Today is one of the nights that I have off from work, so I took the dogs on a long walk.
It had been raining off and on all day, sometimes heavy. I left the house around 00:30 hours (12:30 AM) in between showers, finding delight in the unseasonably warm weather. (Almost 60 degrees Fahrenheit!) Both the dogs and I were looking forward to a long and muddy walk.
We had been at it for about 40 minutes or so when I noticed a young man who was approaching us as he walked on the other side of the street. I'd say he was a Caucasian male about 20 years old, six foot tall, and about 180 pounds. He was wearing blue jeans, tennis shoes, and a red hooded sweatshirt with one of those big pockets in front that go from one side to the other so you can shake hands with yourself while warming your fingers. That was what he seemed to be doing, since both hands were tucked into that big pocket.
The bars here in Columbus, Ohio tend to close around 01:00 hours (1 AM), and there certainly wasn't anything unusual about some guy walking home after spending a few hours drinking beer with his buddies. There also wasn't anything in his demeanor that set off any alarm bells, as he was walking with his eyes front and didn't seem to be paying any attention to me or the dogs. But I kept my eye on him anyway.
Why? The simple answer is that I'm a professional, and paying attention to people walking near me on a dark and rain soaked street in the middle of the night is just one of the habits I've consciously developed over the decades. A more involved reason is that I've worked for so long with people who were attacked after discounting the lone guy simply passing on by, minding his own business, that I figure it is a good idea to pay attention.
I was glad I was keeping aware this time around, because he decided to change direction and cut across the street towards me after we had passed one another.
I had my usual little arsenal of less lethal weapons, but it bothered me a whole lot that I couldn't see his hands. Instead of extending my expanding baton, which is what I would normally do if someone decides to come up on my blind side in the middle of the night, I reached under my windbreaker and unsnapped the restraining band on my handgun, but didn't draw it until I found out what he was going to do.
My pets haven't been trained to be guard dogs, but they take their cues from me. They formed a perimeter between me and the stranger, growling a warning. This isn't as intimidating as you might think because this is what my pack looks like.
(Please click on all pictures to see if a larger image is available.)
Hardly what I would call a terror inducing sight. But, even so, don't discount the value of a few dogs who are willing to show their teeth when there is trouble afoot.
They certainly gave Red Hood a reason to rethink his plans, or maybe it was the way I stood my ground with my hand under my jacket. He veered off and started to walk back to the other side of the street after getting to within 20 feet or so, saying only "The suicide hotline keeps hanging up on me!" I watched him walk away for awhile before reattaching the restraining band on my handgun and going on my way.
Normally this would be the end of the story, just one of the millions of times that Americans use their guns to defend themselves without anything noteworthy actually happening, and I would be putting it up here just to remind everyone to keep up a good situational awareness. But something happened that convinced me that I really dodged a bullet, maybe even literally. Go below the fold to find out what happened.
I was walking back home about twenty minutes later. There is an IGA grocery store at the end of my street, and I could see that someone was using the pay phone on the corner from a few blocks away. It didn't surprise me to see that it was Red Hood, and I figured that he was trying to convince a buddy to get up out of bed and give him a ride because it had started to rain a bit. This didn't mean that I let my attention lag any, though.
I was across the street from Red Hood when I heard two car engines revving along the street and coming towards me fast. A couple of drunks drag racing? Could be, and it might provide a picture I could put up on this blog, So I got my cell phone out and made ready with the crappy camera that came with it. I suppose it shows what kind of life I have led when a couple of cars racing down a deserted street seems more exciting to me than some guy who has his hands hidden and wants to get close to me on that same street, but we have all been shaped by our experiences.
Anyway, it wasn't a couple of drunks looking to get a thrill on their way home, but a pair of police cruisers that were racing along without turning their lights or sirens on. To my surprise they both braked to a stop right across the street from where I was standing, but the streets were slick with rain. The cop in back rammed the one in front, and I snapped the picture below right at the moment of impact.
Sorry about the telephone pole getting in the way, but these things happen. The pay phone that Red Hood is using is just out of frame, right next to the sign that reads "IN".
Anyway, the cops ignored their fender bender and jumped out of their cruisers with guns drawn. "Get down on the ground! On the ground!" they screamed at Red Hood. They obviously didn't want to get too close to him until he assumed the position.
Red Hood, for his part, took a slow step away from the pay phone with his hands plainly visible. When he saw that the officers weren't going to shoot right away, he took off running down a nearby alley with the cops in hot pursuit.
The dogs thought this was all terribly exciting. A car crash, people yelling at one another, and then they played the "Chase Me" game! They were whining and tugging at the leash, hoping that I would let them go so they could play too. Dropping the leash was the last thing I was going to do, though.
Suddenly I was alone on a deserted street once more. The cruiser doors were open, and I thought of closing them so the interior wouldn't get wet in the rain, but decided against it. Besides the fact that the dogs always look at an open car door as the start of a trip to the woods and it would be worse to get muddy paw prints on the seat, I could hear sirens approaching. I didn't want any cops appearing on the scene to get the idea that I was screwing around with their equipment. I did wait until a sergeant arrived to take control of the scene before leaving, just in case one of the teenage kids from the two family of thieves that live next door to me showed up and decided to go for a joy ride.
And that is pretty much it. I went home and started to type up this post, going out on the porch every so often and using my binoculars to see what was going on down the street. Sirens came and went from in front of the IGA, the crime scene guys showed up in their van to dust the phone for prints, and the police helicopter kept buzzing the neighborhood so they could shine that huge spotlight into everyone's back yard.
After about twenty minutes, everyone abruptly packed it up and went home. They must have caught him or else the cops would have spent more time searching the neighborhood.
What was Red Hood wanted for? I have no idea, and will probably never find out. But this does illustrate the fact that vigilance, concealed carry, and a few devoted and loyal dogs will help you avoid a great deal of trouble.
Comments (14)
Interesting post.
I like the point about firearms being useful for defence without having to fire them.
Posted by milo | February 5, 2008 4:40 AM
Posted on February 5, 2008 04:40
Sounds like an exciting evening. I've noticed most trouble occurs from 10pm to 3am. I guess that's when the crazies come out to play.
Glad you were prepared. It was probably obvious to him that you weren't an easy target.
Posted by hammer | February 5, 2008 5:18 AM
Posted on February 5, 2008 05:18
Small dogs are also useful, because nobody wants to get dog bit. A thug on drugs might ignore them, but a sober one probably won't. A single small dog could be dealt with, but three? While you're kicking one, the other two are going to be swarming all over you (been there).
A dog like the (what appears to be a Dachshund mix) one on the left caused the death of a mailman back in the 90s. He was bitten in the morning, but it wasn't serious so he ignored it. Some 12 hours later he was dead from the infection that had spread through his body.
Posted by AlanDP | February 5, 2008 6:08 AM
Posted on February 5, 2008 06:08
A dog like the (what appears to be a Dachshund mix) one on the left....
Someone once told me that he was a beagle/basset hound mix. If someone asks me what kind of dog he is, I just answer "Kind of orange...."
Some 12 hours later he was dead from the infection that had spread through his body.
Sort of like a Gila monster, or one of those Komodo dragons.
James
Posted by James R. Rummel | February 5, 2008 8:52 AM
Posted on February 5, 2008 08:52
You do have the kookiest, awesomest coterie of hounds.
Posted by Scott | February 5, 2008 10:33 AM
Posted on February 5, 2008 10:33
Dang, you don't like in a great part of town, do you? All the IGA's I know of are kinda... dodgy.
Posted by Prestersean | February 5, 2008 5:46 PM
Posted on February 5, 2008 17:46
Amen, Brother...thanks for reminding folks to remain vigilant and I'm glad to hear that the situation ended the way it was supposed to with the cops catching the bad guy. Columbus ain't what it used to be...Keep fighting the good fight, James.
CT
Posted by CT | February 5, 2008 6:02 PM
Posted on February 5, 2008 18:02
Great post! A little more excitement than I prefer in my life....
Posted by Cowboy Blob | February 5, 2008 6:13 PM
Posted on February 5, 2008 18:13
My guess: he'd been making threatening phone calls, maybe to a suicide hot line where he was threatening to make a suicide attack (maybe on a shopping center or something).
He had been moving around, and he made one from that phone booth, and the call was traced and they bagged him.
But unless it hits the papers, we'll probably never know.
Posted by Steven Den Beste | February 5, 2008 7:09 PM
Posted on February 5, 2008 19:09
You should have called the cops and asked. Last time we had a helo circling our neighborhood announcing on the loud speaker that we should lock our doors and windows, and not open our doors to anyone, they circled for hours and then quit. I gave them a call, and found out they hadn't found they guy, but just gave up.
Posted by existingthing | February 5, 2008 8:12 PM
Posted on February 5, 2008 20:12
That's *live* in a great part of town....
Posted by Prestersean | February 5, 2008 8:44 PM
Posted on February 5, 2008 20:44
It's also true that one-quarter of car accidents happen between 10pm and 2am on Friday and Saturday nights.
About a decade ago there was almost a California auto insurance company that would offer coverage for 75% of the going rate, but its customers would not be insured during those four hours each week.
Posted by David V.S. | February 6, 2008 10:04 AM
Posted on February 6, 2008 10:04
Cute doggies!
Posted by Ride Fast | February 14, 2008 3:32 PM
Posted on February 14, 2008 15:32
I live a few blocks away from that IGA and I have been giving serious thought to putting my house on the market this summer (can't imagine how long it will take to sell in the current real estate market). During the last 10+ years I've lived in the neighborhood it has been sad to watch the area fall into further decline.
You have more courage than me to walk in that area so late at night. I don't really feel comfortable walking on that street during the day.
Posted by DJ | February 15, 2008 8:00 PM
Posted on February 15, 2008 20:00