Barefoot Provo woman chases after alleged bike thief

PROVO — A young mother who just had her bike stolen wasn't about to let her husband's bike be taken as well.

Erica Castrillo said her bike and the attached bike trailer were stolen over the weekend. She was out looking for her bike Monday night when she gave up and went home.

Then around 10:30 p.m., she heard a noise outside her home near 200 South and 500 West. She looked out the window and saw a man taking off with her husband's bike.

"I ran out the door immediately, barefoot and everything, and started chasing him down the street, yelling, 'Hey! Stop! That's my bike! Give it back! I'm not going to do anything to you,'" she said.

Castrillo said she hoped the man would stop, but he kept riding away, looking back a couple of times.

Castrillo chased him for about a block and a half before she was able to wave down a motorist who was stopped at a red light. The woman gave her a ride. They followed the man behind several buildings.

"He tried to maneuver and lose us, but she was awesome following him," Castrillo said. "I was just kind of directing as we went, so it was kind of crazy."

While they were chasing the man, Castrillo called 911 and told dispatchers what was going on. Then the man stopped at the Smith's parking lot at 350 N. Freedom Blvd.

"He just got off the bike, even put the kickstand up, and walked over to the store," Castrillo said. "I started to yell at him and stopped myself, thinking, 'OK, I got my bike back.'"

Police showed up moments later and took 50-year-old Randy Johnson into custody. He was booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of theft and failure to stop for police.

Contributing: Viviane Vo-Duc

E-mail: rjeppesen@desnews.com