'My whole life was in that van'; Help ID thief who stole Motocross rider's bikes, vehicle



UPDATE: The stolen van was recovered on March 31, but the two motorcycles that were in the back of the van were gone. The rear license plate was also missing, as was the stereo. There's still no lead on a suspect as of Thursday, April 11.

WANTED IN TACOMA --
An off-road motorcycle racer who's usually riding four to five days a week is devastated and trying to put his life back together after everything he owned was stolen.

Take a look at the surveillance video below that shows a suspect unloading thousands of dollars’ worth of racing gear from a van in the middle of the night. Tacoma police say the van was also stolen along with the dirt bikes the victim needs to compete.

"Oh, its disgusting,” said Henry Orkney. He’s a Motocross rider who grew up in Stanwood, but has been living in Southern California. He came up to Tacoma to stay with a friend on S. 50th ahead of a race this weekend -- when someone stole his white 2003 Ford E350 van. "I parked it. I went inside for about 30 minutes. It was time to go to bed. I was tired. I came out to get my pillow to go to sleep and my van was gone,” said Orkney.

Inside that van were two dirt bikes: A $9,000 Husqvarna 350 with JMC Motorsports graphics on it and a $7,000 Yamaha YZ250F with all blue plastics. “Neither one of them were insured, so it's pretty frustrating,” said Orkney. Plus, he had almost $3,000 worth of equipment, a MacBook and his clothes taken, as well. "Pretty much my whole life was in that van and it's all gone now.”



After a plea for help on Facebook, a neighbor found surveillance video taken two streets over from where the van was stolen. "The guy just sent me the footage and I can clearly tell it's my van in the video and they're loading all my gear bag and I can see them grabbing my boots and putting them in the back of a Chevy Impala,” said Orkney.

Tacoma Police are hoping somebody can help identify whoever is responsible. "I want to catch these guys. To be so bold to walk up to someone's yard and take their vehicle with hard-earned money in the back of it, it's sad,” said Tacoma Police Ofc. Shelbie Boyd.

They've entered the information on the stolen van into a national database, but are also asking people to keep a lookout for somebody selling the dirt bikes online. "This victim put a lot of love, care and money into these dirt bikes, so it's either a parted-off deal, or they're going to sell them for a pretty penny out there on the market,” said Ofc. Boyd.

Without his bikes, Orkney can't compete in the biggest amateur national competition in the world. "It's been a dream of mine to race it since I was 10 years old,” said Orkney. Now, he's just trying to figure out what to do next and says he will be staying in Washington until his stolen bikes, or van are found. "Really hoping to get my stuff back. Thanks for the help. Appreciate it.”

Henry’s van has Washington state license plate BDC4967.

If you spot it, or either of the stolen dirt bikes, call 911 immediately.

If you know who stole them, submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers for a cash reward of up to $1,000. You can use the P3 Tips App on your smart phone, or call the hot line at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477).