Boy, that is weird, and scary. At least you had the prexence of mind to call 911. I think I would have frozen. Did anyone else do more than honk to help you?
Frank
· 1 year ago
One guy opened his window and was shouting at the guy to let me go. It was crazy...scary.
lruettimann
· 1 year ago
Wow, you're lucky you weren't hurt.
I feel sorry for weird people like that, akshully. What goes wrong in someone's life where they are in a parking lot, in the rain, harassing a guy in a car? Crazy dude needs help.
Frank
· 1 year ago
Gosh, it is a pretty crazy thing. They guy seemed really unstable. I suppose standing out in the rain on a Thursday night "directing" traffic isn't the best job in the world. But the banging on the care and stuff...really aggressive. I'm sure that he did't like how it was going with 500 cars before me, and somehow he didn't like what I did (go straight). A suggestion to the guy...wear refelctive gear and have flashlights if you want to direct traffic in a rainstorm. And don't bang on my car.
Mark Schoneveld
· 1 year ago
Good ol' Philadelphia public servants.
Frank
· 1 year ago
Mark, that was the scary part. This all seemed so unstable. I mean, that's the scary part. People get mad when they're in the rain....but the continuing escalation was crazy. No ID, all in dark clothes, no flashlight, nothing. I mean, for all I knew, it was a crazy guy...right up until he called the other crazies. Nice, huh?
Mark Schoneveld
· 1 year ago
It is nuts. I guess you could *maybe* give the guy the benefit of the doubt (like you were the 17th car not heeding his directions and he finally flipped), but still. There must have been a better way, clearly.
CraftyMoni
· 1 year ago
that's frightening! And the fact that he lied to the police, saying that you tried to run him over. He clear was/is not right in the head. Hopefully his supervisor was told about the incident.
Merci
· 1 year ago
On Mischief Night I had Troopers at my door at 11:45 pm. They were dressed in swat gear, they had a German Shepherd search dog with them, and one of them was aiming a rifle with a light on it into my home. They had been searching for someone for several hours (with a helicopter circling overhead and cruisers driving around with search lignts). They said the dog led them right to my front steps. The dog was wrong, but how do you dispute that if they don't believe you? I guess they did believe it, because they left.
It's scary when you're confronted with the authorities in a threatening situation that could go the wrong way if they don't believe you. And I really didn't like having a gun aimed into my home.
howard
· 1 year ago
Ouch! That would scare the hell out of me.
I wonder if they told you the dog led them there, hoping you'd voluntarily consent to a search. My neighbor is a cop, and he told me they use certain workarounds in situations where there is a particular sense of urgency. Not exactly honest, but apparently not illegal either.
Frank
· 1 year ago
Dang, Merci. That is some kind of scary. It's always right in the balance when things like that happen. My dad was a cop for his whole career, and the stories e would tell. Scary how stuff can jump off the tracks so quickly.
howard
· 1 year ago
I think you lucked out that there's no law against "trying" to run someone over unless you succeed to some extent ;)
I had a similar experience in Newark, NJ, many years ago, but my run-in was with a cop whose esoteric hand gestures I somehow failed to understand. Fortunately, I was able to avoid incarceration, but it was touch and go for a few moments.
Maybe the root issue is that many people fail to factor clarity into their communication routine. Sadly for the rest of us, such people tend to be the norm in jobs where these skills would be most useful.
Frank
· 1 year ago
Howard, you're right. And since the police officer was so blase about the whole thing, I think it'll blow over. But who knows in this litigious society? I cannot still imagine what the problem was...and as you say, the very people who need to be clear are often the worst. Scary about the one with the cop and you...they can get you no matter what. Close.
PaxRomano
· 1 year ago
My god, brother, I don't stop around here in a few days and THIS happens!
Of course you were scared. It all sounds rather surreal. With my luck, my cell phone would not have been charged.
Oh, and Frank, stop playing Death Race 2000 (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)
Frank
· 1 year ago
Dude...it was creepy. And no points in Death Race 2000 for hitting a guy dressed in dark clothes standing in a howling rainstorm. ;-)
All Comments
I feel sorry for weird people like that, akshully. What goes wrong in someone's life where they are in a parking lot, in the rain, harassing a guy in a car? Crazy dude needs help.
It's scary when you're confronted with the authorities in a threatening situation that could go the wrong way if they don't believe you. And I really didn't like having a gun aimed into my home.
I wonder if they told you the dog led them there, hoping you'd voluntarily consent to a search. My neighbor is a cop, and he told me they use certain workarounds in situations where there is a particular sense of urgency. Not exactly honest, but apparently not illegal either.
I had a similar experience in Newark, NJ, many years ago, but my run-in was with a cop whose esoteric hand gestures I somehow failed to understand. Fortunately, I was able to avoid incarceration, but it was touch and go for a few moments.
Maybe the root issue is that many people fail to factor clarity into their communication routine. Sadly for the rest of us, such people tend to be the norm in jobs where these skills would be most useful.
Of course you were scared. It all sounds rather surreal. With my luck, my cell phone would not have been charged.
Oh, and Frank, stop playing Death Race 2000 (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)