Staff photo by Dan Henry/Chattanooga Times Free Press – Tyler Klein, owner of Trek Store Chattanooga, cleans up blood and rearranges a display disturbed by a thief who stole a Gary Fisher Superfly mountain bike valued at nearly $5,000 early Monday morning on September 27, 2010. Area police caught the burglar riding the stolen bike down Highway 27 with one pedal and bleeding.

It was Monday morning, so a North Chattanooga window shopper wouldn’t have noticed another business owner cleaning the floor.

The bleach and the black rubber gloves?

Worth a double-take.

The extra supplies were necessary after a man threw a river rock against a Trek Bicycle Store plate-glass window, wedged his way through the wreckage, stole a 2010 Gary Fisher Superfly bicycle, and left “blood everywhere,” according to a police report.

Chattanooga police found Justin Levi Friddell, 20, on the bike in the 100 block of U.S. Highway 27 South and took him to Erlanger hospital for severe cuts, records show.

Several hours later, police booked Friddell into the Hamilton County Jail on charges of burglary, theft of property over $1,000 and vandalism.

“I don’t know if this guy’s smart or an idiot,” store owner Tyler Klein said Monday morning. “Signs point toward idiot.”

Friddell’s arrest record dates back to 2008, and his record shows charges of underage drinking, domestic assault, possession of controlled substance and crossing a highway median during an accident.

A court date for Monday morning’s incident is Oct. 5 in front of Judge Ronald L. Durby. Friddell’s bond is $7,000.

Police returned the bike to its owner, but not in its pristine, $4,400 condition. bright red splotches marked the handlebars and seat.

Klein does not plan on reselling it.

“He’ll be paying for it, though,” he said, elaborating his plan to file an insurance claim against Friddell. “It’s over five grand, total.”

Contact Chris Carroll at ccarroll@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6610.

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