A bike of a different color? Police searching for rental vandal

SEATTLE -- Police are searching for a vandal who rented two bikes from a Seattle bike share company, only to return them hours later covered in paint and scrawled messages.

The suspect first rented one of Pronto’s bright-green custom-made bicycles from a bike station at 3rd Avenue and Pike Street about 5 a.m. on Nov. 13, police said.

Six hours later, he returned the bicycle to the same location, after scrawling messages and strings of numbers in permanent ink on the bike’s frame, police said.  The messages were disclosed by police.

At about 2 p.m. that same afternoon, the suspect rented a second Pronto bike at Westlake Avenue North and Republican Street and coated the bike in silver paint. The suspect then returned the repainted bicycle to the Westlake and Republican station.

The two incidents caused an estimated $1,250 in damage, police said.

Police believe both bikes were vandalized by the same man, as it appears he used his credit card to rent both bicycles. Detectives are still working to locate the man.