A Bellevue bike cop saved the day for one theft victim this past week. On Dec. 20, Bellevue bicycle Officer Amir Mousavi was on routine bicycle patrol in downtown Bellevue when he was contacted by a man who had just been the victim of a theft, according to the Bellevue Police Department’s Bellevue Beat Blog.

The man told Mousavi that his wallet was missing and that he had just received a text from his bank stating the someone was using his credit card at a nearby grocery store. The victim also told the officer that a large amount of cash was inside the wallet.

Mousavi raced down to the store on his patrol bike, and was able to locate the suspect after talking to the store manager and learning that the suspect was trying to purchase a large amount of gift cards with the victim’s credit cards. Mousavi arrested the suspect, and the victim’s wallet was recovered. The suspect was booked into jail for two outstanding warrants, and charges were forwarded to the prosecutor’s office.

About the Bellevue Police Department’s bicycle unit: The Bellevue Police Bicycle Unit was reinstated in April 2016 after a five-year hiatus. The unit strives to make a difference in the lives of community members by focusing on quality of life issues. The unit focuses their efforts on parks, malls, shopping centers, nature trails, park and ride lots, and high pedestrian traffic areas such as the downtown core. The unit uses education, enforcement and outreach to make a positive impact on problems that arise in a community. In 2016, bike officers made over 1,200 contacts and 150 arrests.