A 10-year-old Fort Worth boy was able Tuesday to thank the police officers who recovered his bicycle, stolen just days after Christmas.
A new bicycle was the one Christmas present 10-year-old Dain Hassell wanted the most, and Santa Claus didn't disappoint.
"I was like more excited than anything else that I got," Dain said.
Just two days later, Dain admits he made a mistake. He parked his new bike outside of a Chevron gas station, unlocked, while he went inside the convenience store with friends. Two men snapped it up in seconds.
"I thought my parents were going to be mad. That was like the second day after Christmas. I got it and I only had it for 48 hours," he said.
But luck, or in this case, Fort Worth police officers Josh Ward and JR Feigin, were on his side.
A witness called police with an exact description of the suspects and their vehicle. Dispatch operators informed Officers Ward and Feigin that the description matched that of the men the two officers had just arrested.
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The two officers said they had noticed one of the men riding the bicycle in a Wal-Mart parking lot and after questioning them about their activity, the officers had arrested them on other charges.
Officers Feigin and Ward told NBC 5 when they received the description of the stolen bicycle, they returned back to the address on the suspect's vehicle registration and located the bicycle inside.
"Just kinda put the two and two together," said Feigin. "The witness had great information, watched the whole thing happen and had good descriptions of the people and the vehicle."
The two officers returned the bicycle to Dain's home the same day it was stolen.
"A lot of times, we don't get to see the after-effects of the things that we do that are good," said Ward. "In this case, it was gratifying to be able to see the smile on his face whenever we brought the bicycle back to him."
Dain thanked the officers in person on Tuesday night.
"I kinda cried when they stole it, but I was really excited when they found it," said Dain.
