Thief takes off with motorcycle during test drive
SAN ANTONIO, Fla. (FOX 13) - A Pasco County man says he was connected to a potential buyer for his motorcycle on the Let Go app, but the guy took his bike for a test drive and never came back.
Tuesday night, deputies are searching for the man who stole it, whose face was captured by nearby surveillance cameras.
The victim says he was trying to make an online sale the smart way. They met at a public location, the Jiffy Food Store on College Avenue, where there are plenty of people and multiple security cameras.
But all that wasn't enough to stop that suspect from taking off with his motorcycle.
The victim says he thought it was strange when the man showed up on foot with a helmet in hand.
"At one point, it's like, you know, I just want to call it all off, because it just doesn't seem right," the victim, who did not want to be identified, told FOX 13 News.
He says remembered an incident last February in Tampa when a father was shot in front of his son while trying to sell a dirt bike to teenagers he met on Craigslist.
"With the world these days, how people are, you just don't know, so my thing is, you know what, forget it. If he's going to take it, he's going to take it," the victim said.
And that’s what he did. The man hopped on the bike for a test drive in the parking lot but instead he sped off down the road.
"My girlfriend then looks at me, and she goes, uh, I think your bike just got stolen. I'm like, no let's just give it a minute," the victim remembers.
Several minutes went by, but the man never came back.
"Unfortunately he drove away, and they tried to contact him, but didn't have a phone number," Pasco Co. Sheriff’s Office Detective Brian McGavock said.
They do have is Let Go screenname: Sonic knuckles.
Detectives with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office hope surveillance video from the store will help catch the crook. He had a tattoo of a cross on his left forearm.
Meanwhile, detectives have advice for anyone thinking of selling a motor vehicle online.
"If they want to test drive your vehicle, if you can't go with them, ask for their driver's license, and maintain their driver's license while they test drive the vehicle," Detective McGavock said.
The victim says he wonders if that suspect would have even given him a real ID if he asked for one. Now he hopes someone will recognize his motorcycle or the suspect and reach out to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.