A Calgary business owner is disappointed after thieves targeted his business twice over the past week, making off with some expensive inventory.
Ken Cheung is the owner of Power in Motion, a business specializing in electric bicycles, located in southeast Calgary.
On Sunday morning, Cheung said thieves broke in for the first time but were unable to take anything from his store.
Then again on Tuesday morning around 2 a.m., four people broke in, smashing through the glass door.
The front door of Power in Motion is boarded up following a break-in.
The alarm system went off, but the thieves were able to make off with three electric bikes and an e-scooter. He estimates the bikes and scooter were valued around $15,000-$20,000 in total.
“Overall I just feel that it’s really disappointing,” Cheung said in an interview with CTV News.
“Unfortunately, if you are a small business you [have a] target on your back.”
The store was previously located in Eau Claire, but Cheung moved to the new location in Highfield in hopes of getting away from downtown crime.
But after two break-ins, Cheung isn’t risking another one. He said he is now emptying his business every night and storing his inventory in a secure location.
“It just creates sort of unease,” he said.
“When I go home, I can’t go to sleep because I don’t know when they’re going to break in again.”
Calgary police confirmed they were called to Power in Motion, located at 4405 9 St. S.E., for a break-and-enter in progress on Tuesday. The suspects fled the scene with items from the store before officers arrived.
Cheung is encouraging small businesses to speak up when incidents like this happen to help others be aware of potential risks.
“I hope the community can work together and prevent crimes like this,” he said.
“If we can work together, we should work together, and try and combat those.”
Police said the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Calgary police.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477, online or through the P3 Tips app.
