For the second time in less than 4 years, the Boys and Girls Club in South San Francisco has been the scene of a bingo robbery. Unlike the previous time, in January 2002, when armed men in ski masks were able to escape with the club’s cashbox, these thieves were caught immediately. Monday morning, the club's executive director, Norm Martin, and another worker were counting proceeds from a weekend bingo game and a vending machine when a teen carrying a semi-automatic pistol came in and demanded the money.

The employee gave the money to the teen, who was later identified as Daron McClinton, 19, while Martin was able to hide part of the bingo proceeds and push a button to alert police. The police arrived quickly and were able to stop McClinton, who was in possession of the money. He had dropped the gun in a pipe in a canal where he had hidden. In addition, they were able to arrest his accomplice Bernard Hutcherson, aged 18.

Police were pleased overall with the day’s results, saying that they had arrested the suspects, returned the stolen money, and seized an illegal weapon.