During the tussle, Handy scratched his prescription
glasses and scuffed up his shoes and got some stains
on his suit.
Foot pursuit
Llyas fared much worse: He was tossed into the
back of the patrol car and booked on suspicion
of being in possession of stolen goods, as well as
on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a
handgun with the serial numbers filed off.
San Bernardino detectives later determined the tools
had been stolen earlier that morning from Angie’s
Auto Center on Highland Avenue.
San Bernardino’s chief wrestles and subdues armed suspect
Robert “Rob”
Handy was
settling into his
seat at Coco’s
waiting for
his breakfast
appointment to
show up.
What started
as a typical
Wednesday
morning for San
Bernardino’s
chief of police
--- meeting with
a Neighborhood
Watch president to go over some issues --- took an
abrupt turn to the highly unusual.
“Hey,” Neighborhood Watch President Lloyd
Roberts told Handy as he took a seat across from
him. “That guy who opened the door for me is trying
to sell me tools, and he’s acting strange.”
Handy, being the observant chief of police he is, had
noticed a man with a backpack opening the door for
Roberts.
Since being appointed police chief of the San
Bernardino Police Department on Oct. 17, 2011,
Handy --- who spent more than 21 years at the
Phoenix Police Department, ending his career there
as a commander --- has had his hands full, dealing
with everything from budget issues exacerbated
by the city’s bankruptcy to a 50-percent spike in
homicides.
30
|
Behind The Badge
On this day, Handy, 44, literally would have his
hands full --- with a 22-year-old transient named
Valid Llyas.
“OK, I’ll go check it out,” Handy told Roberts.
Dressed in a tie and blue suit, Handy appeared to
be a potential customer. Llyas obliged, spreading
out his tools, which included a pneumatic drill
and an impact wrench, on the grass outside the
restaurant. Handy also noticed a tooth-whitening kit
and a lady’s watch were in his backpack.
Handy, meanwhile, went back inside Coco’s to have
his meeting with the Neighborhood Watch official
– and some breakfast.
When the media caught wind of Handy’s heroics,
they begged him for interviews. Handy gave a
couple to local newspapers, but turned down
on-camera interviews. He says he was a little
embarrassed by the attention.
“For me,” the chief says, “what I did that morning
was not any different from what any police officer
at this agency does on a daily basis. It’s what any of
them would have done.” •
“
What I did that
morning was not any
different from what
any police officer...
does on a daily basis.
”
The two negotiated a price for the tools -- $50.
“Specializing in providing
advice and representation to
public entities and California’s
law enforcement agencies.”
Knowing the items almost certainly were stolen,
Handy stalled for time. He told Llyas he needed
to get his wallet from the restaurant. Once inside,
Handy called for a patrol car. Then he went out to
stall some more.
“I told him I was a businessman,” Handy says. “He
had no idea who I was.”
Handy saw the suspect using a screwdriver to
scratch a name off of one of the tools. He told him
he needed someone to swing by with the $50.
A Trusted Legal Team…
Experts in Public Sector and Law Enforcement Issues – Over 30 years of experience
Wondering why it was taking so long for Handy
to come up with the money, Llyas started to get
nervous. The patrol car suddenly pulled up.
Llyas bolted. Handy gave chase.
Jumping on a planter in front of Coco’s, Llyas
reached for his waistband. Out fell a handgun to
the ground. Seconds later, Handy tackled him to the
ground and helped the patrol officer handcuff him.
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