‘Piggyback Bandit’ banned from high school sports
Feb 16, 2012, 12:30 PM | Updated: Feb 17, 2012, 7:07 am
In this photo made taken from Feb. 4, 2012 security camera footage provided by Bismarck Schools, a man identified as 28-year-old Sherwin Shayegan of Bothell, Wash., dressed in a basketball uniform, stands in a hallway at Century High School in Bismarck, N.D. Dubbed the Piggyback Bandit, Shayegan crashed school sporting events in at least five states from Washington to Minnesota, in some cases coaxing players to give him a piggyback ride. (AP Photo/Bismarck Schools)
(AP Photo/Bismarck Schools)
The Bothell man known as the “Piggyback Bandit” has been banned from high school athletic events in five states.
The latest trouble for Sherwin Shayegan, 28, came in Helena, Montana after he was accused of jumping on the backs of two soccer players during a state tournament.
School administrators and police from Washington to Minnesota say Shayegan often shows up at basketball games and sits near the visitors bench, sometimes helping out with water or towels and otherwise ingratiating himself with the players. After games he’ll join on-court celebrations and ask for a piggyback ride. Sometimes, the 240-pounder will just jump on the back of an unsuspecting player.
Shayegan has a history of this kind of behavior. Police in Bonney Lake, WA say he once paid a player to give him a piggyback ride.
Shayegan pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault charges in Helena, MT Feb. 1 and was fined $730. He’s now been banned from high school events in five states, including Washington and Oregon. Mike Colbrese, executive director of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association says he’s concerned about what appears to be Shayegan’s progressively aggressive behavior.
Police in Mount Vernon say he has nine outstanding arrest warrants and police in Anacortes ask anybody who sees him to call 911.
