Bixby Owner Feels Like His Bike Shop Is Being Targeted By Criminals

A local bike shop was nearly destroyed after a truck crashed through the business and caught fire. The owner says it is the second time something like this has happened in eight months.

Saturday, July 11th 2015, 9:45 pm

By: News On 6

Bixby Owner Feels Like His Bike Shop Is Being Targeted By Criminals

A local bike shop was nearly destroyed after a truck crashed through the business and caught fire. The owner says it is the second time something like this has happened to this Bixby business in the last eight months.

And at this point the owner says he doesn't think it's a coincidence.

The driver is nowhere to be found after the crash.

Buster Brown owns the shop and is no stranger to turmoil surrounding his business. In December, his shop was attacked by vandals. Windows were smashed in and a singed rag tossed inside. Police investigated it as an attempted arson. That case has never been closed.

Now, it's another scene. This time even worse than before.

“The first go-round was, you know, thought it might have been random… And frankly how I'm feeling is, it's starting to be, it's personal," Brown said.

Buster says it’s not only him but the Tulsa cycling community.

“There's 150 to 200 people that call this home," he said.

Hannah, who is 13, started learning the sport at the shop five months ago. She is one of the hundreds of cyclists who see the place as more than a bike shop.

"These guys are my family,” she said.

Hannah and about 50 other customers rushed to the shop to help clean up, another example of that family bond.

And it is concern for his cycling family that has Brown on edge.

"I feel a little bit worse actually because it's something of this nature,” he said. “If they can go to this nature, they'll do something else, and we have a lot of people do group rides and one of my concerns is physical harm."

The good news, Buster says, is he has the moments leading up to the crash caught on video. And that this time, he thinks they may catch whoever did it.

Meanwhile, his shop is closed until they can clean up the mess.

Surveillance video also caught the truck before it smashed into the building. Police are now reviewing that footage to figure out who was driving.