Fools Rush In

What Were They Thinking Anyway?

In police work, as in other endeavors, there’s always the element of the unknown and unpredictable. I think it’s what attracts most of us to this, um … interesting career choice.

This story is true and was told to me by a fellow cop, a motorcycle officer. He was a participant in it and told me the story right after it happened in 1975. Even though he retired some years ago, all the names and places have been changed to protect the innocent — or guilty — participants. I think the moral of this story might be something like: Keep your brain screwed-on tight when things start to change, especially if they’re changing fast.

Motorcycle Versus Car

The story begins in a large metropolitan city in Southern California I’ll call River City. It involves beat officers from that city’s police department, a citizen and a traffic violator. It’s usually the traffic cop, who, while making a routine traffic stop encounters the majority of unpredictable incidents. The story starts with a minor traffic violation and ends up about as bad as it gets.

Officer Spellbound was working a day shift, traffic detail on a departmental 1974 Harley-Davidson police motorcycle. He spotted a green 1967 Plymouth with its passenger door ajar, speeding down Market Avenue. Market Avenue is a 2-lane street, divided by a wide, 60-foot center median. The center median’s dirt surface also had large utility poles positioned 100 feet apart running down the center.
Officer Spellbound went in pursuit of the speeding Plymouth and clocked it at 75 mph in a 35 mph zone. When he lit-up the Plymouth, the driver disregarded the officer’s red light and siren, and sped away. The chase was on.

Spellbound radioed he was in pursuit and requested backup. As they passed the Central Shopping Center the driver, whom I’ll call “Psycho,” started ramming any car in his way. After smashing several cars, Psycho drove onto the dirt center median to get around traffic that was slowing his escape. Officer Spellbound followed in hot pursuit. Psycho then started making large figure eights around the utility polls with Spellbound right behind him. At one point in the figure eight chase Psycho ended up right behind Spellbound and started chasing the officer’s motorcycle. In an attempt to get away from Psycho, Spellbound made a straight run down the dirt median at 70 mph.

Psycho not only kept up with him, but also started bumping the rear of the police motorcycle. Spellbound, in fear of his life, screamed into his radio, “He’s ramming me.” In desperation he drew his 9mm, turned in the saddle, and started shooting at Psycho’s car. Spellbound dumped all 15 rounds from his S&W Model 59, missing Psycho, but not the Plymouth, or the surrounding landscape. Though momentarily slowed by the officer’s fire, Psycho continued after the officer, with the front of his car and windshield riddled with bullet holes.

Cavalry Arrives

By this time about 10 River City Police units had arrived on both sides of the median. In this fluid and rapidly changing situation, every unit that could get into position opened fire on the speeding Plymouth. With bullets flying, and everyone traveling 70 mph, Psycho turned from chasing Spellbound, and started making big ass figure eights around the utility poles again.

After a dozen figure eights, Psycho started heading for another motorcycle officer — head on. Psycho’s new target was Officer Wonderment, who perceiving he was about to die, locked up his Harley and went into a right-hand broad-slide. Just as he kicked free of his bike, Psycho’s Plymouth slammed into the cop’s bike at about 80 mph. The impact pushed the bike 100 yards into an intersection curb. Coming to a sliding stop, Psycho rammed his car in reverse and backed up right over Officer Wonderment, who was lying flat on his back in the dirt. Psycho came to a sudden stop, and then started forward again running over Officer Wonderment’s chest a second time. In a hail of 9mm bullets, Psycho sped away just like in a cops-and-robbers movie.

When Psycho attempted to gain the paved roadway he lost control of his Plymouth and spun out, crashing into a small building. As he tried to exit his car he was literally shot back into the front seat by pistol fire from a half-dozen River City officers. Officer Wonderment amazingly had gained his feet, staggered to the scene yelling, “Did you see that dirty SOB run over me! He ran over me twice!” He drew his pistol and emptied it into the crashed Plymouth, and then collapsed from shock.

Just then an old man in his 70s came out of the house next to the crash scene. He strolled up behind the police firing line, pushed one officer aside, and announced, “Step aside son, I’ve seen enough of this hooliganism,” and leveled a full choke 12-gauge shotgun at Psycho. In an instant an officer disarmed him before he could blast Psycho. His shotgun was unloaded, and returned to him. He was thanked for his cooperation and sent home.

Aftermath

No one knows exactly how many shots were fired, but it must’ve been quite a few considering the officers were armed with 15-shot, S&W Model 59s. One flaw in the weapon’s design manifested itself in this incident. It was the high profile magazine release button. During this shootout, three officers had unintentionally dropped their magazines after they fired their third shot.

It’s hard to fathom, but Psycho was hit only once in his upper left arm. A Remington 115-gr. hollowpoint bullet hit the bone and almost took his arm off. After extensive medical treatment he was locked up in the hospital jail pending trial.

Officer Wonderment went to County General Hospital and was treated and released four hours later. His only injuries were pulled muscles in his chest and back, along with a swollen knee. The doctor said he survived because he was in excellent physical condition and was wearing a bulletproof vest. The vest apparently eased and distributed the vehicle’s weight as it ran over the officer’s chest, not once, but twice. Officer Spellbound’s recovery came with a bunch of slaps on the back from brother officers.

No one was killed, but that sure could’ve gone differently. Other than good training, experience, common sense and the ability to act with swift resolve, there’s little one can do in some of the situations we find ourselves involved. Keeping your wits about you is a good idea and, like Wyatt Earp once said, “Hurry up, but take your time.” In my case I’ve found prayer and faith in divine deliverance the key to my survival, although many have called it just plain dumb luck. These situations are just the thing to give you wrinkles, gray hair, high blood pressure, harden your arteries, recruit new cops, and keep old cops telling stories around the locker room.