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Trade ride for cash or drugs?
06/20/2011 10:19 AM by John M
There is a suspicious individual or two approaching people in Church Hill asking for rides and offering cash/drugs in exchange. One person (a white 20-something male) approached me at night asking for a ride about 5 months ago and robbed me at gun point once he was in my car. A similar looking, but different individual, approached me in my yard near Jefferson Park this week with a similar story of needing a ride and offering excessive amounts of money, then bringing up drugs as an offering.
TAGGED: crime
I hope you called the cops and gave them a description!
Another example of why you should never let a stranger in your car (or house).
For real, you gave him a ride? I’m not going to blame the victim here, but you should really be more careful when you’re visiting a new planet for the first time.
The fact that the robber brought up money as payment first and the poster evidently said no (as evidenced by the fact that there was a second offer) suggests that perhaps the second offer was the one the poster went for.
That would go a long way towards explaining why they’d offer a sketchy stranger a ride.
Don’t stop being friendly/neighborly to strangers because of a few bad apples.
I read the post a little different @Alex. The poster gave a ride to someone 5 months ago and was robbed.a second person ,at a different time ,offered money& drugs and whether or not a ride was given to that person was not disclosed,though i infer that no ride was given the second person due to the cautionary tone of the post.
John_m,
I’m a reporter with channel 8 and we may do a story on this. Can you please call me at 356.3353?
Thanks,
Nate Eaton
neaton@wric.com
A white male in his early to mid twenties with short sandy blonde colored hair approached my friend and I in the small parking garage of my apartment complex at first seeking a ride…claimed his “brother took his car and he needed to get to work”…When I declined, he asked for money before following us into my building where he took off in a different direction. I didn’t think anything of it until I went out about 20 minutes later to walk my dog and the same guy was running out to a car parked on the side of 21st….he hopped in the passenger seat and left.
I wonder if this is the same guy that dropped by my house asking for gas money the other day. The description sounds similar.
Okay,
I have seen this guy twice (white male in his mid-twenties with short sandy hair and a tattoo on his arm), he came to my backyard asking for a ride in exchange for money/drugs, and he also approached my friend with the same request.
I’ve reported him to the police and given them his description, but.. the next time anybody sees this young man they need to call the police immediately.
Also, the person who originally posted this was not doing it for drugs. He is a genuinely nice person who saw a young man in trouble and trusted him. I’d really like to see this armed con-artist off of the streets of our neighborhood.
WITCH-HUNT!
I’d like to offer slightly more information about the first known incident.
My friend, ‘S’, got off of work late one evening near Shockoe Bottom and was wearing his suit. On his way to the car, a young caucasian man approached him and said his Lexus had just broken down. The man offered to pay for a ride, but S refused the money and told him that it was no trouble.
Once inside the car, the guy mentioned that he could offer some marijuana as compensation. Again my friend said he didn’t mind driving and that he didn’t need any compensation. After a block or two the guy said “Hey!”, and my friend looked over to see that the stranger had a gun drawn.
The stranger demanded that S drive to the nearest ATM. Once there, he followed him out of the car at a close distance, with his gun hidden in a hooded sweatshirt pocket. The stranger stayed off to the side and didn’t come near enough to be recorded by the ATM camera. S claimed that his bank only allowed him to withdraw $200 in a day.
They got back into the car, S gave the $200, and the man had S drive him for about twenty minutes. Somewhere in the Fairmount area he asked S to stop and he took off running.
And since then I’ve known two other Church Hill residents who were approached by someone with the same story.
I would never want to discourage people from picking up hitchhikers or helping strangers.. and no, its not a witch-hunt. We want the neighborhood to aware, because we’re afraid some generous person could end up getting hurt.
I take back my earlier post. My sympathies to your friend who does sound like a Good Samaritan. What kind of scum preys on charitable folks like that. Hope they catch this jackass.
Any better description on the tattoo? Big? Small? Which arm? That might help narrow it down some.
My question would be why not simply call a taxi, since the individual(s)’ seem to initially offer money for the ride. “No Sir, why don’t you call a taxi?” Varooom!
some one just knock on my door looking for money for gas he headed toward marshall street
That’s even worse than I gave him credit for – he not only gave him a ride, but he drove him to a second location? 20 minutes away? “S” is lucky to be alive.
“I would never want to discourage people from picking up hitchhikers”? Um… yes, yes you should discourage people from picking up hitchhikers. This is not 1930s Iowa.
I’m all for being neighborly, but don’t be naive. Come on.
I’m somewhat brusque with strangers who approach me on the street. C’mon people. Use your head. If someone approaches you (particularly in some of the areas that have been mentioned) and the interaction is unsolicited, you need to work under the assumption that the person may pose a threat to your safety and well-being.
The individual in question walked up to us and introduced himself as “Sean” and actually shook our hand before going into the usual con-artist script. My friend commented that the guy came off as legit and could be viewed as handsome or attractive by some. Are we talking about the same guy?
This sounds like a guy I ran into a little while back. Similar circumstances, minus me giving him a ride and getting robbed. At one point he told me he worked at Crab Louie’s out in short pump.
The same guy came to my place about four months ago with same sob story. I gave him a ride and brought my gun and dog with me and let him know that both were ready and waiting. I could tell something was wrong when he had no idea where he was going. He told me the same thing that he worked at Bar Louie. Guess he was more scared of me than I was of him cause nothing happened and he asked me to drop him off in the middle of Laburnum.
About a month ago, my friend was mugged and stripped of his wallet and cellphone in the area of 22nd and Broad…..by a man fitting this description. It wasn’t until after I stumbled upon this thread and had my own run in did I think there might be a connection.
#11 Re: Witch hunt. Bullshi*!!!
It’s not a “witchhunt” it’s called taking back the damn neighborhood from the scum that routinely patrol the area preying on the naive and unsuspecting. I’m fully capable of taking care of myself but others may not be as equipped to do so….are you aware that LOTS of young female medical and dental students as well as nurses from MCV live alone in some of the buildings in the area? I’m willing to bet this guy knows this.
HillGuy, a “witch-hunt” isn’t necessarily a bad thing…
If a beggar provides a drawn-out or far-fetched story and asks for a ride, I suppose we should be weary. The guy in question seems to be using a smiliar story in each encounter.
And your comment about females is a bit chauvinistic even if it was well-intended.
@ #21 – I agree completely! If anyone sees this scumbag around I suggest nonchalantly calling the police and making sure you don’t lose sight of this guy. If he does have a gun on him, we can get him locked up right away.
On a sort of related note, has anyone noticed the beggars at broad and 18th have been a little aggressive lately? One walked into traffic and was knocking on my wife’s window the other day. What is the law in Richmond?
Hillcat & Hillguy, I’m all for forming a CH vigilante group. Is anybody else interested?
@#20 – Yesterday, also near the intersection of 22nd and Broad, a guy broke in to my neighbor’s apartment in broad daylight. The police were called, but haven’t caught the guy, as far as I know.
@#24 – My husband had a similar experience this week, except he had his window down, and she actually leaned INSIDE the car to demand money from him. He was nice enough to offer some spare change (probably hoping she’d get out of his face), but she scoffed and said she needed “at least $15” from him. Also, she seemed drunk and it was 9 AM.
#26: WTF? At least $15?!?!?! That crazy!
I’m 99% sure that guy came to my door today. This time he was wearing very long clothing for the summer (covering up his tattoo/gun?) I called the police ASAP. They said they’d increase patrols and keep an eye out for him.
#25. LOL. I’m assuming you mean “neighborhood watch”.
#24- yes, that woman is a particularly aggressive in her efforts to solicit money.
#22. Okay, I’ll just say this. This guy wasn’t about to overpower me or my friend (provided he was unarmed). I’m not so sure someone less physically capable would be as fortunate. That’s not being “chauvinistic”, it’s reality.
how are you gonna start a watch program anonymously ? i seriously doubt that anyone who posts under a secret code name possesses the wherewithal to participate in possibly dangerous situations. keep talking though. it gives the illusion you are actually doing something!now insult me personally while hiding behind your cute little pseudonyms. tiresome.
@30…can you please explain what the hell you’re talking about? Where do you come up with this crap?
He pulls it out of his ass. Take a thread that has nothing to do with him and make it all about himself. Classic narcissistic internet move.
buddy, you are still here spewing nonsense?
My block has a neighborhood watch, and it is far from anonymous. I am part of it, just like most of the neighbors in the area. It is just a communication network between neighbors so you can warn each other about crime or suspicious activity. It is very effective, and I think all areas should have this. There is no real danger in keeping an eye out for yourself and your neighbors.
Obviously, buddy is blind, since there are signs warning of the neighborhood watch all over parts of Church Hill.
Buddy is not blind, he just doesn’t like to read. This is also why all of his posts are the same message regardless of the topic.
cant go anywhere online without arguments. back to the topic, this sounds exactly like a guy who showed up while my friends and i were on our porch on the 400 block of 24th. rudely welcomed himself up the stairs and said he needed a ride to carytown and offered weed or money. the three of us on the porch all declined and he asked if any of the 3 people inside could. after saying no he walked off saying “its a loooong walk to carytown”. bus is only a buck fifty, dont trust this guy.
Said suspicious character is out today encountered on the 600 block of n 25th st. Asked for directions to a house party he knew about at the 1200 block of the 37th st. I gave him directions he started off but after a couple of steps he turned around and said it was hot out and far and reiterated it was a house party and we could come. my buddy in his own car told mequietly to be careful because he had read this entry last week. We didn’t give him a ride he walked on hesitantly and turned the corner. My friend hung for awhile and then went home he said he passed the guy again seemingly hanging out a block or two away, so he called the police to check it out. He was a white male in his 20-30s thin but muscular scraggly blond hair longer in teh back, about 5’10 baseball cap, white tank top undershirt dark shorts, tattoos.
odd tangent arguments, be on the look out for this guy and hopefully he’ll get picked up today. no reason not to be freindly to neighbors and those walking down the street. nothing wrong with being aware.