Celebrating New Year's Eve

My Crime Fiction: Welcome To Japan, Davis-San

Below is my story about an American sailor visiting Japan, circa 1971. 

The story is chapter 14 of Olongapo, a crime novel I hope to publish this year. 

Welcome To Japan, Davis-San

By Paul Davis

In May of 1971, the Kitty Hawk was temporarily relieved from combat operations on Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam by another aircraft carrier and the Kitty Hawk set sail for Sasebo, Japan for a scheduled R&R period.

The Japanese had been my father’s bitter enemy, as he served as an Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) frogman in the Pacific during WWII. The old chief participated in some grueling and bloody battles on the Japanese-held beaches and islands, yet he held no rancor against the Japanese. Judging from his letters to me, he appeared to be as excited as I was about my visit to the “Land of the Rising Sun.”

I became particularly interested in Japan in 1965 when I read Ian Fleming’s James Bond thriller, You Only Live Twice. I was fascinated by Fleming’s characters and plot and his take on the cultural differences between the West and Japan. 

I prepared for my visit to Japan by re-reading You Only Live Twice, as well as re-reading the chapter on Japan in my ever-ready "travel bible,” an old paperback edition of Ian Fleming’s travelogue, Thrilling Cities.

Shortly after the Kitty Hawk docked in Sasebo, I and other sailors headed towards the city’s area known as “Paradise Alley,’ where the bars catered to American sailors. I went ashore with Salvatore Lorino and Mike Hunt, and we visited one of the bars on Paradise Alley, and we drank and danced with the Japanese bar girls. After a couple of hours, Mike Hunt suggested that we go and have what Americans called a Hotzi bath and massage. We left the bar and visited a nearby public bathhouse, called a Sento. 

We first sat in a sauna, where we sweated out the alcohol from our bodies. Then, after a rigorous shower, we slipped into the steaming hot public bath. After a while, we left the bath and went into another room for a massage. There were no sexual “happy endings” here, but the massage was very satisfying. 

My massage was administered by a slight and pretty Japanese girl who had the strength of a sumo wrestler. She squeezed, pressed, pounded and applied karate-type blows to my body. When we left the Sento, I felt so good that I thought I could leap over a tall building. 

It was a beautiful spring day, so we walked around and ended up on a narrow street. I spotted a small store that could have been an antique shop or a pawn shop.  I had no idea what kind of store it was as the signs were in Japanese. But what I spied in the shop window quickly drew me in. In the center of the window was an old and glorious set of Katana swords, more commonly known as Samurai swords. I didn’t know much about Katana swords at the time, other than the cursory knowledge I gleaned from the books I read, but these swords looked authentic to me. I entered the shop and bowed to the proprietor, an elderly man, and I pulled out a handful of yen and pointed towards the swords in the window.

His response was in Japanese, spoken softly as he continued to bow up and down. I bowed back, having read somewhere that the more you bow, the more humble and polite you are. Of course, the proprietor was always two bows ahead of me, as he had a lot more practice at this than I. Thankfully, a young woman customer spoke English and she politely informed me that the swords were not for sale. She explained that the swords belonged to the proprietor’s ancestors. I bowed again, twice, and quickly bowed out of the store. 

We spent the rest of the day and evening in a bar, and while most Americans were drinking beer or whisky, I was drinking Sake, Japanese rice wine. There is a saying that notes the man drinks the first three cups of Sake, and the next three cups of Sake drink the man.

I danced with a beautiful Japanese girl named Kimora, and she then sat with me at our table. Kimora had long dark hair, a beautiful face and a lean and alluring body. I especially loved her soft and sexy voice when she spoke Japanese, and I found her broken English to be both funny and cute. She kissed me after every swallow of the whiskey I bought her.    

Lorino noticed four stern-looking Japanese men in dark suits siting with four women at a table in the corner. Lorino knew I was an aspiring crime writer and something of a serious student of crime, so he asked me, “Hey, those guys in the corner are Jap gangsters, aren’t they?”

 “Yeah. Yakuza, I believe,” I replied.

Lorino leaned over to the girl at his side and asked her to send a round of drinks to the yakuza criminals. He told her to tell them that he wanted to meet them.

“Tell ‘em I’m Cosa Nostra.

“Cusi who?”

“American Mafia.”

She got up and went over to the mama-san and spoke to her and then returned to Lorino’s side. A waitress delivered a tray of drinks to the men and the mama-san whispered to one of the men. The man waved to Lorino and beckoned him to come over.

“C’mon, Paulie. Let’s go over.”

“I’ll pass. You go.”

“Hey, you got the black suit and shirt. You look like a mob guy. They’ll love ya.”

I was curious, so I walked over with a strutting Lorino.

One of the yakuza spoke English and he translated for Lorino. He made the other hoodlums laugh with his translations. I felt we were being mocked, and I told Lorino that we should go. Lorino brushed me off and then pulled out a wad of U.S. dollars. He said he wanted to buy shabu. The Japanese, like the Filipinos, called crystal meth shabu.

The yakuza members stopped laughing. The one who spoke English conferred with his associates and then turned back to Lorino. He took out a piece of paper and wrote the name of a bar and a person’s name in English and added some Japanese characters. He passed the slip of paper to Lorino.

“Go to this bar and ask for this person,” the yakuza member said. “Hand him this note and he will help you.”

“Thanks,” Lorino said. “Youse guys are cool.”

We went back to our table and Lorino said “Let’s go.”

“You go, I want to stay here and drink and dance with Kimora.”

“This will only take a half hour. I need you as a back-up. The girl will be here when we get back.”

Reluctantly, I went with him.

 

We took a cab to the bar and walked in. We were the only Americans there and we were given dirty looks by some of the customers who appeared to be yakuza gangsters. Lorino, unfazed at our reception and uber confident as usual, walked up boldly to the bar and showed the note to the bartender. The bartender, without a word, motioned over a young Japanese thug. The thug read the note and told Lorino in English to meet him outside in the alley.

Out in the alley, the young yakuza thug, accompanied by another young thug, asked for the money. Lorino handed over the U.S. dollars. The young thug put the money in his pants pocket and then pulled out a knife.

The thug smiled.

“So, this is how it’s going to be,” Lorino said, smiling back.

He looked sideways at me and said, “You believe this shit?” and then he delivered a swift kick to the thug’s left knee. As the thug buckled from the kick, Lorino stepped in and threw an uppercut that dropped the thug. I began to step in towards the advancing second thug, but Lorino whipped out a small semi-automatic pistol. Seeing the gun, the second thug stepped back.

The second thug helped the first thug up from the street. The first thug grinned, picked up his knife and put it in his pocket. And then he bowed. He took out a plastic bag out of his pocket and handed it to Lorino.

Lorino bowed back. He wet his finger and dipped the finger in the bag. He pulled out his finger and held it to his nose and inhaled it. His head jolted back, and he laughed.

“Very good shit,” he said and bowed.

The two thugs bowed and went back into the bar.

“Where did you get the gun?” I asked.

“Olongapo. Where else?”

 

Lorino and I took a cab to our hotel and once in our room, we snorted a couple of lines of the shabu. Lorino hid the bulk of the shabu but kept some of it on him for us to use later while we were out. I wanted to go back to the first bar we visited and drink and dance with Kimora. I became even more talkative than usual, but Lorino reacted differently to the meth. He became quiet and introspective.

We walked to the bar, and went in. Lorino gave the yakuza hoods a thumbs up.

The English-speaking yakuza explained what the upright thumb meant, and they all laughed and raised their own thumbs up.

                           

After many cups of Sake, I needed to get some air, and I left the bar. Lorino followed me up the street where we saw a small restaurant with an open front. The smell coming from the restaurant was enticing. We entered the restaurant, and I stepped up to the counter. The menus were banners hanging from the ceiling, and of course they were written in Japanese. A man sitting next me to me was eating steamed vegetables and as I liked the smell, I motioned to the waitress that this was what we wanted. Although I was not big on vegetables, steamed or otherwise, after consuming the Sake, I thought this was a fantastic meal. 

I pulled out my money and having forgotten the rate of exchange for Japanese yen to American dollars, I gave the waitress a stack of yen. As we walked down the street, I heard someone yelling, “American-San! American-San!” I turned and saw the waitress coming towards me. She bowed and I bowed back. She bowed again and handed me some yen. I gathered that I gave her too much money for the meal. I bowed and shook my head as I handed her back the bills. She bowed twice and would not accept the offered bills. She bowed again twice and turned and walked back towards the restaurant.

“Can you image any other place in Southeast Asia where this would happen?” I asked Lorino. “Only in Japan.” 

“In Olongapo, they would come out and cut our throats for the rest of the money,” Lorino said and laughed. 

We headed back to the bar, where I danced and drank more Sake with Kimora. After drinking much Sake, I ended my night in a hotel room with the incredibly beautiful Kimora.  

The following day I left Sasebo and took a train with Hunt to Nagasaki.

Lorino stayed in Sasebo and partied with his new yakuza friends.

© 2024 By Paul Davis 

Note: You can read the other posted chapters of my crime novel Olongapo via the below link:

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Butterfly'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Salvatore Lorino'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: The Old Huk

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: Join The Navy And See Olongapo

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Boots On The Ground'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'The 30-Day Detail'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Cat Street'

Paul Davis On Crime: Chapter 12: On Yankee Station

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'The Cherry Boy'

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'The Hit'

It's Christmas Time In The City - My Interview With Santa

Broad & Liberty published my interview with Santa.

You can read the piece via the below link or the below text:

Paul Davis: It's Christmas time in the city — my interview with Santa

The weekend of the 13th was a bad time for Philadelphia, as dozens of victims were shot in several criminal shootings across the city.  

One bad shooting occurred near the Rothman Ice Rink in Dilworth Park on Friday night. The police suspect that both the shooters and victims are students from Freire Charter High School in Center City. Three teenagers were wounded in the shootout.

There was also a shooting in Feltonville, where one man was murdered, and four others were injured over the weekend. And there was a shooting at a sports bar in Strawberry Mansion, where one man was murdered and two others wounded. 

I was standing behind the police yellow crime scene tape at the scene of one of the shootings, watching the police gather evidence, when a large fellow came up and stood next to me. He had a huge white beard and long white hair under a red cap with white fur trimming. The big fella was dressed in a red suit with a white fur collar and cuffs. He also wore a wide black leather belt around his amble middle and black boots. 

The red suit looked like it kept him warm, but it failed to hide his girth and protruding large belly. I also noticed that he was hefting a large sack over his shoulder. Despite the grim crime scene, the big fella smiled at me as he puffed on a pipe. 

“Anyone ever tell you look like Santa Claus?” I said with a laugh as I looked at the big man. 

“Everyone, especially the children,” he replied. “For I am indeed the one and only Santa Claus.”

 I introduced myself as a writer and I asked if I could interview him.

“Sure,” he said. He stopped smiling for a moment and shook his large head sadly.

“This is a terrible thing anytime of the year, but it is even more terrible during Christmas time in the city,” Santa said. 

I agreed.

Santa pointed to a couple on a corner in Salvation Army uniforms behind a Red Kettle donation pot. One of the two rang a silver bell.

“At Christmas time there should be silver bells not silver shells,” he said as he pointed to a police officer who was picking up a shell ejected from one of the shooter’s firearms.

“Silver Bells, silver bells, it’s Christmas time in the city,” Santa sang in a deep baritone voice, which drew the attention of the crowd and the police. “Ring-a-ling, hear them ring, soon it will be Christmas Day.

“City sidewalks, busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style,” he sang. “Yet we also see dead bodies. You see strings of streetlights, even stoplights, blink of bright red and green, along with the police lights flashing.”

He took a deep puff from his pipe and then continued singing. “Still, in the air there’s a feeling of Christmas. Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile, and on every street corner you’ll hear silver bells, silver bells.” 

He stopped singing for a moment and said softly that one shouldn’t also hear gunshots ringing. 

“It’s Christmas time in the city, ring-a-ling, hear them ring. Soon it will be Christmas day,” he sang loudly. “See the shoppers rushing home with their treasures, and no doubt they are in fear of being robbed of those treasures. But children are laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile, and above all this bustle,” he sang, “We also see needless violence.”  

Santa stopped singing and took a puff from his pipe. 

“This is the time of year for loving, sharing, forgiving, and for praising the one above. It is not a time for Wild West shootouts. Don’t they realize I know who is being naughty and nice? I shall be paying them all a visit on Christmas Eve.” 

Santa then shifted the heavy bag on his shoulder and bid me farewell.

“It’s Christmas time in the city,” he sang out loud as he walked away from me. “Soon it will be Christmas Day.”

Note: With apologies to “Silver Bells” songwriters Jay Livingston and Ray Evans and those who sang the fine song over the years, such as Bob Hope, Marilyn Maxwell, Bing Crosby, Carol Richards, Dean Martin, and others.

Paul Davis, a Philadelphia writer and frequent contributor to Broad + Liberty, also contributes to Counterterrorism magazine and writes the “On Crime” column for the Washington Times. He can be reached at pauldavisoncrime.com. 

Merry Christmas To My Family, Friends And Readers

 

One Christmas Gift Remembered

About six months before my older brother Eddie died from cancer, we sat on my porch and talked about our upbringing. 

We were somewhat poor when we were growing up, especially after my late father, Edward M. Davis, was injured while working as a lineman. He was electrocuted and burned severely over most of his body. The tough old former WWII frogman survived, but he was out of work for a good while. 

My brother and I agreed that although we were struggling, we had a happy childhood. My late mother, Claire, and my father (seen in the above photo), somehow managed to keep our house, and we never went hungry. 

Christmas was celebrated in our house, but we were told we could only have one gift (other than the socks and underwear placed in our stockings that hung on the wall). 

I knew that I wanted to be a writer when I was 12. That year I told my mother that if she would buy me a typewriter, I would be a published writer within a year.  

I don’t know how my mother did it, but I received an Olivetti Underwood typewriter for Christmas that year. I was surprised and grateful. (see the above and top photo of the typewriter). 

Some years later, I went to the movies with my friends. We went to see John Wayne in The Green Berets. I pounded on my friend Buster’s arm when I saw that David Janssen, portraying a writer covering the Green Berets in Vietnam, was carrying the distinctive Olivetti Underwood typewriter’s light and dark blue carrying case. 

“I have the same typewriter as the reporter,” I told my friend excitedly. 

He didn’t know what I was talking about. But due to my literary and journalistic ambitions, I was more interested in David Janssen's character as the journalist (based on Robin Moore, the author of The Green Berets, who trained and reported on the Green Berets in combat in Vietnam), than John Wayne and the Green Berets portrayed in the film.     

Although I was off by many years, I finally became a published writer. And although I use a computer these days, I still have my Olivetti Underwood typewriter, and it still works.  

So, as I celebrate Christmas this year with my wife, children and grandchildren, I'm thinking of my late mother, father, sister and two brothers. 

And I’m thinking of my Olivetti Underwood typewriter. 

Note: Below is a photo of the young aspiring writer: 

Christmas in ‘The Twilight Zone’ Serling’s Yuletide-themed dramas evoke ‘wondrous magic’

I was a huge fan of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone when I was a kid, and I recently watched all of the episodes again. The shows have aged well, and they are still relevant today, in my view. 

The fantasy and sci-fi TV program was imaginative, clever and well-written. Serling (seen in the above photo), the author of some of the TV plays on The Twilight Zone, was the host and narrator of the classic TV series.

Arlen Schumer, the author and designer of Visions From the Twilight Zone (Chronicle Books, 1990), a coffee-table art book, and a volume of essays, The Five Themes of the Twilight Zone (Bear Manor Media, 2024), recently penned a piece on Rod Serling for the Washington Times (where my On Crime column also appears). 

‘There’s a wondrous magic to Christmas,” a wise man once observed, “a special power reserved for little people.” The author of those words was neither Dickens nor Dr. Seuss, nor any Christian, Catholic or Protestant clergyman. They were written, rather, by Rod Serling, a Jewish man born 100 years ago on Christmas Day, and later the creator, and host, of the greatest television series of all time. 

In the 156 episodes of “The Twilight Zone” (1959-1964), only one, “The Night of the Meek,” broadcast on CBS on Dec. 23, 1960, featured a Christmas theme. Though Serling was “fiercely proud of his heritage,” according to “As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling” (2013), a memoir by his daughter Anne, the future TV icon was like a lot of American Jews: an annual sufferer of Christmas envy who celebrated the day more as a secular, cultural event, like Thanksgiving, and to tap into what “Meek” termed the “wondrous magic” surrounding Jesus’ birthday. 

As a radio writer in early 1950s Cincinnati, Serling had already penned a number of Yuletide-themed dramas, including an unproduced piece titled “No Christmas This Year.” It was a black comedy about a society that stops celebrating the holiday, with Santa besieged by striking elves and strafed by antiaircraft fire. 

Some of the characters in “No Christmas” were recycled for “Meek.” Art Carney (seen in the below photo), who played Ed Norton on “The Honeymooners,” starred as Henry Corwin, a down-on-his-luck department-store Santa suffering from alcohol addiction. At one point, fired by the store, Corwin looks up from his shot of booze and stares not at the bartender but straight into the camera, asking the viewer: “Why isn’t there a real Santa Claus?” He soon finds a mysterious bag that enables him to lavish Christmas gifts on the less fortunate — and on himself the opportunity for redemption at the heart of Christianity. 

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

Wondrous magic: Christmas in 'The Twilight Zone' - Washington Times

And you can also watch the episode via the below link:

Night Of The Meek - Twilight Zone Original Christmas Episode - video Dailymotion

NORAD Tracking Santa

NORAD, the U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command, is once again tracking Santa Claus on his magical Christmas run.

You can check in with NORAD via the below link:

Official NORAD Tracks Santa 

You can also learn more about NORAD via the below link: 

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)

Hemingway Wisdom

 

A Look Back At The Beaton Marionette's 'The Nativity' And 'Twas The Night Before Christmas'

I recall a conversation I had with my granddaughter some years ago about old Christmas traditions. I told her that her grandparents and millions of others used to watch the Beaton Marionettes on TV every year as they performed The Nativity and Twas the Night Before Christmas. 

Marionettes pouncing from strings must seem very low-tech and primitive to a preteen and teenager today, but when we were children in the 1950's and 1960's the marionettes were magical, and we loved them. We watched them every year as we grew up.

The two programs were narrated by the late, great actor Alexander Scourby (seen in the above photo). Scourby also portrayed C. Clement Moore, the author of Twas the Night Before Christmas.

The TV programs brings back fond memories of Christmas as a child. My parents did not have a lot of money, but they always provided a grand Christmas holiday for our family.

You can watch the two short programs via the below links: 

Twas the Night Before Christmas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzNJxLvbRrM

Part One of The Nativity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXCNTW2glEw&playnext=1&list=PLEE47A548FC0AC749&index=15

Part Two of The Nativity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD1sCa5pBLo&feature=related 

California Political Operative Arrested On Complaint Alleging He Acted As Illegal Agent Of People’s Republic Of China

The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:

A criminal complaint filed Dec. 17 and unsealed this morning charges Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 64, for allegedly acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) while serving as the campaign manager for a political candidate who was elected in 2022 to the city council of a California city. Sun was arrested today is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in the Central District of California.

Sun is also charged with conspiring with another man, Chen Jun, who was sentenced to prison last month for bribery and acting as an illegal agent of the PRC government.

According to the complaint, Sun served as the campaign manager and close personal confidante for a Southern California politician (referred to in the complaint as Individual 1) who ran for local elected office in 2022. During the campaign, Sun communicated with Chen regarding his efforts to get Individual 1 elected. Chen allegedly discussed with Chinese government officials how the PRC could “influence” local politicians in the United States, particularly on the issue of Taiwan. In November 2022, shortly after Individual 1 was elected to office, Chen instructed Sun to prepare a report on the election that was sent to Chinese government officials, who responded positively and expressed thanks, according to the complaint.

About a month after Individual 1’s election, Chen arranged a lunch at a Rowland Heights restaurant with Sun and others, a gathering that Chen described to a PRC official as a “core member lunch,” the complaint alleges. Chen subsequently described the lunch as “successful” as participants agreed to establish a “US-China Friendship Promotional Association.” While Individual 1 did not attend the meeting, Chen identified Individual 1 as being part of “the basic team dedicated for us,” in a communication to a Chinese government official.

In early 2023, Chen instructed Sun to write another report for Chinese officials describing “[Sun] and [Chen] cultivating and assisting [Individual 1’s] success,” according to the complaint.

In February 2023, as the second report to PRC officials was being finalized, Sun forwarded to Chen a proposal to combat “anti-China forces” by participating in a U.S. Independence Day parade in Washington, D.C, according to the complaint. Sun proposed that the PRC government provide an $80,000 budget to support his and Chen’s efforts in the United States.

After Chen and Sun discussed a planned trip to China to meet with “leadership,” and after Chen directed Sun to schedule a meeting with the Chinese consul general in Los Angeles, Sun and Individual 1 traveled to China in August 2023.

If convicted, Sun faces a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. Sun also faces a statutory maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI is investigating the case.     

Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Ryan and Amanda Elbogen for the Central District of California and Trial Attorney Garrett Coyle of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Davis Departing: On This Day In 1971 I Left The Aircraft Carrier USS Kitty Hawk

On this day in 1971 I saluted the ship’s American flag sharply and then walked down the brow of the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk for the last time as a young sailor in San Diego. 

I served aboard the Kitty Hawk from the 1970 overhaul in Bremerton, Washington to our sea trials from our home port in San Diego, and on to Southeast Asia for the 1970-1971 WESTPAC cruise, the aircraft carrier's 5th Vietnam cruise. 

I served on "Yankee Station" in the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea off the coast of North Vietnam during the aircraft carrier’s online periods. And I made port of calls to Honolulu, Subic Bay in the Philippines, Sasebo, Japan and Hong Kong.

It was quite an adventure for a young man.

I was 17 & 1/2 years old when I boarded the Kitty Hawk and 19 & 1/2 when I departed the carrier. 

Even after all these years, I recall vividly my two interesting years on the great aircraft carrier. 

I have mementos, photos and a framed large poster of the USS Kitty Hawk in my basement office and library, which reminds me daily of my time on the USS Kitty Hawk.

I'm proud of my service on the USS Kitty Hawk.

Arrested: My Broad & Liberty Piece On A Suspected Thief Who Is Alleged To Have Stolen More Than $160, 000 Worth Of Items From Parked Cars

Broad & Liberty published my piece on the arrest of a man whom police believe stole more than $160,000 worth of items from parked cars.

You can read the piece via the below link or the below text:

Paul Davis: Arrested — suspected thief is alleged to have stolen more than $160,000 worth of items from parked cars. 

Some years ago, I discovered that my parked car in South Philadelphia had been broken into and several items had been stolen.

My wife’s sunglasses, a couple of CDs and some change had been taken from the front seat. And three items on the back seat floor that my wife planned to return to a store were also taken. 

As I noted in an earlier piece here, a police officer showed up to take a report. I told the officer there were several cameras on the block that could identify the thief or thieves. But for such a minor crime, the officer said, shaking his head, no detective would be assigned to investigate it.

After the break-in, I spoke to a veteran Philadelphia detective I knew. He told me that car break-ins were preventable.

“Car break-ins, or smash and grabs, are crimes of opportunity,” the detective told me. “Many victims leave valuables in their parked cars, such as shopping bags, a briefcase, a cell phone or a laptop, and that creates an opportunity for a thief. If you must leave something in your car, hide it under the seat or under a blanket. Keep it out of plain sight.”

Theft from vehicles is a minor crime, but it is a quality-of-life crime that profoundly affects the victims who feel violated.    

I later spoke to a man who was devastated on Christmas Eve when he discovered that a thief had broken into his car and stole a trunk full of Christmas presents. 

The man had hidden the gifts in the trunk of his car so his two young children who still believed in Santa Claus would not find them. On Christmas Eve, he went out to his parked car to retrieve the gifts and saw that his car’s front window had been broken and the interior of the car was torn apart. Several items that he left in the car’s interior were gone. He also discovered that his trunk had been raided and a dozen wrapped gifts were gone. 

He called the police, and a police officer came and took a report. The victim called his brother and sister, and thanks to the support of his family members, his children’s Christmas celebration was somewhat salvaged. 

The anti-Santa thief was never caught.    

But one suspected major thief who stole from cars was recently caught.   

On December 12th, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner held a press conference to announce that Chaun Davis (no relation) was arrested and charged for his role as ringleader in what Krasner called “a brazen and sweeping theft scheme that victimized dozens of Philadelphia residents.” 

The thefts were in excess of $160,000 worth of items that were stolen from vehicles that were often damaged in the course of these crimes.

Joining Krasner at the press conference were Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, Captain Robert McKeever, Commanding Officer of Southwest Detectives Division, Assistant District Attorney William Fritze, the supervisor of the Gun Violence Task Force, Assistant District Attorney Patrick Doughty, the District Attorney’s Office’s Economic Crimes Division and Carjacking Enforcement Unit, and Assistant District Attorney Anna Walters from the Gun Violence Task Force. 

According to the District Attorney’s Office, Davis is charged with dozens of thefts from vehicle offenses he allegedly committed across the city between January and October of this year. These items include firearms, cash, credit cards, electronics, and even police equipment such as bulletproof vests, firearm magazines, and gas masks. The District Attorney’s Office believes that in three of these incidents, Davis worked with two co-conspirators. 

Stolen goods and ammunition seized at the suspect’s home. (Picture from Phila. DA office)

Charges currently include: seventeen counts of felony and misdemeanor Receiving Stolen Property, sixteen counts of felony and misdemeanor Theft by Unlawful Taking, fourteen counts of Theft from Motor Vehicle (M1), two counts of VUFA 6105 (F1), and related Robbery (F1) and Conspiracy (F1) charges.

Davis is also under investigation in other jurisdictions beyond Philadelphia as well, including Lower Merion and Montgomery counties. According to the District Attorney’s Office, Davis has a lengthy multi-state criminal history for other offenses dating back to 1995. These crimes include illegal possession of firearms, Burglary, and Forgery. 

The District Attorney’s Office stated that this remains an active investigation. Davis is currently in custody on $1.25 million bail.

“Thanks to tireless police work, Chaun Davis’ wide-ranging crime spree is coming to an end,” said Krasner. “My office is also taking this case incredibly seriously, as the Gun Violence Task Force and the DAO’s Economic Crimes Division and Carjacking Enforcement Unit are working together on the prosecution of this defendant.”

Krasner went on to thank the Philadelphia City Council and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker for their support of enforcement initiatives such as the DA’s Carjacking Enforcement Unit in 2023. 

“This invaluable support from our city partners, simply put, enables our Carjacking Enforcement Unit, Economic Crimes Division, and the Philadelphia Police Department to collaborate and hold career criminals like Mr. Davis accountable,” Krasner added.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel stated, “It’s very important for the community to know that the Department is working collaboratively with the DA’s Office and our other partners to ensure that we address ALL crime.

“Thanks to the dedicated investigation by 9th District Police officers and detectives, we were able to bring this prolific offender in and now he will face justice. I also want to remind Philadelphians that this is the time of year when we ask you to be very diligent about where you keep items in your cars. Help us with prevention by not leaving valuables unattended.”

Paul Davis, a Philadelphia writer and frequent contributor to Broad + Liberty, also contributes to Counterterrorism magazine and writes the “On Crime” column for the Washington Times. He can be reached at pauldavisoncrime.com. 

You can read my previous Broad & Liberty pieces via the below link: 

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Note: Above and below are some photos released by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office: