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It was a warm July evening in 1998. My dad was inside the 7-11,
getting a cup of coffee, while Mom and I waited in the van. The heat
was almost unbearable, a situation that was worsened by the fact that
the air conditioner in the van had not been working properly.
Suddenly, there was a flurry of activity inside the store, with my
dad at the center of attention. An older woman rushed out of the 7-11
and grabbed a payphone outside the building. My mother pointed out
the woman's frantic state as she dialed a number. Then a man exited
the building, swearing loudly as he looked around. My father soon
exited the convenience store and exchanged a few words with the man.
Within a moment, my father was at the wheel, pulling out of the
parking lot, the stranger sitting next to me in the back seat. My dad
explained to me as we pulled out on to East Lake Drive that the man's
car had been stolen while we were sitting in the parking lot. The
culprit was only a minute or so in front of us, and traffic was
heavy, opening up the possibility of catching up to her. My father
had considered the situation, and had quickly decided that despite
some risks, we could aid this man in his time of crisis. The chase
was on.
While dad weaved in and out of traffic, he questioned the distraught
man and we received more pieces of his puzzling story. Apparently the
man had left his car keys on the driver's seat and the doors
unlocked, as he was only going in to 7-11 for a minute to grab a few
items. Within that minute however, a woman had jumped in his red van
and sped away. Supposedly the woman on the phone back at the 7-11 was
calling the police, but dad reasoned that it would be difficult for
the police to get on the culprit's trail without a minute-by-minute
update. Calmly, My dad remembered his cell phone and quickly hoisted
it up and dialed 911. My mother took the phone and started giving the
police directions, while Dad asked the anxious man pointed questions
about the description of his lost van.
About two intersections up the road, the man shouted while pointing
out the window, "I know him! Pull over and I'm sure he will help
me catch her". The friend's car looked much faster than our
beat-up old van, so Dad figured it would be for the best to hand the
chase off to him. However, we failed to get his attention with our
honking and waving, and Dad suggested that if we waited any longer we
would risk losing the carjacker. Dad and I tried to calm the man as
we sped down the road, but our attempts seemed to be of no use.
Finally, up ahead in the left turn lane at a red stoplight, we
spotted the man's van.
My mother updated the police to the new situation, as my father
skillfully drove onto the median and wedged the front of our van to
block the stolen car. All other routes of escape had been closed off
by incoming traffic and waiting cars. My dad didn't want to risk
getting out of the car, as the carjacker could have had a weapon. So
he continued to maneuver our van to block the stolen vehicle as the
thief attempted to escape her traffic prison. After two full light
changes, a police car showed up and drove into the median. My father
walked over to the police car with his hands raised as he identified
the stolen car to the police officer. Not wanting to wait any longer,
the man sitting next to me raced from our car to his, yelling at the
female carjacker as she opened her door and stumbled out of the van,
unable to keep her balance. Her brown hair was short and disheveled,
and she had a confused expression across her face. She continued to
wobble, as if she was heavily intoxicated, as the police officer
moved in and apprehended her. My mother had immediately jumped out of
the car with our camera and took pictures of the woman, the van, and
the capture. She finished off the roll of film and handed it to the
police officer. He thanked her on behalf of the photographer they
would have had to send out as he pushed the woman into the back of
his car. We gave our address and phone number to the police, and
resumed our journey to breakfast, where we discussed what had
happened in animated detail. My dad made sure that I understood the
lesson about helping others, especially when it does not cost you
much to do so.
My father showed great courage, a confident decision-making process,
and a willingness to take a risk for others that day. Thanks to him,
we were able to help another person get back a stolen possession, and
help the police apprehend a potentially dangerous criminal. I can
only hope that when such a situation occurs again, I will be able to
handle it as calmly, confidently, and courageously as my father did.
Copyright 2001, All rights reserved |