BELLINGHAM - A 17-year-old boy was arrested for possession of stolen property Tuesday, Aug. 22, after a man spotted him riding a bike a couple blocks from where it had been stolen a few days earlier, police said.

About 10:10 a.m., a 26-year-old Bellingham man called police to say he'd spotted his bike being ridden by a young man in downtown Bellingham, said police spokesman Mark Young. On Saturday, the man had reported the bike stolen near the Pickford Film Center on Bay Street. He'd used a cable lock to secure the $1,000 bike, but somebody had apparently cut the cable.

The man gave a description of the rider, and police found him in the 1300 block of Railroad Avenue, Young said. When the boy was searched, police found he had brass knuckles, knives and a 30-inch bolt cutter. He also had a warrant for failure to appear for theft.

The teen, who told police he is a transient living in Bellingham, was booked into a juvenile detention center. Police did not release his name, but Young said he has a number of run-ins with local law enforcement since 2009.