An east Richmond e-bike shop is boarded up and inside there are damaged racks, e-bikes, floor tiles and shattered glass strewn about.
This is the result of a truck allegedly smashing into the storefront of Richmond E-Bike early Saturday morning.
Owner Tram Pham received an alert from her alarm company at 2:30 a.m. and quickly checked her cameras where she could see the truck allegedly ramming into the front of her store.
Pham quickly called the police who responded immediately.
Richmond RCMP said they arrived to find a truck backed into the business, and they set up a "containment area" and were able to arrest the suspect.
The suspect, identified by Richmond RCMP as Joey Antoine Maillet, has been charged with multiple offences, including break and enter with intent, theft of a motor vehicle and mischief under $5,000.
Maillet is in custody pending a bail hearing, set for Friday, Nov. 22.
“Our frontline officers acted quickly and decisively to secure the scene and apprehend the suspect,” said Insp. Mike Roberts with Richmond RCMP's Frontline Operations.
“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.”
Break-ins a regular occurrence for e-bike store
Besides the interior and glass damage, Pham is waiting for the strata to assess the building as the truck allegedly hit the concrete as well.
"We went from shocked to angry to sad to disappointed," Pham told the Richmond News on Monday afternoon.
Now, they're just feeling "numb," she added.
This is not the first time the store, located off No. 6 Road on Maycrest Way, has been broken into.
Pham said attempted break-ins take place every few weeks - significantly more than in the early days of running their business - but this was the most "crazy" incident.
Pham said she and Tung Nyugen, her husband and co-owner of the shop, had to absorb $20,000 in losses last June from two break-ins.
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