Capt. Michael Yalon: Police Beat

Old Scam Still Works

A Parkmerced resident fell victim to one of the oldest classic con schemes last month.

Approached on the street near his downtown job site, our victim met an accented traveler who identified himself as "Mahdir."

"Can you kindly direct me to the African Baptist Church on Rin Street?" queried the out-of-towner. Before the "mark" could answer, a second pedestrian entered the conversation. Mahdir told the pair, "I have $80,000 to give to the church, but I've run out of time and will miss my plane to South Africa. I'll give you each $40,000 if you donate it for me. But first, I'll need to see that each of you has your own money in the bank so you can prove your trustworthiness."

The amazingly convenient second stranger, "Ralph," drove the trio to Mission Street. Leaving the others, he walked around the corner to his bank and quickly returned with a wad of cash. Visibly pleased, the South African wrapped Ralph's money in a blue bandanna along with his half of the fortune. All three "prayed" over the collective funds before Ralph walked back to deposit the entire amount in his account.

Next, Ralph drove to the victim's bank. As directed, our Sunset resident withdrew a sizeable sum and returned to the car. Mahdir added the victim's cash to another $40,000 roll and wrapped it all in a second blue bandanna ... and when the victim unwrapped the bundle?

Well, first he waited as directed until he had returned home ... and then he found the news clippings! Oh, and if you think this couldn't happen to you, you just may be overestimating your ability to outwit a pair of highly-skilled actors.

This scheme probably works daily in our City ­ hundreds of times a day across the globe. It's been a moneymaker since at least the 1920s ­ with no church seeing even a cent!

Broad Street Beat

For more than eight months, Taraval officers have been spending a lot of time on Broad Street, between Capitol and Plymouth avenues. Until recently, this was "ground zero" for drug sales and related violence ­ including homicide.

Much has changed in this OMI neighborhood because of close cooperation between local residents and the gendarmerie. Kids now play on the sidewalks and families can wait for Muni without certainty of victimization. Even the local businesses have reported an increase in paying customers.

It hasn't been all peaches, though. While on post, officers have been called upon to catch drag racers and break up domestic disputes. And during our frequent absences, old problems tend to resurface ­ sometimes within minutes! At the end of July, for example, the new corner store was visited by a team of armed robbers. Two young men terrorized the clerk by producing a pistol and demanding cash. They fled before our units returned, but the owner recognized them as locals who had recently tried shoplifting.

The very next day, staff saw the pair in the area and called 911. Officers located and detained the daring duo on separate busses. Victims readily identified both and arrest were affected. When interviewed by our own officer Debra Neil, the 13 and 14 year olds agreed to tell their versions. "Yes, we robbed the place, but it wasn't our idea!"

One, they said, owed money to a third youth because he had broken that boy's handgun. Payment was demanded under threat of a beating. The third youngster reportedly waited outside and collected the debt. "Oh, and by the way, his name is Sunny," he said.

Sunny is known from his involvement with Muni robbers on 19th Avenue. So, down to Market Street went Sgt. Mike Williams and his Taraval Neighborhood Team (TNT). The suspect was standing by the cable car turntable ­ and in a nearby trash receptacle was his pistol.

On the one hand, this was a fine example of excellent follow-up investigation by your local officers; and on the other, the case shows that problems on Broad Street are not over. All in all, a good illustration of why we hope to open a Community Service Center on the block soon.

Diner of the Month

Last month this column featured Beep's on Ocean Avenue. You might remember that the hot dogs are outstanding, but the ATM service has been sadly lacking lately. August's featured eatery is far to the west and close to the real ocean. Of course, it's none other than the Carousel, which most of us still refer to as the Doggie Diner.

They still serve Western Burgers at the "old dog," but beer is definitely not on the menu. So, as Taraval officers Lorenzo Adamson, Lisa Curry and Moli Finau drove by in an unmarked car, a 30-year-old drinker tried to hide his brew by placing it on the sidewalk next to a running vehicle. A group of five stood around the car ­ all sporting gang colors.

"Whose car?" asked the officers.

"It's my wife's," came the reply from a more-mature bystander. "I drove it here, but my license is suspended."

A check revealed that the 40 year old was also on probation, and the cops conducted a probation search of the vehicle on the spot. Inside, they found a loaded .38 caliber revolver ­ definitely something not allowed by the Adult Probation Department.

The talkative suspect went on to explain: "A friend gave me the gun ... these guys knew what I wanted to do and showed up to try to keep me from doing something stupid." An old cellmate, he went on, earned his freedom first and soon looked up the suspect's wife. One thing led to another and our suspect felt honor-bound to shoot the man who had usurped his marital bed.

"It was a blessing that you found me before I could (do it)," said the jail-bound suspect.

This is just another illustration of how following up on a relatively minor violation can sometimes net a bigger fish. And speaking of fish ... the officers returned to the diner later and the burgers were reportedly just as "good" as many remember.

A Short Chase

Day watch officer Ron Gehrke and police reserve Mike Quinn recently spotted a speeding motorcycle on Vicente Street.

The lone rider broke 60 m.p.h. as the cops caught up. After running several stop signs, the biker slammed into the back of a pickup truck. He escaped injury, but did not apologize to his captors. No real reason was given except a vague reference to being under a dentist's care.

Police Forum

Our next forum is Thursday, Aug. 21, at 7 p.m., at the Taraval Police Station. Featured will be updates on the ongoing string of home invasion robberies.