Wick Boards smash and grab: UK’s first e-skate shop ram raided and £25,000 stock burgled
The e-skate shop Wick Boards was ram raided and £25,000 worth of stock was stolen - Credit: wick boards
The UK’s first electric skateboard shop might have to close down after it was ram raided and cleared of £25,000 worth of stock.
CCTV images taken as the e-skate shop Wick Boards was ram raided and £25,000 worth of stock was stolen - Credit: wick boards
But the community is rallying behind Owen Williams, the owner of Wick Boards, after the shop in Wallis Road was burgled on June 12.
CCTV images have captured two men making off with 15 electric boards and "one wheels" - similar to a hoverboard but where the rider faces sideways rather than forward.
They also took a few electric scooters, some helmets and a surfboard that was on display.
E-skaters from the e-skateboard community Carve UK will zip around in convoy at the Olympic Park this weekend in support of Wick Boards as part of a fundraiser at video game bar Four Quarters East, which will feature live bands.
CCTV images taken as the e-skate shop Wick Boards was ram raided and £25,000 worth of stock was stolen - Credit: wick boards
Owen, a visual effects technician who helped design the Batmobile in Batman Begins, combined his passion for engineering and design with his passion for skateboarding when he launched the shop a year ago, to showcase a future trend he saw taking off.
But with the lost stock's retail value totting up to £25,000 which is not covered on insurance, added to the cost of repairing the shutters, he's now devastated it might go under.
Most Read
- 1 Jailed: North London members of Essex drugs supply network
- 2 12 stolen phones recovered after stop and search in Hackney
- 3 Operation to crack down on Dalston street robberies erupted into 'violence'
- 4 Flats under construction in Hackney Wick to be knocked down and rebuilt
- 5 Disorder in Dalston: Eight charged and footage referred to IOPC watchdog
- 6 Three men convicted for Dalston shooting
- 7 Footage appearing to show officer striking man in Dalston under review
- 8 Thunderstorms to hit London this evening warns Met Office
- 9 Men jailed after firing 13 shots at people in children's park
- 10 All you need to know about Hackney Half and Hackney Moves
The shop specialises in electric skateboards and as well as the major brands sells its own custom boards too, with prices ranging from £500 up to £4,000.
Sam Golden who helped set up the shop told the Gazette: "Owen put his life and soul into building this shop over the past year as did many others. This is a massive blow to the UK E-Skate community that the shop was built for.
The e-skate shop Wick Boards was ram raided and its stock cleared out - Credit: wick boards
"It's such a devastating thing to happen, a lot of the local kids had taken to hanging out in the shop at weekends and school holidays as there is no other kind of place like we've built in the borough.
"All the electric skateboarders will come together to show some support for Wick Boards at the weekend.
"I think it'll be really cool to watch, and during the event we will be selling T-shirts and taking donations to see how much we can recover."
The event on Saturday takes place from 2pm to 11pm with the ride-out starting at 5.30pm.
The e-skate shop Wick Boards was ram raided and £25,000 worth of stock was stolen - Credit: wick boards
The shop is waiting to hear back from police.
To donate see gofundme.com/f/1nzz548smo.
The e-skate shop Wick Boards before it was ram raided and its stock cleared out - Credit: wick boards
Owen Williams, the owner of Wick Boards in his shop (centre) - Credit: wick boards
The e-skate shop Wick Boards before it was ram raided and its stock cleared out - Credit: wick boards
The e-skate shop Wick Boards before it was ram raided and its stock cleared out - Credit: wick boards
The e-skate shop Wick Boards before it was ram raided and its stock cleared out - Credit: wick boards
