A Southern California family is distraught after a thief stole an adaptive tricycle from a young girl with a rare neurological disorder.

Surveillance videos captured the theft outside of a Lawndale home on Thursday at around 7:30 a.m. A man is seen walking in the neighborhood when he spots the bike in the victim’s front yard.

He walks over and inspects the bike before rolling it across the neighborhood street and placing it into his black van parked around the corner.

The bike belongs to Alli, a 7-year-old girl who has a rare genetic mutation that causes neurological issues and limits her mobility. 

The girl’s mother, Elisabeth Booth, said Alli’s condition causes epilepsy, dyskinesia, developmental delay, speech issues and motor issues. Alli is also on the autism spectrum and is nonverbal. 

The adaptive bike was custom-made for the girl’s physical therapy and is vital to strengthening her legs while allowing her to keep up with other neighborhood children.

“She has a twin brother and we go out on bike rides,” Elisabeth said. “This allows her to ride with us and be a part of everyday activities with regular, typical kids.”

Elisabeth bought the bike several years ago secondhand and paid $1,700 for it. The bike is custom-fit to Alli and Elizabeth said she cannot afford to purchase a new one.

“It’s adjusted to exactly her leg length, so, the end seam measurements,” the mother explained. “Her seat is exactly where it needs to be so that her knee comes up at a 90-degree angle.”

Elisabeth said she didn’t understand why the thief would take the bike, especially knowing it looked unique and likely belonged to a child with special needs.

“I’m shocked that, at any point, he didn’t think to himself that this bike is needed for a child and that he just took off with it without a care in the world,” Elisabeth said. “This is a child’s trike who needs it to feel like a part of the kids and the community. She misses it and wants it back.”

By releasing surveillance video of the theft, Elisabeth hopes someone will recognize the suspect or his black van.

A GoFundMe page to help raise money to replace Alli’s tricycle can be found here.

Anyone with information on the theft is asked to call the Lawndale Sheriff’s Station at 310-219-2750

Four suspects were arrested in connection with violent smash-and-grab robberies targeting jewelry stores across Southern California.

The group is believed to be a part of an organized theft crime ring that stole over $1.5 million worth of jewelry, according to the California Attorney General’s Office.

The suspects were identified as:

• Rodney Allen Flynt, Sr., 31
• Michael Anthony Jones, Jr., 32
• Christopher Shawn Pate, 27
• Ryan Keith Pate, 31

The thefts occurred from April 4, 2023, through May 8, 2024, and targeted high-end jewelry stores across Orange, Riverside, San Diego and Kern counties.

The retailers targeted include Kay Jewelers, Zales, Marc Jacobs, Princess Jewelers, Banter By Piercing Pagoda, JCPenney and Karrada Jewelry.

The suspects would typically run into shopping malls and ransack the jewelry shops in violent smash-and-grab style thefts, authorities said. The heists took place both during operating hours and sometimes after the stores were closed.

In total, the quartet escaped with jewelry and merchandise worth around $1,542,706, according to court documents.

Thirty criminal counts were charged against the group including organized retail theft, grand theft, conspiracy, second-degree robbery, second-degree commercial burglary and vandalism.

“Organized retail crime has a profound impact on our community and the broader region,” said Carlsbad Police Lieutenant Shaun Lawton. “These crimes not only affect the financial health of local businesses but also result in increased prices for consumers and reduced tax revenues that support public services.”

“Organized retail crime has been plaguing our state for far too long,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “It harms businesses, retailers, and consumers – and puts the public at risk. I thank our local law enforcement partners for their work in apprehending the suspects in this case. The California Department of Justice and its partners will continue fighting to keep our communities, businesses, and consumers safe from retail theft and other crimes.”

The case was investigated by multiple agencies including the California Department of Justice Organized Retail Crime Task Force, Bakersfield Police, Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, San Diego Police, Carlsbad Police, Escondido Police, El Cajon Police, National City Police and Chula Vista Police.

Flames from an electric vehicle that caught fire overnight damaged some power lines and scorched a home in the Granada Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.

The fire was reported around 2 a.m. on Rinaldi Street near Haskell Avenue.

Firefighters found flames engulfing a Mercedez-Benz, which proved to be difficult to put out.

The electrical nature of the fire made it so intense that firefighters requested additional resources, Stringer News Service KNN reported.

Flames from the burning vehicle spread to a nearby home and burned some power lines in the area. It was unclear if power was affected at any of the residences.

The cause of the fire was unknown but what appeared to be a charging chord or possibly a power line was seen draped across the front of the vehicle as it was burning.

There was no word on whether the car was charging at the time of the fire.