The owners of a B.C. e-bike store are vowing not to be deterred after a shocking break-in attempt using a large commercial truck.
The entire incident was captured on security video.
Richmond E-Bikes owner Tram Pham said her security company called her around 2:30 a.m. about the break-in, at which point she tuned into a live feed from her store’s security cameras.
“We saw the whole thing … We saw a dump truck drive into our unit,” she said.
“It was unbelievable. Shocking. The whole car ramming into our shop multiple times.”
Security video shows the truck pulling up to the shop in the 13900 block of Maycrest Way and ramming it twice with a large dump truck, before turning around and trying to back through the shop’s frontage.
The suspect gets out and tries to peel off some security fencing before getting back into the truck and ramming it three more times.
The suspect is seen trying to get into the store again but is unable to get past multiple security gates.
The vehicle was stolen from a nearby truck company’s parking lot.
“(They) started the truck up, and smashed through the gate,” said Miles Timmis, who owns the Disposal King truck company.
“He just smashed through the whole thing, it’s all broken — that’s probably a $10,000 gate that’s gotta be repaired and I don’t know how much damage to that building. Our truck is probably a write-off. So it’s probably $200,000 worth of damage.”
Pham said RCMP with the help of a dog unit were able to catch the suspect nearby.
Richmond RCMP said Joey Antoine Maillet has since been charged with multiple offences, including break-and-enter, theft of a motor vehicle and mischief under $5,000. He remains in custody pending a bail hearing.
“Our frontline officers acted quickly and decisively to secure the scene and apprehend the suspect,” Insp. Mike Roberts said in a statement.
“We leverage every tool available—from real-time surveillance to coordinated response tactics—to deter crime in our community and ensure that those who attempt it are held accountable.”
It’s just the latest in a string of break-ins targeting Pham’s business.
In June, a thief armed with an electric cutting tool was able to cut through the front window and steal several e-bikes and scooters.
Two months later, a thief Pham suspects was the same person came back with a cement-cutting tool and managed to cut out the door and metal bars to gain access and steal several more e-bikes and scooters.
In each case, she suspects the break-ins cost the business about $20,000 in merchandise and damage.
“Every time they do that we have to fix the lock, fix the door, add more security. So since June, we added that scissor gate there, and that was a good thing because the car couldn’t get in,” she said.
“For the last 10 years we have so many people try to break into our shop, but nothing crazy like this,” she said of the dump truck incident.
Pham said she wants to see more action from the province to crack down on property crime that’s shaving tens of thousands of dollars from her business’ bottom line.
But she said she won’t deterred from keeping her shop open.
“This will not make us give up,” she said. “We have to move on, we have to be smarter.”
Timmis, meanwhile, said the would-be thief needs to get his priorities straight.
“hey obviously know how to drive a truck, so I don’t know why they wouldn’t just apply for a job to be a truck driver, i think it would be easier than what he did,” he said.
“I mean we are looking for truck drivers.”