Dallas Officers Become Heroes To Little Girl

DALLAS (CBS 11 NEWS) - Nukia Weaver is all smiles riding her brand-new Mongoose.

Her smile wasn't always there.  She got an identical bike as a birthday gift.    But it was stolen from right under her nose as she sat in a neighbor's yard.

A man put it in his car and drove off.

"That made me really sad," she said, "'cause I had just gotten the bike and it was my first time riding it."

Two Dallas police officers answering the call were moved by the girl's tears.

"She was crying," said Officer Farie Phelps.  "I hadn't seen anybody cry like that in a long time."

"We couldn't believe it at first," said Officer Raul Hernandez.  "We thought, What kind of guy would come out here and steal a little girl's bike?  Especially in front of her."

When they couldn't find the bike, they huddled with two other officers and came to a decision.

"We put together some money and went to Wal-Mart and we got her a bike," Phelps said.  "And it happened to be the exact same bike."

Their generosity surprised Nukia.  "Who would think the police would give a little girl a bicycle when somebody stole it?

And it brings some extra hope to an area that's just a little on edge.  Neighbors say the theft of Nukia's bike is the most outrageous in a string of crimes that has hit her neighborhood recently.

"It's really scary right now," said neighbor Andrea Jeffrie.   Someone tried to break into her car, and she's also had a brick thrown through a window.

"Around the neighborhood they're breaking doors, going in back doors, breaking in windows, ringing doorbells and running off just to see if anyone's home."

The combination of crimes is prompting police to put extra patrols in the area.  Nukia approves.

"I'm very happy.  I'm so happy that every time I see a police car I smile, I just smile."