Police actually do their job, first hand account!

This is a story about my encounter with a violent man and the Police response.
If you are interested in police encounters, (hater or lover alike) read through the entire account, all of it is 100% true (and yes, wordy, sorry)

I was driving home from work last week when I was involved in a hair raising incident, the route I take goes through a typical mid level city neighborhood. I turned a corner and saw that there were cars backed up which is unusual because I take this route because it is never busy. I realize that they are all stopped at a stop sign up ahead and cars are pulling U-Turns, I think "Oh great" an accident, what fool caused this" , so I get to "my turn" at the stop sign and I see it isn't an accident, it's a tall man in his underwear in the middle of the street standing over a very overweight woman repeatedly hitting her.. HARD

Note: I know now that the guy is Haitian, so I will refer to him as such because I do not know his name.
This isn't a slur, dig or attempt to profile, it just is.

I stared at them for what seemed like an eternity, I don't encounter stuff like this .. ever.
It felt like I stared for 10 minutes but actually it was probably no more than 15 seconds. My mind was racing, what do I do? There are several men standing around doing nothing, some are trying to talk to the guy, but no one is doing anything. he's just beating her repeatedly. The cars behind me are pulling U-turns. (this makes me mad) I can't just leave and let this guy beat her like that. I am not a hero; I just pretend to be one in my mind (like most of us).

I see one guy getting close to him but not doing anything but saying things like "calm down.." 'take it easy".
Dozens of people just watching. I am getting pissed, I pull through the stop sign to the other side of the street, turn off the ignition and pocket the keys (also took my radio out of it's deck and felt like an ass for doing it, I was in a "bad" neighborhood)

Now keep in mind, I am not a cop, not trained in any of this...
I walk over to the commotion "purposefully", nod to one guy who is relatively close to the Haitian and then to the other one talking to him. I have only the slightest idea of what I am going to do, I figure I am going to use my voice in a powerful way to get this guys attention then just wing it. Before I do that one of the guys gives the Haitian a slight shove that knocks him off balance just a tad. (I didn’t notice at the time that this guy looked a LOT like the Haitian) Anyway, my brain immediately made my body do something I always thought I could do but never thought I truly would do.

I grabbed the Haitian around the throat from the back, kicked my foot into the back of his knee and down we went.
Thankfully, after the slight tumble, his arms ended up crossed and I was in a position to grab his forearm near the upper wrist which was over the other arm and put my knee on the side of his head into the dirt. He was fairly incapacitated.

I was not really scared, but I was.. I don't know how to describe it. I knew that if I let this guy up he'd probably hurt me or the woman but at the same time I didn't want to hurt him. In a calm voice (totally contradictory to my inside demeanor) I told one guy to grab his other forearm and the other to hold his knees down so he couldn't get up. The other guy (knee) declined to help. But I'd gotten some help on the arms. The Haitian was strong, but he was out of gas due to hitting the woman.

The Haitian started chanting weird stuff and saying he was going to kill me, his wife and lots of other people.
He started stirring like he was getting his strength back and he was beginning to wiggle free, so I did the only thing I could, put more force into his arms and drove his head into the dirt harder with my weight on my knee. This slowed him down some.
I tried to explain I didn't want to hurt him and I would ease up if he did, but I didn't seem to be getting through.

To my alarm. No police yet.. Where the hell were they? It felt like I was holding him for 10 minutes.
After all of this, still no one else helped except us two "white" guys. Did I mention that? Did I also mention that it was about now that I realized that almost everyone else milling about was Haitian as well? No? Seems like I might have wanted to consider this possibility before jumping the gun. Just as one of the bigger guys was starting to come towards me I hear screech of tires and a siren. Then I am hoping beyond hope they get there quick because I am losing my grip from all the blood (did I mention that?) making my hands slippery.

All of a sudden a young cop practically dives over me trying to jam the cuffs on the Haitian, but he is doing it wrong, he is trying to get them around a meaty part of his forearm just above where I am holding instead of the wrist. He's starts yelling "you're gonna get tazed if you don't relax". I am thinking "Don't taze him bro" (I don't want the supplemental shock)

************
Ok, time out here, I know what you're thinking... the guy is incapacitated, a cop, two guys on him, no need to taze him right?
Well... not so much, see the guy is just about to get lose, the cop only has half a cuff on a huge forearm, he is struggling mightily and someone is about to get hurt.
************

Ok, back in... he repeats his attempt and his commands... "you're gonna get tazed if you don't relax."
I am thinking, IDIOT, cuff the wrist! Cuff the wrist!!

Right about then a barking police dog scared the one o'clock sub sandwich out of me and I let go and jumped back about 8 feet. Then three cops were on him and got him cuffed. Sweet shaky bliss engulfed me.
A fourth cop got into the face of the guy who was coming toward me just a second or two ago yelling "Back up, I'll taze you, back up back up back up" He was seriously threatening the guy over and over. To me initially it all looked like it was going to spiral out of control. For a second I thought of all the reports on ATS and how I might be involved in an unjustified tazing or abuse.

But nothing happened beyond that. The officers were professional if not seemingly overly authoritative and belligerent.
That was just my first reaction. After a few minutes in cuffs they started talking to the guy normal.

After about 30 minutes of my calming down, I realized they did EXACTLY what they were supposed to do.
They seemed overly authoritative and belligerent but it fit the situation to get it all in order. A cell phone camera might not have given the whole story, or worse, would have made ME look like an abuser.
They came in, acted like they were in charge, got everyone back quickly and took down the "suspect".

The other white guy happened to be visiting someone and neither of us knew that we were probably very lucky to have gotten out of that unhurt. Two bystanders said everyone thought I was a cop. (I find that funny since my body felt like it was shaking uncontrollably during the entire situation)

I guess my point of relating this story as it regards to the police is

1. Every situation can potentially be life threatening to those involved.
2. Not all cops are out to get us.
3. We do not realize how adrenalin will totally take a person over.
4. The whole story should always be considered when all you have is a clip.
5. I never want to be a cop, ever.

Now, this isn't a defense for police who abuse suspects or anything like that, this is just for those of you who think every cop is an ass and is corrupt. There are good officers, and those officers are put in harms way every day.

My point of relating this story as my part being involved is just getting it off my chest and into print.
It was a big deal to me, I felt like I helped in some way, one less punch in the head for some woman who will undoubtedly be punched again shortly. It may have not been much, but it helps to know I am not a totally useless scumbag who would just stand around.

I've always secretly worried about that.

Good for you.

People will tell you you're crazy for getting involved. I ask them, how can you be human and sit there and do NOTHING?

Glad you're ok.

I don't know you but can tell you the world needs more people like you! One of my daughters was in an abusive relationship and a similar thing happened to her. With all sorts of people in the neighborhood standing around her so called boyfriend was beating the hell out of her right in a busy intersection. Some woman that she had never seen before, nor has seen since, pulled up and tried to run his butt over and opened her car door and brought my daughter all the way to my house. I applaud you for not sitting by and thinking it was not your business. Too many men won't intercede when another man is "having problems" with his so called woman.

Though I don't like cops much at all, I do agree that the good ones do one heck of a tough job. It is no easy task to be that out numbered and keep order, things spiral out of control very fast! Yet I think they overuse this new toy of theirs, the taser and threaten people too much.

Star for you.

Good job on being a citizen and a good man. All too many people don't think well (or at all) of LEO until they need one. You made an outstanding point about how a single cell phone pic, or a short vid from the wrong angle could make you out to be the bad guy that is just beating an immigrant.

As for the belligerent tone, it is better for a LEO to be able to take charge psychologically than physically.

Again, good job.

A job well done by a good citizen. No one should stand around watching in such an incident. And an excellent point made by the topic; surely if all cops were corrupt, there would be many many more videos.

I have also find it to be a good idea to watch self-defense videos, and police training videos when possible. Planting the techniques in your mind to be accessed by your instincts later is an excellent way to be prepared for the unknown.

I think that your response was awesome.

I think that the police have to deal with hundreds or thousands of these situations, across the US, everyday. Most don't end with the cry of police brutality.

I don't think that we could be the nation that we are today without some sort of police authority.

For all the people that hate the police, who do you call when you encounter a man beating someone else?

Who do you call when there's a robbery?

Who do you call when you see a deranged person with a knife?

I think its fair to say there are The good guys in police, the bad guys and the very bad guys.

It is wrong to say that all police are something.

Originally posted by MR BOB
I think its fair to say there are The good guys in police, the bad guys and the very bad guys.

It is wrong to say that all police are something.

I think we could apply that to everyone, every profession, the entire human race. I wish we did have a segment that was above the rest, but we're all human.


To everyone:
Thanks for the positive comments guys!

Originally posted by redhead57

Though I don't like cops much at all, I do agree that the good ones do one heck of a tough job. It is no easy task to be that out numbered and keep order, things spiral out of control very fast! Yet I think they overuse this new toy of theirs, the taser and threaten people too much.

I used to agree, until this situation.

I could see exactly how it could go wrong and the officer could be in mortal danger. There were dozens of people on the street watching, crowding the officers, they needed to get control. All it takes in one guy to rush them.

At the time I actually wanted to tell the officer to stop threatening the "bystanders", that they weren't involved, but after a while I realized why they did what they did, how they did it was the right way.

If I had only seen a clip on YouTube of the more "exciting" parts I might not have the same perspective (as many of us are guilty of here).

Also, we see things on a "per incident" basis, they live this every day.
You don't see the videos of cops getting killed on YouTube, Al Sharpton isn't out on the street with a bullhorn when a cop dies. We do not see how a simple domestic call can turn into a deadly battle in seconds.

Personally, after this situation, I am more convinced that cops have a tougher job then any of us really give them credit for.

Again, I am not defending the idiots... I am just saying we need to start giving most of them the benefit of the doubt.


I couldn't do their job.

btw...thanks for the nice comments it's appreciated.

congrats you are my new best friend

FINALLY someone with some reason here. Not all police are bad and I would wager that most..a VAST majority of the responses by police are ot oppressive and they act as expected and by the book.

Thanks for sticking up for those who do work that those of us wouldn't want to

-Kyo

Well Done.

I believe that if we want to live in a world where good things happen, we each need to take steps to make good things happen in our own world. Even if you only saved that woman a single punch, you did for someone with no expectation of anything in return. It's not often on here that I get the opportunity to commend someone for their thoughtfulness. Good Job.

..Ex

I am not overstating the case when I say that you are a hero. Heroes are just like everybody else, except that they step in when others don't. Not because they feel no fear, not because they are not scared. They do it because it is the right thing to do.

Well done to you. If each of us made a stand, not necessarily in such a dynamic circumstance as the one you describe, our society would be a better place. You took on a responsibility because it was right.

As for the police, I have worked with the police for a while and understand the pressures they operate under a little bit better than I did before - especially as a result governmental motivations that have politicised the rule of law and the role of the police.

This in no way vindicates the "bad apples" but we must not forget that the days of "Dixon of Dock Green" no longer exist (c.1950's & 60's for those too young to remember).

This is a sad story in many respects, however, above all it stands as testimony to the fact that people - we - can make a difference and drag our society back from the brink.

Great job!!!

There was a study done on mob mentality, and you violated all the molds, lol! A single person is much more likely to help than a group of people. For you to rush in amongst a group of people and not only help, but solicit help from others is huge!!

I sincerely hope that woman is with her family right now, and your risk and efforts were worthwhile!

I wonder if the time-frame of a cop response was because of the neighborhood? They may have been sitting just around the corner waiting for back-up while you rushed in foolhearty! Some neighborhoods, especially ethnic ones, are designated in a way that cops don't enter without backup. It is a well-deserved restriction as you found out first hand. They would rather kill each other unmolested, than have an "outsider" come in and enforce the laws.