Nevada man accused of robbing undercover agent

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A Nevada man has been charged with a weapons violation after he allegedly robbed an undercover federal agent in an Emeryville parking lot and dashed across a freeway, according to court records released today.

Maurice Kevin Coleman, 25, of Sparks, and a second suspect robbed Special Agent Tehran Palmer of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms of $2,600 in cash at about 5 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot of the Best Buy in Emeryville, authorities said.

Coleman and Ronaldo Arguello,25, of Millbrae then took off in a Buick Park Avenue, but Arguello lost control and crashed into a pole near 40th and Shellmound streets near the IKEA store, Palmer wrote in an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Oakland.

Both men ran from the car, authorities said. Arguello was quickly arrested by ATF agents in the area, but Coleman, at the height of the rush hour, dashed onto Interstate 80 where it intersects with Interstate 580, authorities said.

As ATF Special Agent Brian Leigh chased Coleman across the freeway, the suspect threw a silver handgun into the air and jumped over a concrete barrier, the affidavit said. Leigh caught up with Coleman in a marsh.

The weapon — a Smith and Wesson 10mm pistol — was recovered, leading federal prosecutors to charge Coleman on Monday with being an ex-felon in possession of a weapon. Coleman has previous convictions for car theft.

The ATF first made contact with Coleman began a month earlier, the agency said. Palmer, working undercover, met with Coleman on March 7 at a gun store and asked him to buy two cheap weapons in exchange for $1,000, the affidavit said.

A female acquaintance bought two Ruger P90 pistols, authorities said. The special agent said he gave Coleman an additional $300 to complete the transaction and told him he would contact him in the future to buy more guns, “possibly AK-47-style rifles,” the affidavit said.

On April 1, Coleman called Palmer and said he had an AR-15 rifle and would try to have an AK-47 rifle for sale, the affidavit said. Coleman also said he had a “boat,” which is slang for 1,000 pills of Ecstasy, authorities said.

Four days later, Palmer met up with Coleman and Arguello, who told the agent that the guns were in the trunk of their car, authorities said. The agent told the men that he wouldn’t conduct any transaction inside the vehicle, the affidavit said.

After Palmer gave Arguello $2,600, Arguello counted the money, looked at the agent and drove away “in an erratic manner” before crashing into the pole, authorities said.



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