$40,000 worth of bikes stolen from Irwindale bike shop, forcing owners to consider closing for good

IRWINDALE, Calif. (KABC) -- A bike shop in Irwindale lost about $40,000 worth of inventory in a recent burglary. Now, the family-owned business may have to shut down for good.

The break-in happened Monday around 1 a.m. at Irwindale Cycles on Arrow Highway, and it was all caught on video, which shows the thieves pulling bikes off the racks.

"They broke the rear door and came in and took 17 bikes," said owner Norma Colindres. "They only chose the bikes of high quality, and like $1,800 and more."

Colindres and her husband Walter have owned the bike shop for nearly 25 years, and this isn't the first time the popular family business has been burglarized.

"Since 2008, a few times it happened," said Jorge Sanchez, an employee at the store. "One time, it happened while I was here, and it feels really bad. I feel bad for the owner because they really stress out about this."

That stress mainly caused by worries about paying business expenses.

"Right now, to pay next month, of course, we're going to have a little problem because some of the stuff we need to replace, but we don't have money to replace all the stuff," said Colindres.

When customers and community members heard that Colindres and her husband were thinking about closing the store for good, they immediately offered support. Since then, friends have launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to save the store.

"I was really shocked and surprised," said Colindres. "We're here for so many years, so we know so many people. For me, I can't say enough thanks. Even if it's 25 cents, for me, it's life."

The Los Angeles Police Department said they're searching for three suspects but their descriptions were not immediately available.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police.