Nighttime Adventure: Wrongly Accused of Knife Threatening

[zoobyshoe]

Zoobies are primarily nocturnal creatures and earlier, about 2:30 A.M., I was out striding down the sidewalk in front of a little shopping mall getting some fresh air and exercise, when I suddenly realized there were car headlights aimed right at me from behind. I turned and simultaneously prepared to run because it seemed a vehicle was about to ram into me.

Instead, it stopped, the doors sprang open, and I heard "POLICE! STOP RIGHT THERE!" So I froze.

Another cruiser pulled up, stopped, and the doors sprang open. "GET DOWN ON THE GROUND NOW OR YOU'RE GOING TO BE SHOT!"

I laid down on the cement on my stomach. "PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR BACK!" I did and one of them came over and proceeded to put the cuffs on.

He started patting my pockets "Where's your knife?"

"I...don't have a knife."

"..." was an unintentional pause that arose from the fact I was breathing like someone having a panic attack.

"Why did you show your knife to the clerk?"

"What...clerk?"

"Why did you show your knife to the clerk?"

"Officer...I have no idea what...you're talking about."

Then one of them made a funny noise, a sort of grunt of surprise.

"Hey! There he is! Over there"

All four of them ran off across the parking lot, leaving me on my stomach on the sidewalk with my hands cuffed behind my back. With headlights and a spot light on me.

About 5 minutes later one of them came back. "O.K. Sir, we're really, really sorry. Someone threatened the cashier in the gas station back there with a knife and you fit the description." He unlocked the handcuffs.

"So, it was that guy over there? You caught him?"

"Yeah".

He apologized several more times, tried to explain, thanked me profusely for being cooperative with all the orders, gave me his badge number and his Seargent's number. Blah, blah, blah, and let me go.
--------------------------------------------------
I walked away, inwardly smiling the smug, self contented smile of the criminal mastermind. Little did he know the threat to society he had had in his grasp, but inadvertently let go.

A mere twenty minutes previously I had savagely, ruthlessly crossed an intersection against a red light.

 

[rhody]

Zooby,

Between the tooth story and being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I would stay low for a bit if I were you. For me at least, not that I am superstitious, weird or bad things used to happen in three's.

Rhody...

 

[MotoH]

You've got to to settle down man! Think of the wife and kids! Reckless endangerment I do say!

 

[rewebster]

you could have asked one of them to pose for a drawing

 

[zoobyshoe]

Zooby,

Between the tooth story and being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I would stay low for a bit if I were you. For me at least, not that I am superstitious, weird or bad things used to happen in three's.

Rhody...

There's much irony in conjunction with the tooth story. I mentioned to the guy with the new bridge that I did not like going to Tijuana because I was particularly afraid of the police down there. You hear stories. Here, in San Diego, I said, the cops are on your side and don't harrass people.

 

[zoobyshoe]

You've got to to settle down man! Think of the wife and kids! Reckless endangerment I do say!

Wife and kids? Officer, I don't know what you're talking about.

you could have asked one of them to pose for a drawing

That's actually the first thought that came into my head after he said "GET DOWN ON THE GROUND NOW OR YOU'LL BE SHOT!" But then I thought, "This guy doesn't really feel comfortable enough around me to pose for a drawing.

 

[Evo]

Good grief zoob, how scary! What if they hadn't seen that other guy, they would have dragged you to jail, booked you, then you'd have to wait for a line up, where the crazed woman would have pointed you out because the police would have told her they nabbed the guy...

Don't leave the house.

 

[GeorginaS]

That incident surely would have taken a few years off of my life. I'm glad you're okay.

Perhaps you ought to quit having exiting nights.

 

[BobG]

That incident surely would have taken a few years off of my life. I'm glad you're okay.

Perhaps you ought to quit having exiting nights.

... and start having entrancing nights?

 

[GeorginaS]

... and start having entrancing nights?

Hee!

 

[rhody]

There's much irony in conjunction with the tooth story. I mentioned to the guy with the new bridge that I did not like going to Tijuana because I was particularly afraid of the police down there. You hear stories. Here, in San Diego, I said, the cops are on your side and don't harrass people.

FYI. I lived in SD in the late 70's to early 80's and even back then I would not drive anywhere in Mexico after dark. Used to go to Ensenada shopping, etc... but probably would not do so now. Was in Tijuana about 5 years ago, and during the day it was fine if you stayed on the main streets, but would be very careful about where and what you ate or drank. Have been sick more than once having come back from Mexico over the years.

Hope you have a turn of fortune without any more bad incidents.

Rhody...

 

[cronxeh]

One evening I was stopped by cops three times in 1 hour. First time frisked, second time the dispatcher looked up the wrong plates on my car and cops thought plates did not match the car, and third time just because my description matched the description of a man who was being stopped by cops (first time I got frisked). Needless to say running into 6 cops in a span of an hour can be fun, being frisked by a guy not so much. I was hoping the female partner was going to frisk me, to no avail Yeah there is no way I am getting down on the ground. Then walk around with dirty clothe? I don't think so.

 

[DanP]

Police. I wonder how much did they changed since LA Riots.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Good grief zoob, how scary! What if they hadn't seen that other guy, they would have dragged you to jail, booked you, then you'd have to wait for a line up, where the crazed woman would have pointed you out because the police would have told her they nabbed the guy...

Don't leave the house.

Even if I stay home a gang of Bank Repo thugs is just going to force their way in, wreck the place and steal my parrot, then apologize for having gotten the wrong house.

You're right, I was very lucky they spotted the other guy. My main fear was that I was going to have to spend hours in a cell until they arranged for the clerk to have a look at me.

That incident surely would have taken a few years off of my life. I'm glad you're okay.

Perhaps you ought to quit having exiting nights.

I don't know. Nothing gets the adrenalin going like being held at gunpoint by the cops. It'd be a hard habit to kick.

FYI. I lived in SD in the late 70's to early 80's and even back then I would not drive anywhere in Mexico after dark. Used to go to Ensenada shopping, etc... but probably would not do so now. Was in Tijuana about 5 years ago, and during the day it was fine if you stayed on the main streets, but would be very careful about where and what you ate or drank. Have been sick more than once having come back from Mexico over the years.

Hope you have a turn of fortune without any more bad incidents.

Thanks.

I have no interest in TJ. It's a very weird, unsettling, place. I've heard all kinds of unpleasant stories. What bothers me about the cops is "La Mordida". They can stop you, accuse you of having broken some law you've never heard of, then demand you pay the fine on the spot or go down to the station.

 

[Lisa!]

Wife and kids? Officer, I don't know what you're talking about.

I can't hear you! Could you please repeat what you just said?:grumpy:

 

[zoobyshoe]

OYeah there is no way I am getting down on the ground. Then walk around with dirty clothe? I don't think so.

You'd have died with clean clothes, I guess.

 

[Dembadon]

It was wise to cooperate. Not only because they had their guns drawn (:rofl:), but I'd imagine giving them any lip might have encouraged them to be excessively rough in handcuffing/restraining you.[off-topic]

I hope I don't come off as insensitive about your experience when I say that you possesses some excellent writing skills. The ability to paint a vivid picture with words, and express such an event so clearly without making the story sound repetitive, choppy, or mechanical, is apparent in your writing! Have you written any short stories?

[/off-topic]

 

[zoobyshoe]

I can't hear you! Could you please repeat what you just said?:grumpy:

Um..we have kids? You really should have told me.

 

[turbo]

My freshman year in college, campus cops were OK, but town cops would roust you in a heartbeat on suspicion of "everything" if you had long hair and facial hair. One cold winter's night I was heading to a friend's place with my trusty old Gibson guitar when a cruiser pulled up and the cop demanded that I open my guitar case. I refused, and he started to get real jerky about it. I told him that I would gladly go back to the station with him, and after the guitar got acclimated to the temperature, I'd open the case, even though he had NO probable-cause to be searching me. I explained as patiently as I could that opening the case out in the sub-zero temperatures or in his over-heated cruiser would make the finish craze like broken eggshells, and that HE would have to pay for the guitar. He mumbled something about it being the end of his shift, and let me go. I don't miss those days.

(Edited to replace "over-hated" though the Freudian version may have been more appropriate.)

 

[cronxeh]

You'd have died with clean clothes, I guess.

I have a few magical words that can make them lower their guns, but obviously I won't use them unless I was sure they were trigger happy

 

[rhody]

Thanks.

I have no interest in TJ. It's a very weird, unsettling, place. I've heard all kinds of unpleasant stories. What bothers me about the cops is "La Mordida". They can stop you, accuse you of having broken some law you've never heard of, then demand you pay the fine on the spot or go down to the station.

Yep, same was true back then, late 70's - early 80's too, its sad how little has changed there. Because of the extreme poverty any way to make money, including shaking down tourists (by the police) is pretty much accepted. If you do travel there I would recommend you carry cash in two or three places on your body, hidden belt pocket, socks, under sneaker inserts, etc... because without it if something bad does happen you have no way to bribe your way out of there.

Rhody...

 

[zoobyshoe]

It was wise to cooperate. Not only because they had their guns drawn (:rofl:), but I'd imagine giving them any lip might have encouraged them to be excessively rough in handcuffing/restraining you.

It was pretty clear they were after someone for something violent so I wanted to make sure I didn't seem remotely violent.

[off-topic]I hope I don't come off as insensitive about your experience when I say that you possesses some excellent writing skills. The ability to paint a vivid picture with words, and express such an event so clearly without making the story sound repetitive, choppy, or mechanical, is apparent in your writing! Have you written any short stories?[/off-topic]

Thanks! No, no short stories. I think what you're seeing is the result of the fact it's been so cold in San Diego this Winter that I have spent hours and hours curled up reading novels. Three or four a week since around Thanksgiving. I may have inadvertently sponged up some of the writing mannerisms of those authors by constant exposure.

 

[Lisa!]

Um..we have kids? You really should have told me.

Nope, we don't!

 

[zoobyshoe]

My freshman year in college, campus cops were OK, but town cops would roust you in a heartbeat on suspicion of "everything" if you had long hair and facial hair. One cold winter's night I was heading to a friend's place with my trusty old Gibson guitar when a cruiser pulled up and the cop demanded that I open my guitar case. I refused, and he started to get real jerky about it. I told him that I would gladly go back to the station with him, and after the guitar got acclimated to the temperature, I'd open the case, even though he had NO probable-cause to be searching me. I explained as patiently as I could that opening the case out in the sub-zero temperatures or in his over-hated cruiser would make the finish craze like broken eggshells, and that HE would have to pay for the guitar. He mumbled something about it being the end of his shift, and let me go. I don't miss those days.

I remember those days. The cops were fascisti. I never had any run ins with them but most people I knew had stories.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Yep, same was true back then, late 70's - early 80's too, its sad how little has changed there. Because of the extreme poverty any way to make money, including shaking down tourists (by the police) is pretty much accepted. If you do travel there I would recommend you carry cash in two or three places on your body, hidden belt pocket, socks, under sneaker inserts, etc... because without it if something bad does happen you have no way to bribe your way out of there.

Aiii Caramba!

 

[zoobyshoe]

Nope, we don't!

Do we have any pets?

 

[Lisa!]

Do we have any pets?

Not sure of that since I had a miscarriage!

 

[MotoH]

Yep, same was true back then, late 70's - early 80's too, its sad how little has changed there. Because of the extreme poverty any way to make money, including shaking down tourists (by the police) is pretty much accepted. If you do travel there I would recommend you carry cash in two or three places on your body, hidden belt pocket, socks, under sneaker inserts, etc... because without it if something bad does happen you have no way to bribe your way out of there.

Rhody...

Also, carry a gun and shoot anyone who comes near.
This is actual footage from TJ. It is a tourist vs. a local.

 

[hypatia]

Good job Zooby. Any tale that you live to tell, is a good one.

 

[DanP]

I remember those days. The cops were fascisti. I never had any run ins with them but most people I knew had stories.

They didn't changed much. What changed is the stimulus which makes them engage in "fascist" behaviors.