Crime

[Yarash]

I've got this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that is just eating away at me. My mom went through surgery three days ago for breast cancer and a lymph node was removed from or near one of her arms. That arm is in a weakened state so about two hours ago I drover her around on errands. We were driving into the bank parking lot and I see two individuals in a car frantically trying to get out as a woman followed by about six people are chasing after them. I immediately conclude that a bank robbery, or robbery of an individual has taken place. A person in his own car is following behind them, completely blocking him from backing up. I attempt to position our truck to stop him from going forward, and he stops his car as a result. He is stopped for about 5 seconds before he makes a decision of his own...a lifetime in this situation. The woman catches up and crouches a distance away, looking at his license plate. He is in front of me and to my right. Parking is on both sides but there are no cars parked immediately to the right and he starts looking there in a panic. There is just enough space for a car to get through to the right and behind me.

At this point a fast decision needs to be made. My instincts tell me to back up, blocking his escape. My mom, who is 62 or so, does not have as sharp a mind as she once had. She knows what I am thinking and tells me not to back up because she does not want our truck to be hit. The truck is a 25 year old heap, but it is not mine, it belongs to my parents, and a collision would almost be certain given the paniced nature of the other driver.

Before I could make a decision, he worms his way around me and at an incredible rate of speed weaves through the cars in the lot and makes his escape (followed by another car).

Part of being dyslexic means decisions I make are delayed. Had I been alone I would have likely backed up, gotten hit, but stopped him...though had I been alone I wouldn't have been there to begin with. Being told not to back up required making a decision that could not be made by me in such a short time period.

After he got away I parked the truck and got out. Apparently he was attempting to kidnap somebody's baby. The baby was on the ground about 20 feet away and was quickly picked up by somebody. Another man, who was bleeding, apparently was wrestling with one of the two individuals who escaped. The police show up fast, but already 2-4 minutes have passed.

So as a result of our truck delaying him, somebody was able to get his licence plate number, but I could have stopped him right there and I didn't and now an attempted baby kidnapper got away. I feel like shit.

- Mike

[rer]

Mike,

You can at least be thankful that, because of your actions, you were able to give someone enough time to write down his license plate number, which gives the police a much higher chance of finding the guy.

My biggest concern, as I was reading this, was for your poor, frail, recovering mother. By not maneuvering in front of the other car a second time, you avoided being hit, by avoiding being hit, you saved both yourself and your mother from injury. While you are able to look back and clearly see which decisions put you in the position that you were in, you cannot look from that point forward at where further actions would have put you. And, quite frankly, beating yourself up for this is just silly. You did the best that you could, which is all anyone can ever ask of us.

You're my hero!

Rer

[Ambar]

we call this ORM .. Operational Risk Management

you weigh the pros and cons and risks, and come to a decision

i personally feel you did what was right, and the justice system will get the "bad guys"

not your vehicle for one and your ill mother with you

hugs hun

tough choice

be free, you did the right thing

[Sarvis]

You did fine, and probably better than most people would've.

If they got the license plate, so they'll probably catch him anyway.. and this way you still have a car to drive and didn't give your mom a heart attack... heh.

[Ambar]

bah double post

[moritheil]

You did just what was needed, it seems - allow them to get a lisence plate.

I hope your mom gets better, and I'm glad neither of you were hurt.

[teflor the ranger]

While watching your mom bust out the Kung-Fu may have been amusing, you made the right decision.

[Yarash]

Thank you for the comments. There is an article here if anyone is interested

http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/monte ... 232627.htm

[fotex]

Part of being dyslexic

I don't think your dyslexia has anything to do with reacting slow here; anyone can freeze from panic.
But, for a dyslexic person, your writing seems remarkably impeccable. :P

[Delmair Aamoren]

What i REALLY find humorous in these situations, are the morons that
fake heart attacks afterwards. i can't count how many of these scenes
i've been called to where the suspect is now having "chest pain" or
shortness of breath. Makes you want to stomp on their toes and stick
a sock in their mouth, or perhaps give them a little oxygen therapy
(which consists of bludgeoning them with a pretty hefty O2 cylinder).
Usually they go to the hospital with a police escort, and are treated
like any other patient in an ER (eventually, after a long boring wait).

In a similar situation, my partner on my ambulance recently was in an
altercation. He lives in an apartment complex downtown, and heard
screaming from the apartment above, where he knows a few girls
from the local college stay. He threw on his shoes and a bathrobe, ran
upstairs, and pounded on the door. Two of the girls were histerically
crying, pointing towards the room of the third, where it sounded like
a scuffle was occuring. He entered the room to see a 20 something year
old guy (the girls boyfriend) beating the crap out of this girl. He never
found out why the guy did it, but he pulled him off, and gave him a good
beating. He was dragging him down the stairs to the front lobby when the
police arrived. The suspect got up after being handcuffed and tried to get
away. The officer, instead of grabbing him, gave him a quick kick to the
buttocks, which caused him to go off balance, just in front of some stairs
down to the sidewalk below (bput 5-6 stairs). the suspect was off balance
enough to go tumbling down the stairs. must have been hillarious.

At any rate, you did exactly what anyone would be expected mike.
Thanks for doing something you never had to. Wish more people were
like you.