'Piggyback Bandit' Facing Assault Charge in Ashburn

The bizarre cross-country story of the “Piggyback Bandit” has a new chapter in Ashburn, after an arrest on assault charges involving a teen at a local hockey rink, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.

Sherwin Shayegan, 31, is notorious for traveling to seemingly random sporting events and attempting to get a piggyback ride from high school athletes.

By 2012, he’d allegedly been banned from high school sporting events in five states, according to The Associated Press. Most of his antics had been reported in Northwest at that point, with the AP noting he’d usually ask for piggybacks or offer to pay for piggybacks.

On Dec. 7, Loudoun deputies allege that Shayegan grabbed the arm of a juvenile victim at the Ashburn Ice House hockey rink. Shayegan allegedly tried to get the victim to go into the locker room, according to LCSO spokesperson Liz Mills.

Shayegan was arrested Wednesday at a home in Gaithersburg, Md. He is awaiting extradition to Virginia on a charge of assault and battery.

The Washington Post notes that it’s unclear whether Shayegan had asked for a piggyback ride in the latest case.

Following the Associated Press report, writer Bryan Curtis penned a feature for Grantland titled, “The Ballad of the Piggyback Bandit.”

Curtis noted that, in most cases, the player involved isn’t hurt and no charges are filed. The story included a link to the only photo of Shayegan in one of his alleged attempts to blend in at a game.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is also investigating an incident Dec. 8 involving area athletes playing a high school game in Fauquier County. Detectives are also reaching out to neighboring school districts and area sports facilities.

Anyone who was in contact with the subject and believes they may have been a victim of a crime is asked to call the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office at 703-777-1021. If the incident occurred in another area, you are asked to please call your local law enforcement agency.