Stop Thief

Excerpt 10 of 11 continued. The customers started clapping and cheering and began to kick the subject on their way out. I shouted to them he was under control and not do so. The first Sheriff’s car to respond was a traffic unit. I looked up as the officer walked into the store and our eyes made contact. He said ” Happy Halloween Larry,” it was Bill Fitzgerald, who I carpooled with when we were in the police academy. He laterally transferred from our department to the Sheriff’s department after graduation. It was like old home week. The arrest made Tom Blair’s column in the San Diego Union the same week. Even though I wasn’t a cop anymore, I could still feel it coursing through my veins. It was still in my blood and it was exhilarating.

Excerpt 10 of 11 continued. I put my dog food bag down, walked outside and walked over to the male and two woman. While he was talking to them and bragging about what he just did, I reached over, grabbed the two 12-packs and walked them back towards the store. The man shouted at me and said, “Hey a–hole, bring back my beer.” I told him it wasn’t his because he didn’t pay for it. He shouted at me again and said, “Hey a–hole bring my beer back now, or I’m gonna RIP your head off and s-it down your neck.” It sounded like those were fighting words to me. He started advancing towards me and swung at me. I ducked under and placed him in a carotid (sleeper hold) restraint and rendered him unconscious. I dragged him into the business, turned him over and placed my knee behind his neck. I instructed the clerk to call the Sheriff and tell them I was holding someone in custody for theft.

Excerpt 9 of 11. After the department, I had a myriad of jobs. One was doing construction cleanup for a former officer, Suzie Shertz. One night after work, I forgot to buy dog food at the feed store. I was exhausted from working all day and just wanted to get home. So, I stopped at the 7-Eleven store up the street from my house. It was Halloween and never did I imagine I’d be pressed into service to help stop a thief. A large male, was, working on his car in the parking lot and was talking to two women, he was shirtless and was flexing his muscles for them and kissing his biceps, as I passed on my way into the store. Apparently, trying to impress them. He entered the store, went immediately back to the cooler, removed two 12-packs of beer and walked out without paying for the items. The clerk said, “Did you see that? He just stole beer, somebody stop him.