"I'd just say like that was not good of you and you should not steal anymore," Atticus Seng said. He has had two bikes stolen from him in the past month. The most recent theft came Thursday, October 10th. That's when Seng rode his bike to Dailey Charter Elementary School. He set it the bike rack and locked it. But at the end of the school day, the cable that held the bike to the rack had been cut and his bike was gone.
"As soon as it was stolen, I went up to my mom and I just said my bike is gone and I started sobbing," the boy said.
His mother, Kerry Seng, said her son's bike was the only bike stolen that day.
The Sengs are a family of biking enthusiasts. The stolen bike was a mountain bike they bought for $300. They bought it for their son to replace his previous mountain bike that was also stolen on school grounds.
The Sengs say the first theft took place in September. In that incident, the thieves stole not only Atticus' bike, but his 6-year-old brother's bike as well.
Kerry said the boys left their mountain bikes at the school after a Friday night event. When they went to get them the next day, the bikes had been stolen. They were also mountain bikes worth about $250 each.
Kerry said when she and her husband replaced the stolen bikes; they weren't expecting to replace another one so soon.
"You think lighting doesn't strike twice, but in our case it did," Kerry said. "It's just sad."
Karen Dutra, the executive director at Dailey Charter Elementary School said in a statement:
"In the four years Dailey Charter has been open we have never had a theft or vandalism of any kind. We have an incredibly safe campus and our proud of how diligent staff and parents are at keeping our school safe. Unfortunately, a student had their bike taken last week, but we will continue to keep all of our safety precautions in place to prevent this from occurring in the future."
Jaime Rios with the Fresno Police Department says officers have not noticed a rise in theft in the neighborhoods near the school. The thefts seem to be an isolated incident.
The Sengs have put up flyers around their neighborhood near the school. They hope someone will know something about the bike thefts and come forward.
The Sengs say they love Dailey Charter Elementary School and say it is one of the best and safest schools in the area. They are not upset with the school, just with the nerve of thieves.
