By Khalida Sarwari
Police believe a man who was arrested after trying to flee from officers on a stolen bike in downtown San Jose on Tuesday morning could be responsible for a recent rash of bike thefts in the city.
Officers noticed the man, 20-year-old San Jose resident Richard Higgerson, riding a bike the wrong way on a street in the area of San Fernando and Third streets at about 10 a.m., police Officer Jose Garcia said.
When an officer approached Higgerson, he began pedaling faster, Garcia said.
The officer started chasing him on foot while another officer followed Higgerson in his patrol car for more than a mile through crowded downtown streets, Garcia said.
Finally, a good Samaritan intervened by grabbing Higgerson by the sweatshirt and knocking him off the bicycle, Sgt. Jason Dwyer said.
Higgerson was not injured, and the officers took him into custody after a brief struggle.
He was booked into jail on charges of resisting arrest, grand theft, possession of burglary tools, and being under the influence of a controlled substance, according to Dwyer.
The bike that Higgerson was riding had been stolen from the area of Second Street and Paseo de San Antonio.
Investigators believe Higgerson could be linked to a number of bike thefts downtown and in the area of San Jose State University.
