Cop Stories Part 4

Cop Stories Part 4(Anthony Colombo) My trip to the hospital:
This started Late on a Saturday evening, at the Flea market. I
received a radio call about a disturbance near the main snack bar. It
involved two boys and a stolen cigarette lighter. I saw the boys and tried to make contact. But before I could I was grabbed by three men who pinned me against a fence near the exit to the market. I tried to free myself with no luck.
Standing in front of me was a Hispanic woman. She was looking at my gun. She stuck her hand out, and yes it does, your life passes before you. As she reached, I turned, trying to put the gun as far from her as I could. She took my baton. Raised it over her head and hit me on my head twice. There was on pain I think because of the nylon donut in the hat to help it keep its shape (God Bless George Cochern, long since passed away for insisting I ware my hat when in public). As I said no pain, but I felt my knees buckle and as they did the men let me go. I shot to my feet and took back my baton. I was so mad that the next strike was to be her head, and she had on hat.
They split up the men going one way and her around the snack bar to a road between stalls. There was a car blocking her and, remember the man I was going to arrest above? Well, he is now in uniform and blocking her. ''Ray, I yelled," (Ray Martinez also passed away from leukemia) grab her!''
''But she's a lady," he said.
''She's no lady, grab her!'' He put her in a bear hug, and I cuffed her> She said, ''these are too tight."
''Oh, let me see," click, click. ''How's that?'' I took hold of the links
between the cuffs and pulled her to the office the officers used in the snack bar. There was a couch I turned her and pushed. She hit the wall but was seated. She gasped and I asked, ''did you say something?''
''No Sir." There was a nice side you just had to work it out.
The door opened and three officers came in with two of the three men. I took the old man by his shirt collar and pushed him next to the woman. They both winched but said nothing. They were followed by a sergeant who responded to the call for help. I am sure he saw my un-officer like conduct but said nothing. 'You are going to have to come to the PD to complete the booking. Will that be a problem," he said.
''No sir."
I went to the woman to get her up but she stood on her own, I wonder why she didn't want my help? We walked out to the cars parked on the access road and again she got in without help. We drove to AIB at the PD to draw blood. I showed the three suspects too little closets we used as holding cells and they waited. Mrs. A, (who was the wife of another reserve) was the blood tech. She was also referred to as Countess Dracula. She looked at me and asked, ''did they do this to you?''
''Yes."
''I'll take the woman first," she said. I opened the door to her small room, and she stood. This was the first time I really looked at her hands. They were turning color. I had to uncuff her anyhow to hook her to an ''I'' bolt in the center of a table use to draw blood so I loosened both, she rubbed her wrists. She said, ''thank you." I watched as Mrs. A. got ready to draw the blood. She set out the needle and cup and the vials to hold the blood and a rubber band to tie off the arm, but nothing else. She took the woman's arm and without putting gloves on began to look for a vein. When she found it she applied the rubber band and took the needle attaching it to the cup, still, no gloves. She then took the needle and tapped the point on the metal table top several times, located the vein and pushed the needle in. The woman winced and I asked, ''did you say something?''
''No sir.'' I took her back to her closet and started for the man.
The sergeant came in and said, ''we'll take it from here. The lieutenant wants you checked out at the hospital."
I was driven to Alexian Brothers Hospital and dropped off (no security-detail). Four hours of poking, probing, x-raying, scanning and the doctor said I had a mild concussion he credited to a block of concrete between my ears. He just confirmed a diagnosis my dad gave me many years before and for a lot less money and pain. End of story- NO!
About six weeks later all the officers and I were called to the prelim (a hearing before a judge to see if a trial was warranted). I was seated next to the ADA assigned to the case. He gave an opening statement and then called me to the stand I was sworn in and seated. His first question was, ''do you recognize the people at the defense table?''
''Yes sir. The woman is the one that hit me, and the two men are two of the three that held me."
The judge said, ''excuse me officer did you say three?''
''Yes, our honor. The third is seated behind the defendants in the first row," the judge then describe the man, and I told him, ''yes, your honor that's him."
The judge then said, ''bailiff take that man into custody and have the deputies take him to the main jail to complete the booking process." No, it would have been Un-officer like conduct to stand and cheer.
The defense attorneys grouped around the defendants and then one asked, ''may we approach your honor?''
''I think that would be a good idea," said the judge.
All four attorneys gathered at the opposite end of the judge's bench and then the ADA said, ''I need to discuss this with the officer."
Basically, he said they would plead to assault with a deadly weapon and resisting. All other charges would be dropped, and they would do a year county time and two years' probation. I told the ADA that they were the kind that would see the police again, and if that officer were lucky enough to survive, he would have this to build on, so yeah it was ok with me.