'They were there for me': Police surprise elderly man after his bike was stolen
An elderly California man is back to cycling across the city after his bike was stolen a few weeks ago.
Cecil Quillan, 74, bikes everywhere, and it is his only way of getting around since he has a hard time walking. One day in early March, Quillan went to pick up a few groceries, but when he came back outside, his locked bike was nowhere to be found.
"I was only in there a couple of minutes. I went out and they had snapped the cable with the bolt cutters," Quillan said.
Sacramento police officers Joey Schock, Ken Napper and Pedro Vazquez were inside the store at the same time Quillan was, so Quillan asked them for help.
"We took a bike theft report for him. We viewed some camera footage to see if we could get any clues of what happened. We checked the area for the bike. Unfortunately, we were unable to locate it," Schock said.
Schock and the other officers drove Quillan home so he could put his groceries away. Quillan said what happened next was a huge surprise: They brought him a brand-new bike.
"I couldn’t even believe that. That was really nice," Quillan said.
Schock said he and the other officers contacted the Sacramento Police Department's outreach team in order to get Quillan a new bike.
Police told sister station KCRA that in 2019, the department was awarded a $15,000 grant through the Union Pacific Railroad and a $10,000 grant through the Sacramento County District Attorney's office, and those funds went toward purchasing approximately 150 bicycles, locks and helmets per year, which are given directly to community members in need.
In this case, Quillan was a community member in need.
"They were able to provide a bike for Cecil, so once we got all that situated, we went and picked it up and brought it back to him and were able to get him back something that he could use for transportation. It’s the right thing to do," Schock said. "It was nice seeing how excited he was, because I know it was hard for him to get around."
Now, Quillan is back on two wheels, and he is beyond thankful for the help he received.
"I can't thank them enough. They were there for me," Quillan said.
