
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, May 8, 1990                   TAG: 9005080633
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A/1   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: SAN FRANCISCO                                LENGTH: Short

STREET BANDITS TRAP MOTORISTS WITH OIL SLICK

In a slick new twist to street crime, hoods have been oiling down an intersection and attacking motorists who spin out on the goo.

No serious injuries have been reported in the attacks over the past month by the oilcan bandits wielding clubs, bottles and guns, police said Monday.

City cleanup crews have repeatedly spread sand on the slick but now work only with a police escort after Molotov cocktails were thrown at them, authorities said. On Monday, a TV news crew was pelted with rocks and bottles.

The L-shaped intersection in the Mission District abuts the rundown, graffiti-scarred Bernal Housing Project, a multistory complex covering two blocks. The oil catches drivers stopped at lights, police said.

"With the oil on the streets, the tires can't get a grip, and the victims can't get away," said Lt. Al Casciato. "They're just helpless."

"What we figure is happening is people going there to buy drugs are being ripped off," he said. By the time officers arrive, the victims have fled, he said.

by CNB