A lot of effort to steal a bicycle

Video surveillance captured a man using a trash bin and a pair of pliers to steal a bicycle locked to a stop sign pole at Treme and Governor Nicholls

The victim told police that he locked his bike to a stop sign about 5:30 p.m. Feb. 4. The black AMOK brand bicycle was stolen about 8:15 p.m.

When the victim returned to find his bicycle missing, he also found the stop sign, along with a "one way" sign lying on the ground nearby, along with a large pair of locking pliers

A video of the theft, released late last week, shows the nearly 15-minute operation of casing the bike before removing both the road signs and the bicycle, with several pauses included as the thief appears to casually stroll around as cars drive past.

Timelapse: