CITY HEIGHTS – A man who asked a used-car dealer to buy a car that had been stolen ended up in jail yesterday.
The man asked $1,000 for the silver BMW, saying he was homeless and needed the money, San Diego police said.
Amir Sorkhpoosh, owner of Premier Auto Group, agreed to take the car on a test drive, with the seller in the passenger seat. By the time they returned to the dealership about 6 p.m., police Officer Robert McDonald was waiting.
McDonald said the 45-year-old man drove the BMW to the dealership on El Cajon Boulevard and told the owner and an employee he'd stolen it. They refused to buy it and called police, but the man drove away before officers arrived.
The man came back later and again tried to sell the car. While the employee called police, Sorkhpoosh stalled him by suggesting a test drive, McDonald said.
Police confirmed that the BMW had been reported stolen Friday by the man's former roommate. The man was jailed on suspicion of auto theft and possessing a stolen car.
