Hey there Craig,
I have alerted CAPS to this issue, but I thought maybe you would alert the neighborhood about a lame-grifter that is prowling our neighborhood looking for victims.
Description:
Lighter-medium complexion African American male, totally bald head, height about 5' 9" or so -maybe a bit taller, medium to lean build, usually on a bike wearing shorts and a t-shirt, tennis shoes.
He has been spotted several times by neighbors in the Lakewood/Farwell/Pratt area and on Morse.
He approaches individuals with different stories such as "My daughter had an asthma attack and I need to get medicine." He starts out by asking a question to throw you off balance, such as "Do you speak english?"
Just yesterday, as I was driving in my car, he tried to flag me down on Morse in alarm, but I recognized him and didn't give him the time of day.
As John Walsh would say (Yes, I'm a fan), "let's get this scumball off the streets." There is a concern he will get bolder or more desperate and I fear for the seniors and other vulnerable people in the neighborhood.
Be safe and well,
A concerned neighbor...
16 comments:
this guy is hilarious,
he approached me three times in a span of two days, once when i was getting out of my car and twice trying to flag me down when i was in my car,
i spotted him on wayne inbetween morse and pratt, on glenwood just north of morse and on pratt just west of glenwood
and your right about the english part, what? just speaking english would let me know that,
what a weird guy
i guess he is still at it,
he wants like 20-30 bucks,
if his daughter needs a nebulizer machine like he says, he couldve had one by now if he worked instead of riding his bike all day long
what he starts off by saying to me
is that he does speak english,
which makes me think, if nonenglish that common in this neigborhood or does he think that he looks so exotic that i will automatically think he doesnt speak english and wont be able to handle him speaking english without due warning?
I've been approached by this same guy. Gave me the same "Do you speak English?" line, then said he and his family lost their apartment and he needed money.
His patter is just about as lame as they come.
I told him as much, and he just rode off on his bicycle.
I'll call the police next time and hope everyone else will, as well.
My wife got scammed by this guy as well as another friend of mine; both at the corner of Pratt/Sheridan.
We saw this guy last Saturday as we walked back from Loyola Park, enjoying the wall painting festival. My wife recognized him as he was trying to scam another woman. She yelled out to warn the lady. The end result was obviously kind of scary, because he lost his chance -- I thought I was going to have to throw down with the guy. I was only hoping he wasn't carrying a piece. He told me he was going to "f-ing kill me." Hopefully enough people will be able to recognize him and he'll move on to another neighborhood...or get a job (yeah right).
I saw a man on a bike by this description at the stop sign by Touhy and Ashland about 2 weeks ago. He was holding a cell phone out and waving at me to roll my window down further. Realizing that if this man truly needed help, he could call for it (plus using my personal policy of avoiding shady looking people), I looked at him and said "No F***ing Way," and drove away.
I've seen him at North Shore and Lakewood in the mornings, but not recently. He usually has an empty inhaler and a couple of dollars in his hand as well to 'sell' the story of needing medicine and just a few bucks more to get it. Mostly working the 'panicked' angle as he tries to get people to pull over on their way to work.
Wow, I was with a friend on Devon and Wayne a few night ago when this guy came up to us. Yep, on a very nice Trek bike, he was well dressed and had very nice cell phone. Exact m.o. as described. He said he needed $18 to get his daughter to the hospital. I told him to write to write to Jim Ginderske for a handout.
The best thing to do to a jerkass like this guy is to call him on his game. Once enough people bust him out, he'll move on to where he believes he can find more gullible people.
I wouldn't worry too much about him having a weapon. Con artists like this want to pull a quick trick and disappear. Confrontations with people would not be to their advantage because they would draw too much attention. Any threats he may make are more designed to intimidate.
I have called the police about this guy 3 times. (to no avail) I told the folks at the church on Farwell so they could alert their congregation. I have watched him flag down cars and people walking by. I've seen women turn from helpful to scared when they realize what he wants. I have screamed at him to get out of our neighborhood and stop harrassing people. (Yeah, I'm the crazy person hanging out the window yelling at that guy.) The first time I saw him & got that story, was after voting in the primary. So he's been at it for a good long while. The last time he approached me I pointed my finger in his face and said "I am sick of YOU!" He gave up immediately. And yes it's always "Do you speak English?" as his opening gambit.
I have seen this guy on Columbia and North Shore on the lake side of Sheridan. Has tried to flag me down multiple times while I drove through alleys. Also once used the English line on another person opposite the sidewalk of me, who ignored him.
My dad and I were walking down Sheridan. I live on North Shore and we had just gone to Budget foods to get some ice before we went to the beach. He stopped us before we went in saying that his daughter was injured and he needed money to get on the train because his friends had left him in the neighborhood. My dad tends to not take any shit from anyone. The guy kept coming closer and closer trying to get money. Then he told us that we didn't want to give him money because he was black. He then decided he was going to throw his phone on the ground, and yell some more. I thought he was going to start crying, but he then got angry and followed us about a half a block. He started to call out my dad about how he had a nice phone, and that he can afford to help him out. I looked back and told the guy that just because I have money does not mean I owe you a damn thing. He then got really pissed and started to walk fast towards us and my dad pulled a can of pepper spray out of his pocket. The guy took a few steps back and ran off while throwing his phone again on the ground. I have not seen him since but I am sure he is still lurking the streets.
This guy was at Pratt and Sheridan again this morning, at about 9:30. He asked me if I spoke English. I remembered the blog post and started to give him a hard time. Working Pratt again today? He got pissed and walked north up Sheridan, after trying to scam some woman nearby who wasn't having it.
He should ask for a refund on his grifter training.
I'll see if I can get a picture if I see him again.
Yep he is still up to his old tricks. At 7:AM I was walking south on Sheridan on the west side of the street when I was a approached by a light skinned bald african american on a bicycle. He was carrying an open cell phone. He pulls up and asked me if I spoke engish. It told him that he was a scam and that he was all over the internet. He turned and continued riding north up the sidewalk on Sheridan. Today he has on a dark burgandy polo shirt with a pair of jeans
I forgot to add that this was at Sheridan and Columbia this am.
Yeah, the folks at the Starbucks told me he tried to steal stuff from there the other day. Somebody needs to get a pic of him, and then I will make up some flyers.
He hit me up at 2 am on Thursday at he corner of Howard and Sheridan.
I will warn my neighbors
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