A weird thing happened today. About six policemen showed up at my apartment complex and they were in their bulletproof vests and had big guns, the whole nine yards. I saw that they were banging on my friend's door and yelling for her to come out, threatening to knock down the door. My friend is a single woman in her early 20's and a fellow Fuller student (I knew something was wrong). I didn't know if she was home and scared or just not there. But when they started pulling guns I ran outside and yelled, "What are you doing!?" and that it was my friend's house and she's a single girl and if she's home probably scared to death. Well they yelled at me not to move and got very threatening. I kept saying something was wrong, and I was ready to run up and grab any fleeing cats if they kicked down the door. My manager was downstairs and motioned for me to come over. He told me they had a federal warrant and to stop it. I told him there was a mistake. Well lo and behold, he goes away and next thing I know the cops are heading for a different apartment to start over the banging and the yelling! I mean, how idiotic!! And I think it was the manager's fault, but I can't be sure. They seemed pissed at him. They told me later they try to avoid that happening (obviously). Fortunately, I called my friend and she hadn't been home at all.
They did wind up taking away a guy who's been in and out of another friend's apartment (this woman, also single, is a law student at USC and also someone I'd never imagine to be in trouble). I know she has a boyfriend who lives out of town and a brother who lives locally, so perhaps it was him. I don't know why anybody else would be in her place - she wasn't home. She's our catsitter, but I don't know her well enough to guess what's up. I thought about calling her to tell her what was happening (I have her cell) but then I realized that if she was in trouble and took off, I'd be an accessory to that and that is probably not good. I would have gone to jail to protect my other friend, because I know her well enough to know it wasn't her they were after. My guess is they only knew it was a guy at a single girl's place so the manager guessed, since they live next door to each other and both frequently have boyfriends/brothers over (although my friend's boyfriend is in the Air Force so it would have been really hysterical if they'd tried to arrest him!).
It wasn't until several minutes later that I realized how incredibly stupid I'd been. These officers were pumped and had guns drawn. I could easily have been shot or arrested. But I swear, I'm just a total ignoramus when it comes to these things! I've never been around police when it wasn't either a noise complaint or a cat stuck in a tree. It never occurred to me that it might be dangerous (for myself or the officers) to distract them. I now feel like a certifiable idiot. I've definitely learned a lesson about trying to butt into situations where police are involved. There are just some times in life when you can't reason with people or protest with your own knowledge or logic. There are times when they have the power and you better hush up. Hopefully I'll be smarter next time. Hopefully there won't be a next time! I was shaky with adrenaline and fear for an hour. Not fun.
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2 comments:
Well, you did get quite a crack on the head the other day.
It may not have been "smart," but if I had a neighbor or a friend who'd run out the door to yell at scary men with guns in order to protect me, I'd feel pretty loved. That's the perspective that coming to me as I read your post.
Amazing....and scarey! I admire your bravery. I probably would have been cowering inside peeking out between the curtains. Yeah, in hindsight what you did seems stupid but you acted on instinct to protect someone else without regard for your own safety. We need more people like you in this world!
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