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