Police expected to execute more warrants as investigation continues

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Police and members of the public, even the media were dumbfounded by the number of stolen bicycles at Toronto Police Services’ traffic service building in Liberty Village.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in 30 years,” said 14 Division’s Supt. Ruth White Monday, July 21 pointing to more than 1,500 stolen bicycles being stored at the Hanna Avenue garage.

Riverdale resident Carol Bisambar recently passed by the warehouse to see if she could find her bicycle, stolen just over a week ago from her locked garage.

“They were watching my house. They must have been watching me,” she said.

Like many there, Bisambar and her friend Leon Wilson were stunned by the number of recovered bicycles.

“I expected a few bikes but this, I can’t believe how many bold people like that are out there,” said Wilson, who tagged along to offer his moral support.
“This is crazy. It scares me to wonder what the stolen car situation is like.”

The bike-theft investigation got rolling late last week.

On Thursday, July 17, police spotted a man allegedly stealing an unlocked bicycle across the street from The Bicycle Clinic at 927 Queen St. W., near Strachan Avenue. Two men were allegedly apprehended with bolt cutters in tow.

“We did a bait-bike on Thursday. The individual came up and bit,” White said.
“This was on the radar for some time but it was a challenge to prove our suspicions.”

Monday evening, officers from 14 Division’s community response unit, alongside Toronto Fire Services, executed search warrants seizing about 150 high-end bicycles at three downtown west addresses, including the Trinity Bellwoods-area bike shop belonging to 49-year-old Igor Kenk. Police also seized bicycles as well as over a kilo of cocaine and marijuana from Kenk‘s Yorkville-area home during their searches.

Additional search warrants led police to recover 1,500 more bicycles on Sunday, July 20 at downtown locations owned by or rented to Kenk.

As of Monday afternoon, police crews were still unloading truckloads of the recovered property. They raided another storage facility near Dovercourt Road and Dupont Street later that day netting an additional 200 stolen bicycles.

Wednesday morning, police conducted six more warrants seizing hundreds more bicycles and parts.

More raids are expected to be carried out as the investigation continues.  

Both Kenk, who has owned 927 Queen St. W. since 1995, and 47-year-old Jean Laveau (whom Kenk alledgedly paid to steal bicycles) were arrested and charged with theft, attempted theft, possession of stolen property and possession of tools for burglaries. Kenk now faces more than 60 charges as police discover more and more stolen bikes in his possession.

Jeanie Chung, 37, of Toronto was also arrested Tuesday, July 22, 2008, in connection with this investigation.

She’s charged with possession of property obtained by crime, possession of cocaine, possession for the purpose (of selling) cocaine and possession for the purpose (of selling) marijuana.

The stolen property was available for public viewing this past weekend as well as Monday at the police’s traffic services Central Garage, 9 Hanna St.

More than 50 of 228 recorded bicycles had been claimed by their rightful owners during the three-day open house.

Because of the significant quantity, police are looking to relocate the massive cache to a larger warehouse nearby. Visit www.torontopolice.on.ca for further details. Owners of the stolen bicycles must provide proof of ownership.

Anyone with information should call 416-808-1400 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at www.222tips.com or 416-222-TIPS (8477).