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'Piggyback Bandit' gets 5-state ban from events

 
A man identified as Sherwin Shayegan of Bothell, Wash., dressed in basketball gear, lingers at a game in Bismarck, N.D., on Feb. 4.
A man identified as Sherwin Shayegan of Bothell, Wash., dressed in basketball gear, lingers at a game in Bismarck, N.D., on Feb. 4.
Published Feb. 17, 2012

HELENA, Mont. — The stocky man showed up in a basketball uniform for a Century High game in North Dakota. Players and coaches assumed he was a fan who had come with another team, so no one objected when he began to pitch in around the bench.

"He helped lay out uniforms, got water. He even gave a couple of kids shoulder massages. Creepy stuff like that," said Jim Haussler, activities director for the Bismarck Public School District.

After the game, the man joined the winning team on the court and asked for a piggy­back ride. One bemused player gave it to him.

"He makes himself appear as if he's limited or handicapped. I think he plays an empathy card, so to speak," Haussler said. "We didn't realize what we were dealing with until several days later."

What they were dealing with on Feb. 4 was the Piggy­back Bandit — Sherwin Shayegan of Bothell, Wash., a 28-year-old who ingratiates himself with high school sports teams, then hoists his 5-foot-8, 240-pound frame onto the backs of the athletes.

His antics go back to 2008 and were mainly confined to Washington and Oregon. But since last fall, he has worked his way east to Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota, leaving a trail of befuddled athletes in his wake.

Shayegan has asked for piggy­backs, attempted to pay for them and just sprung one upon an unsuspecting kid. He favors basketball, but he also has leapt onto hockey, soccer and football players.

Why he does it is unclear, as is who came up with the "Piggyback Bandit" nickname that now follows him. Shayegan, contacted Tuesday, declined to speak of the rides until he could talk to an attorney. "I'd prefer not to comment, if that's okay," he said.

Shayegan has a lengthy criminal record in Washington as well as nine outstanding warrants in one town in that state. Because of his piggyback antics, he has been banned from high school events in Washington, Oregon, Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota.

"What people don't realize is that he's very smart. He knows how to play the system," said Mike Colbrese, executive director of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.