Police Beat 11/14/2018: Answering the Call

Cell Scam Scare

Scores of horror movies feature mysterious callers. Luckily, a frightening phone call turned into a near-miss scam after it was reported to the University of Arizona Police Department Oct. 22.

A UA employee contacted UAPD and spoke with an officer at approximately 3 p.m. after a disturbing phone call.

The employee told the officer that she received a call on her personal cell phone from an unknown number. When she picked up, she said she heard a woman crying and saying, “Mom, I got in a car accident.”

After the woman said this, a man got on the line and told the employee that he was the other person involved in the accident. He then said that he wanted money to fix his car as he was headed to Mexico.

The employee told the man she wanted to speak with her daughter again, but the man would not put her back on the line.

Unsure if it was really her daughter due to the heavy crying, the employee asked the man what state he was currently in. The man refused to answer and then turned the question around on the employee, repeatedly asking what state she was in.

After the employee refused to tell him her location, he made a gruesome and graphic threat to harm her daughter if she did not reveal her whereabouts. She refused again and the man ended the call.

Immediately after the man hung up, the employee contacted her daughter and confirmed that she was safe and unharmed. The woman also checked on her two granddaughters, who were also fine.

The employee gave the number of the unknown man to the officer. He googled it and found that the number’s area code was based in Mexico. According to the employee, the man spoke English with an accent.

The officer told the employee that the call sounded like an attempted scam, which is not uncommon.

Dog Walks, Cat Calls

While walking man’s best friend, a female UA student experienced some of a man’s worst behavior when she was verbally harassed near the corner of Tenth Street and Mountain Avenue Oct. 24.

A UAPD officer received a dispatch from the student’s call at approximately 8 p.m.

The student called to report a concerning encounter that had occurred earlier in the day at around 4 p.m. involving a driver verbally harassing her.

The student had previously called the Tucson Police Department to report the incident, but they told her that no crime had occurred. She then called UAPD.

According to the student, she was walking her dog when she saw a silver Corvette from around the year 2000 driving near her. She continued walking but again saw the vehicle.

The car stopped, and the driver, a man around the age of 30, called out to her saying “excuse me.” The student said she then looked his way, and he began asking her for directions.

Given the fact that she was alone, the student said she became afraid after she suspected he was masturbating while speaking to her.

The student hurried away from the car. While she was walking away, the man harassed her by calling her pejorative terms such as “slut.”

He eventually drove away. The student was able to take a photograph of the car, which she forwarded to the officer as evidence.

When questioned, the student could not remember any marks or other details that would distinguish the vehicle. She did state that if she saw the driver again, she might be able to identify him.

The officer provided the student with a case number and told her to call if she sees the car or driver on campus in the future.

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