To frequent readers, this might sound familiar: Around 7 p.m. on February 28, Moraga Police responded to the parking lot of the Rheem Valley Shopping Center to investigate an armed robbery report. Officers met a 25-year-old man who reported that he had just been robbed at knifepoint by a black male in his 30’s, reportedly wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. Officers from the Moraga, Lafayette, and Orinda police departments responded immediately and conducted an intense, but unsuccessful, search for the suspect.
As it turns out, according to the Moraga Police Department (MPD), the alleged victim may not have been a victim at all.
After what MPD describes as a thorough investigation, including the dissemination of a composite sketch of the suspect to all police agencies in Contra Costa, Alameda, and Solano counties, inconsistencies in the report of the victim, now identified as Yang Chen of Walnut Creek, led investigators to have another conversation with Chen.
According to MPD, Chen eventually admitted the event was entirely fictitious and stated that he had concocted the story to observe how police react to an armed robbery.
A press release from MPD goes on to read:
“The initial response by three police agencies, MPD’s investigative time, and the cost of a sketch artist represents a significant and unnecessary use of public funds. Additionally, the sketch of the fictitious black suspect unnecessarily caused local law enforcement to focus on any look-alike as a potential armed suspect. The false report also caused safety concerns for local citizens and, as a result, may have negatively impacted the retailers in the shopping center. “
Chen will have his initial court appearance at 8:30 a.m. on May 7, in Walnut Creek Superior Court. He has been charged with a misdemeanor under section 148.5 of the Penal Code: False Reporting of a Crime.
L.Borrowman
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA