Bicyclist Was Bloodied In Burglary, Not Hit By Car: Police

SKOKIE, IL — Police said a Skokie bicyclist bloodied himself while breaking into a Evanston store last week before flagging down Chicago police and telling them he had just been hit by a car. Officers soon found the burglar in an emergency room with bloody hands, an undamaged bike and five or six stolen North Face jackets, according to Evanston police.

Zachary Spear, 28, most recently of the 8900 block of Laramie Avenue, was arrested Oct. 17 following his release from hospital and charged with felony burglary, police said. Officers arrived around 3:50 a.m. that morning at Uncle Dan's Outdoor Store at 1600 Sherman Ave. in downtown Evanston to investigate a report of a burglary, according to police. They discovered a broken window and apparent blood, as well as a clothing rack where it looked like someone had just stolen merchandise.

Dispatchers started calling hospitals in the area to find out if anyone had recently shown up with injuries matching those the burglar appeared to have suffered, police said. Around 4:15 a.m., St. Francis Hospital staff told police they had a patient with cuts to his hands, who was later identified as Spear.

Spear arrived at the hospital after flagging down Chicago police and telling them he had been hit by a car while riding his bike, Evanston Police Cmdr. Ryan Glew said. Spear's bike looked to be undamaged and he had the jackets that had been stolen from the store about a half-hour earlier, according to Glew. He said a city-owned camera also caught Spear on tape near the burglary at the time it occurred.

Spear was ordered held at Cook County Jail in lieu of the $15,000 cash portion of his bond on the Evanston charge ahead of his next hearing Nov. 1. According to sheriff's office records, he is also being held without bond on a separate charge. Details of the other charge were not immediately available from authorities.