞草研究所檙e on live Facebook video and the police were on their way,害羞草研究所� Hofer said. 害羞草研究所淭he look on their face was priceless. They started moving really quickly and then they started running.害羞草研究所�

The motorcycle was loaded into the back of a pickup, which was then parked to block off the driveway until police arrived.

Hofer said the recovery operation was a little nerve-racking.

害羞草研究所淥ur goal was not to have any altercations as far as violence or anything, but it was pretty tense,害羞草研究所� he said.

According to a Nanaimo RCMP press release, police verified that the motorcycle was the one taken from the business, but were unable to determine who took the bike and how long it had been on the property, so no arrests were made and charges are unlikely.

Const. Gary O害羞草研究所橞rien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, said the motorcycle owners put themselves in harm害羞草研究所檚 way by recovering their property themselves.

害羞草研究所淭his is certainly a great story but the owners should have contacted the RCMP prior to driving onto the property. This would have been the most prudent and safest means to look for their stolen bike. The bike would still have been recovered and the possibility of violence would have been minimized,害羞草研究所� he said.

The tipsters declined the cash reward, which Hofer said would be donated to Warmland House and Outreach in Duncan.

Hofer had hoped there would be some repercussions for those responsible for stealing others害羞草研究所� possessions.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檇 like these people to get some help and whether that means hitting their bottom and getting charged with theft or stolen property, then maybe that害羞草研究所檚 what needs to happen, but ultimately, we害羞草研究所檇 like these people to get some help and stop terrorizing the community and people who work hard for these things,害羞草研究所� he said.

editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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