Police search for motorcycle shop thieves

NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- A South Florida motorcycle shop is cleaning up the mess after thieves ransacked and robbed their business.

Shop owner Federico Claps does not know if he will ever recover from the burglary. "We just opened our doors in December, and this is bad," said Claps.

Crooks crashed into the storage room of Riders Miami on West Dixie Highway, Wednesday night. The burglars came into the store through the garage door and used a truck to break in. "It seems like they backed up with a pickup truck, and they created this scene, and it looked more like a terrorist attack than a robbery," said Claps.

The impact of the truck crash damaged a bike and thousands of dollars in gear. "All this wall is full of stuff. The helmets, once they are dropped, they are useless, so I'm not quite sure what kind of damage we are talking about here," said Claps.

The crooks took off with three bikes, two that belonged to Claps' customers.

It's not the first time the Claps family has been victimized in a crime. Back in April, Claps' wife Marina Garcia was putting one of her children into the car seat, and as she went back into the store to grab her second child, a man walked by and grabbed her purse form the front seat. "It seems like he was hiding in the corner, and when he saw me turning back to pick up the other girl, that's when he went," said Garcia.

Despite the circumstances, Claps still has some perspective. "I used to work in that area, and that truck could have hit me. I usually work late at night too, so I guess I got lucky," he said.

The business next door was also hit on Tuesday night.

Police said they will try to put more patrols in the area.

If you have any information on this robbery, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

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