I know you have a link and a quote but I just dont think this is accurate. At least the take away the reporter is giving is not accurate. It sounds like he saw the bikes and then immediately went to the PD to report it. Why would he do that when the girls weren't even reported missing yet? Not questioning TG as much as how MSM changes things for the sake of sentence structure, not realizing that they are changing the meaning; which often leads to our confusion here on WS.
I think it is the way it is written that is confusing..The sentence starts out saying that he stopped to talk with the off-duty LE people..then it quotes him..then it goes on to say he then went on to report it, etc. The entire quote is above ^^^ in post 883.