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This was so odd. I caught a bit of the story last nite on the news . . . and then this small blurb. From what I can ascertain, the burglar realized a neighbor was aware that a break-in was in progress, so the burglar shot at the guy.
This was so odd. I caught a bit of the story last nite on the news . . . and then this small blurb. From what I can ascertain, the burglar realized a neighbor was aware that a break-in was in progress, so the burglar shot at the guy.
Ani, the neighbor confronted the guys - from a distance - by yelling at them, so they shot at him! It was also reported these two are believed to be the same guys responsible for some breakins in Matthews and other parts of south Charlotte. Too bad the neighbor who was shot at didn't call 911 BEFORE he shouted at them, maybe the cops would have gotten there in time to catch them.
Ani, the neighbor confronted the guys - from a distance - by yelling at them, so they shot at him! It was also reported these two are believed to be the same guys responsible for some breakins in Matthews and other parts of south Charlotte. Too bad the neighbor who was shot at didn't call 911 BEFORE he shouted at them, maybe the cops would have gotten there in time to catch them.
On Wed., I was leaving my house, and when I pulled out, I realized a car that does not belong in our neighborhood was awkwardly parked in front of my neighbor's house. So I drove past it and then decided - well, my neighbor COULD be at home and this is someone who is supposed to be there . . . so I parked and started to walk up to the house and knock on the door and find out what was going on. But then I realized my neighbor's study light wasn't on and I knew he had left out that morning . . . so I decided BAD IDEA - what if a thief were inside and decided to shoot at me? Then I thought - okay - that is really being overly dramatic.
So I got back in the car and drove around the culdesac so I could get the license tag and car description and write it down in case I found out later that indeed, a burglary was in progress.
Then I thought - heck - so what if I got the tag info . . . these robbers are stealing cars . . .
Now, I hate to call 911 b/c I always think I am wasting an officer's time b/c I am hyper vigilant . . . but I decided - why not? What if there were a burglary in progress?
Would you believe after I made my report and was driving up 485, my cell rang and it was the officer wanting to ask me some more questions! I was blown away! That was amazing!!! He was soooo nice . . . informed me the car was not stolen . . . but it didn't belong in our neighborhood (was registered to someone who did not live nearby at all) and so he was going to look around the premises - and he THANKED ME for calling 911 and reporting the info.
I have not seen my neighbor to ask him what went on . . . still have no clue why that car was there . . . it was gone by the time I got back that evening.
When I read this story, I thought exactly what you said, Loves. What if I had just gone and snooped around . . . instead of calling 911 . . . and there had been a burglarly in process?
And I also wanted to state publicly how amazed I was at this officer calling me back and THANKING ME for calling 911. Blew me away.
CharMeck police are my heroes. These guys are some of the best I've seen.
Hey, Spiderbear! Well, the ones who I have met have been really dedicated. I just had to share my experience b/c that officer did not have to check in w/ me or reassure me I had done the right thing by calling. I am going to take time this weekend to write a note to thank him for being concerned and so reassuring to me. I was afraid I was over-reacting and would look like a loony but he made me feel I had done the right thing. I really really appreciated that.
It's nice to hear a good story about the police in contrast to all the negative ones you seem to hear lately.
Better safe than sorry. Better to be a good witness than a dead hero.
Spanky! Nice to see your post. Yes, I agree. I gotta tell ya - I am gonna have to start re-thinking the way I do things. I would have just marched up to my neighbor's house (in the past) and snooped around to make sure nothing was going on, but after all the thugs w/ guns - and stories about how they are using them on homeowners . . . I believe it is no longer very wise to do that. So you are right. Better to be a good witness.
Sad to think that the next time I see something suspicious, I need to grab my Mossberg b/f I go check something out. Just too "Wild West" for me to grasp . . . but that is what I later thought - that I would never venture out to check something again w/o the shotgun in hand. Now that is past ridiculous that I would even have that thought!!! Better to just dial 911 and let the cops figure it out. I can't believe things have gotten to the point that I would feel I would need to carry my shotgun around in a suburban neighborhood.
here's a story for you, ani. a couple of years ago, i took my dog out at night for a last walk at around 10:30-ish and as i walked through the cul-de-sac-style parking lot of my townhouse, i noticed a jeep that didn't belong there. as i walked behind it, i noticed that the engine was still ticking, so i knew whoever it was had recently arrived, but i just kept walking, running over in my head who the person could be visiting.
barnaby and i got to the end of the parking lot and were circing around to come back down the other side, and this guy, dressed completely in black down to the hat on his head, comes out of nowhere.
now, keep in mind, i am already on my toes because this jeep doesn't belong there and because of some other odd things that are going on in the -hood, and STILL this guy is quick enough that he surprises me. to this day, i STILL don't know where he came from. another part of the parking lot? behind the bushes? i don't know.
he looks at me, i look at him, poised to take off...and he just hurries past in the rain/drizzle, gets in the jeep, and takes off.
now because of the other things happening in the neighborhood, i was reluctant to report this guy if i didn't KNOW he hadn't been up to anything. but, at the same time, we didn't know who was up to some of the funny stuff that was going on, and it had just been so odd and it didn't FEEL right. so i sat on the info for a day or two, and then emailed our community contact with the police.
i was really surprised, but he was on it quickly. he actually looked up the vehicle, called the owner, and reported back to me that the owner was an elderly man who lived close to my neighborhood. the police officer strongly felt that it was nothing to worry about...which made me feel better, and, also, worse...because the guy driving that jeep that night was no elderly gentleman. so, i guess that was a mystery that is never going to be solved.
but my point is! the police were on it FAST. they took the call very seriously, and wasted no time identifying the owner of the vehicle. i was very happy with the way they handled the situation.
Hey, Barndog!!!! How is Barnaby doing since his last bout of Lyme Disease, btw???
Well, you make a good point. There are times that reporting something could give a key piece of info that would help solve a crime or ongoing problem . . . and so I guess it is better to just report things and let PD figure out what is (or isn't) going on.
I always think - uh, probably over-reacting - don't wanna create a drama here over nothing . . .and I also don't want to get the reputation of the neighborhood nutball. But I guess since I have only had to call the police 2 x in six years . . . that wouldn't qualify as a chronic histronic female, would it? I just don't want to call in false alarms cause then when something happens and I give them my address . . . some officer may think - oh boy, Miss Hysterical again.
you know, ani, isn't that frustrating? to have to walk that fine line? you see something that you KNOW is not right, and still you do hesitate thinking all the thoughts you mentioned.
in my case, i worked from home and/or was on leave, so i naturally was the one seeing all the crazy things going on (*the gang members rolling in, parking in our lot, and walking to the apts next door to handle their drug business; *the truant high school kids coming through and casing out the townhouses -- one of which they set on fire; etc). very frustrating stuff for this nice neighborhood i lived in.
so i only reported the things i just couldn't ignore and still i questioned myself every single time to make sure i wasn't stumbling into that hysterical female arena.
oh, and here's something else i saw crazy at around the same time as the guy in the jeep. again, walking barnaby, this time mid-day, this time down on the corner by the shopping center. a silver/gray-ish dodge magnum comes flying in from park road, i mean really roaring. i noticed this car because it was very intimidating looking, dark tinted windows and loud, and because i was standing on the corner all by myself, very vulnerable with just the little one.
i can't really explain this, but i sort of froze there when it went by. i felt sort of hunted almost, like the people inside had their eyes on me even though i couldn't see them. i watched it long enough to see that it turned in behind the harris teeter, into a credit union that's at this particular location. then, it gave me the creeps enough that i walked barnaby the rest of the way home the back way through our townhouses so that i wasn't out on the street.
so i get home and get back to routine stuff and turn on the tv...only to see that the credit union has just been robbed and that witnesses are saying the thieves escaped in a silver suv.
i'm like, nope, not an suv, a magnum, debated for about 10 minutes, and called the detective's number they had given out.
here's the WORST thing...i didn't get the license plate when it went by b/c i was studying the windows so hard trying to see who was inside. the detective was so nice, but SO frustrated that i didn't have that plate number. i still kick myself for that one.
(oh, and thank you for remembering barnaby. he actually has rocky mountain spotted fever, which he contracted last year in november, and now he has it AGAIN. it is so frustrating! also, he had cat scratch fever this summer, but luckily he's still testing negative for that. my poor little dog. he's on doxycycline again, and with luck that will clear him up!)
Last edited by barndog; 12-13-2008 at 06:16 PM..
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