Police arrest man who stole bicycle

Police arrested a man after he stole a bike from a student's backyard at 4035 Walnut Street yesterday morning around 1:40 a.m., University Police said yesterday. University Police Sergeant Larry Salotti said that arresting Officer Hugh McBreen was patrolling his area when he noticed a man on a bicycle behind his patrol car. Salotti said McBreen did not think anything of the biker, until he slowed down, in routine with his patrol, and realized that the biker was deliberately lagging behind the police car. McBreen thought the man's behavior was suspicious, but had no real reason to investigate until he heard the report of a stolen bike over police radio. "The officer started putting things together," Salotti said last night. "The man was no longer in sight, but [McBreen] had heard [over the police radio] that the stolen bike had a flat tire. He suspected that [the suspect] would go to a gas station." Salotti added that McBreen "played a hunch" and apprehended the suspect in a nearby gas station at 46th and Sansom streets. The student was brought to the scene and identified his bicycle, Salotti added. Police then took the suspect to the 18th District Police Station, where he was charged with theft and possession of stolen property. Police noticed the man had cuts on his arm, correlating with the student's description of the barbed-wire fence the man had to climb to gain access to the bicycle. Police took the suspect to Misericordia Hospital for treatment. In an unrelated incident, a spouse of a University employee was grabbed on the behind by an unknown assailant Monday evening around 7 p.m., University Police said yesterday. The attack occurred on the 4000 block of Walnut, Salotti said this week. Salotti added that the woman was not injured during the incident. Police did not make any arrests in the case.