CHINO, Calif. (BRAIN) — A GoFundMe campaign has been established to help with the medical expenses of InCycle Bicycles store manager Megan Rodriguez, who was run over by a pickup truck attempting to stop thieves from making off with a high-end bike this week.
Two men entered InCycle’s Chino location Tuesday afternoon and, within a few minutes, walked out the front door wheeling a Specialized S-Works Epic valued at $10,000. They put it in the bed of a GMC Sierra pickup driven by a woman.
“Megan saw it and ran after them. I don’t know what she was doing. She’s 4-foot-9, and she tried to jump in the car to stop them just like a little pit bull. They pushed her out and she was dragged and then literally run over by the rear wheel of the truck,” InCycle co-owner Dominic Galenti said.
Fellow manager Raul Ureno jumped into a car with a customer and pursued the truck. When the truck got stuck in traffic, he retrieved the bike from the truck bed but was unable to break through the windows. The truck fled. It had a black paper license plate on the back.
Rodriguez, who has worked for InCycle for five years, suffered a broken hip, foot, ribs and thumb, a fractured skull and a concussion. The thumb and foot injuries required surgery, Galenti said.
People interested in donating to the crowdfunding campaign for Rodriguez can search for “The Mighty Megan Rehab Fund” on GoFundMe. The campaign exceeded its $25,000 goal within a day, and was trending Thursday morning.
“It’s going to be a long process for her and she’s in a lot of pain, but she’s so tough,” Galenti said. “The first thing she said to me is how is everyone doing, and did we get the bike back. Her spirits were so good for all she’s been through. It’s amazing.”
Galenti has offered a $10,000 reward for anyone with information leading to the suspects’ arrest. They had also visited InCycle’s San Dimas location earlier in the day.
According to multiple news reports, police described the suspects as:
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Suspect 1: White male, possibly in his 20s, approximately 5-foot-9, 190 pounds, with a full beard. He was last seen wearing a black baseball cap, sunglasses, black Hollister hooded sweatshirt, ripped denim jeans and black shoes.
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Suspect 2: White or Hispanic male in his 20s, approximately 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white and blue baseball cap, sunglasses, black jacket with a gray hood, red and blue flannel shirt, black pants and black shoes with white lining.
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Suspect 3 (driver): White female adult, thin build, short stature, light-colored hair worn in a bun and last seen wearing round-frame sunglasses, a thick black hooded sweatshirt and red lipstick.
They were driving a blueish gray GMC Sierra pickup with the chrome trim on the left rear door missing.
Anyone with information about the suspects is asked to contact the Chino Police Department at 909-334–3005 or email Detective Carrino at ccarrino@chinopd.org.
