David Little and a pair of Nanaimo RCMP officers teamed up to help retrieve his valuable recently stolen e-bike following a recent early morning break-in to his home on Machleary St. (Image Credit: (Nanaimo RCMP))

By Ian Holmes

quick action

Nanaimo break-in victim and police team up to retrieve stolen valuables

Jan 29, 2026 | 12:18 PM

NANAIMO — What could have been a significant setback for an Old City Quarter resident quickly reversed after a break-in victim canvassed his neighbourhood.

Shortly after realizing his garage on Machleary near Fitzwilliam streets was broken into during the early morning hours of Thursday, Jan. 22, David Little noticed his e-bike and numerous valuable tools were gone.

Police say Little walked a block north to Sid Clark Gyro Park, where he spotted his missing tools, worth thousands of dollars, being held by two men.

“The key is he didn’t engage, he didn’t come across them with anger because he probably would have been met with anger, and it would not have ended well,” Nanaimo RCMP Res. Cst. Gary O’Brien told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Little maintained a safe distance and quickly informed Nanaimo RCMP and his local Machleary St. Block Watch about the break-in, and confirmed his tools were being held by the two men.

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He also relayed detailed suspect descriptions.

Less than an hour earlier, O’Brien noted members of Nanaimo RCMP’s Bike Patrol Unit were in the neighbourhood and noticed a man with an expensive, specialized e-bike.

“It just looked out of character. This individual couldn’t answer the questions, couldn’t determine ownership, so our members seized it for safe-keeping, which they often do,” Cst. O’Brien said.

Two male suspects were arrested on scene at Sid Clark Gyro Park.

O’Brien said break-and-enter and possession of stolen property charges are pending against them.

He said at least 15 tools were temporarily swiped, worth several thousand dollars, while the bike is likely in the $4,000 to $5,000 range.

O’Brien referenced the Machleary St. Block Watch as an effective tool in improving local public safety.

Among Nanaimo’s several dozen Block Watch programs, O’Brien said the Machleary St. organization is known as one of the city’s more effective watches.

“They engage with people; they’re always having community meetings to keep people informed. They know who lives on their street, that’s key, to make human connections with people.”

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