Hand on My Sidearm, All the Way to Denver! Strange Incident!

Howdy Folks!
Around 10:30pm, I decided to get out and do a little metal detecting. I visited a local elementary school (and yes, left my pistol locked up in the car) and ran around on a tot lot covered in wood chips. All I got for my ambition was a bunch of coins and two bullets. Looked like 9mm to me. Pretty beat up too, like they'd hit the metal structure of the playground gear.

Anyhow, I got back to my car when done and as I drove away, reholstered my pistol in the serpa rig that I have grown fond of using.

So I turn eastbound on Arapahoe and meander in the general direction of home. As I drove along in the left hand lane, I saw a woman running in the left hand lane of Arapahoe westerly bound, and waving her hands frantically above her head. I figured she was being chased by some nefarious sort of character and stopped to see what the fuss was. To my surprise, she rounded the front of the Jeep and pulled the passenger door open and climbed in. My hand went immediately to my XDm and remained there as I tried to figure out what was up. Not knowing the situation, I started driving eastbound with my newly acquired passenger.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Why are you running on a busy street in the dark like that and flagging me down?"
"I need to get downtown by midnight." She answered. "I need to get to the shelter before they lock the doors."
"Downtown Aurora? There ain't really a downtown Aurora, ya know." I responded.
"No, not Aurora. Denver. I need to get to downtown Denver!"
"Well, Aurora is where this Jeep is pointed. If you are trying to get to Denver, it is directly in the opposite direction."

At that point, I still had no idea what on earth was going on, so my hand remained on my sidearm. I spun a U-Turn and headed toward Denver.

The woman beside me was 20ish, wore a royal blue sweatshirt with hood down, zippered up the front, over blue jeans. Her hair was black, curly and longer than shoulder length. She wasn't caucasian, but not exactly black either. In the dim light in the cab of the Jeep, I could not see well enough to discern her race, but she was of darker complexion than me anyhow.

We drove on in semi-silence, and I got the impression she was crying.
"So what's wrong, eh?" I asked, hand firmly wrapped around the grip on my .40 cal.
"Everything's okay." she replied then fell silent once again.
"So where is this shelter?" I asked.
"Right by I-25 and Broadway." she answered.

There was really little conversation, and she wasn't very responsive to questions. What little she did say was tough to make out. Some of it was not intelligible to me, and she seemed to mutter more than speak. I don't know what her problem was, and I felt real uncomfortable having her foist upon me. I got to I-25 and Broadway and said "That's as far as I can take you."
"It's after midnight. They probably won't let me in. I have nowhere to go." she said. "Can I just ride with you?"
"I am going back to Aurora and will go to bed. With my wife. I have done all I can for you."
She sat for a moment, then unbuckled her seat belt.
"I'm sorry, but I really need to get home now."
Without a word of thanks or eat fudge, she climbed out and closed the door.
I pulled away and made a U-Turn so I could come back to the ramp for I-25 and hurry back to Aurora.
Once she was out of the car, I finally took my hand off the pistol at my side.
Amazingly, I don't know that she was even aware that I was armed, despite being to my right.
Of all days to carry strongside instead of my usual cross-draw.

Anyhow, I called ahead to Aurora and asked for an officer to meet with me. We met up at Denny's on 6th and Sable, and I turned over the bullets I found on the school playground and gave a report of the strange incident with the girl on Arapahoe. The officers (two showed up) were real nice fellows. And yes, I did advise them that I was carrying because it was part of the story. They took that bit of information in stride just fine!

I am always willing to help somebody in trouble, but when all was said and done, I didn't know if she was fleeing an attacker or fleeing the scene of a crime that she might have been involved in perpetrating. I figure reporting the incident to APD would help if anything untoward took place involving my mystery rider.

I stopped because she appeared to be in some sort of trouble.
It ended up with this strange woman just flagging me down as if an emergency was taking place, only to catch a ride to Denver.
I'm still a bit taken aback by the incident, because it was so totally strange. I got the sneaky impression she was high!
So I drove with one hand on the wheel and the other on my pistol.
having no idea what she was up to, I was ready to deal with whatever might present itself.
All in all, nothing really did.

Bewildered in Aurora,
Blessings,
M-Taliesin

So, did you marry her? Tell us more !

Well, I am glad that you are ok. I think that had your doors been locked, or if they were, had you rolled your windows most of the way up, you would have spared yourself this from this potentially dangerous situation.

I am understandably somewhat less thankful than you that your adventure turned out as it did (not being there I can only express thanks that you were not injured physically, mentally, or legally as opposed to your being there ans sweating out the moments and the miles).

However, I would like to share a thought with you. WHAT THE FREAKING HECK WERE YOU DOING INSTEAD OF THINKING DURING ALL OF THIS?

If there is ever a need for an example of lack of situational awareness coupled with "deer in the headlights" failure to respond to events unfolding in front of you, yours will the one I hold up before the class.

By this morning you probably have listed and reviewed all the things you did wrong, should have responded to differently, and how you exascerbated the danger you placed yourself in. Also, I am fresh out of prizes to offer to the first forum poster who submits a list of all of those.

Thank and bless you for being a kind person and going out of your way to help someone who appeared to be in legitimate need of a hero in a Jeep. But WHAT THE FREAKING HECK WERE YOU DOING INSTEAD OF THINKING DURING ALL OF THIS? You recently recounted asking the local cops for a courtesy back-up as you attempted to serve civil process papers on a guy you thought was trying really, really hard to avoid you but was in fact out of town on vacation. So there is an indication that you not only know when potentially dangerous situations exist, you know at least one way of trying to control the possibility of danger breaking out. Ten you go and do this?

As Rickey said to Lucy, you got some esplainin' to do. Probably not to us, although I know I would be entertained by anything you could offer up. Maybe to your wife, although I'm not sure she wants to keep hearing about you driving all over the place with strange young women. Probably esplainin' to yourself would be the best thing.

stay safe.

M-Taliesin said:

Howdy Folks!
To my surprise, she rounded the front of the Jeep and pulled the passenger door open and climbed in.Bewildered in Aurora,
Blessings,
M-Taliesin

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So you unlocked the pax door for her?

I try not to let drug addicts climb into my vehicles. They do strange things and are shifty.

First -- kudos for being willing to help someone in need. Random acts of kindness are few and far between these days. But, this could easily have ended very differently. Why in the world was your jeep not locked?? By your story she just jumped in. Had that been me, one my passenger door would be locked if there was no one else in my car to begin with, and two -- someone jumps into my car like that, its not a stretch to think I could be in immediate danger. Your "passenger" could have just flagged you down to do God knows what to you. Criminals sometimes try to play victim before striking. Thankfully that didn't happen and all is well with the world, but geezus!

I'm still trying to figure out how you let a stranger get into an automobile you were in control of...

acmariner99 said:

First -- kudos for being willing to help someone in need. Random acts of kindness are few and far between these days. But, this could easily have ended very differently. Why in the world was your jeep not locked?? By your story she just jumped in. Had that been me, one my passenger door would be locked if there was no one else in my car to begin with, and two -- someone jumps into my car like that, its not a stretch to think I could be in immediate danger. Your "passenger" could have just flagged you down to do God knows what to you. Criminals sometimes try to play victim before striking. Thankfully that didn't happen and all is well with the world, but geezus!

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I have some older vehicles in which the doors are not locked when driving.

However if anyone ever did what happened here, you ARE GOING TO get the hell out right now.

Helping a drug addict get to their "shelter" so they can do more drugs isn't doing anyone any favors.

Very spooky indeed . This why I endeavor not even to be out after the sun goes down anymore.

Only rarely can I not avoid it.

You were very fortunate my friend.

skidmark said:

As Rickey said to Lucy, you got some esplainin' to do.

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Ricky's Cuban so it's "'splainin'". If he was Castillian it'd be "ethplainin'". Mexican would be esplainin' but without shortening the vowels and dropping other random consonants just for divertido.

Yikes! This is precisely why I lock all the doors on my vehicle. As horribly unsympathetic as it sounds, I'd have likely kept on driving, while placing a call to the local authorities with a location and description of the person. I have my own safety to think about, and I take priority over a complete stranger.

Was she hot?

oc for me said:

was she hot?

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lmao!

mahkagari said:

Ricky's Cuban so it's "'splainin'". If he was Castillian it'd be "ethplainin'". Mexican would be esplainin' but without shortening the vowels and dropping other random consonants just for divertido.

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I sit corrected. I have enough trouble hearing myself speak American, let alone what others might be saying in whatever language they are using. But living at the base of the bluff where the 155mm batteries were
had o effect on me whatsoever. (Just ask the VA.)

stay safe.

skidmark said:

I have enough trouble hearing myself speak American,

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Apparently this is what we sound like speaking American according to Brits:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-cAnFbEXY0

Or to 1970's Italian co-eds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZXcRqFmFa8

Check out Russell Peters on regional Spanish accents (along with a nod to Mandarin and Hindi):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNpW-c_qU4Q

M-Taliesin-

Did you do a complete clean and sweep on the passenger side, who knows what she might have dropped. It would be a real BUMMER if you were standing up for your rights at a traffic stop and they brought in the sniffer dog and found a crum of crack or meth under the floor mat or in the crack between the seat and back :uhoh:

F350 said:

M-Taliesin-

Did you do a complete clean and sweep on the passenger side, who knows what she might have dropped. It would be a real BUMMER if you were standing up for your rights at a traffic stop and they brought in the sniffer dog and found a crum of crack or meth under the floor mat or in the crack between the seat and back :uhoh:

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The Spanish speakers will appreciate this:

[video=youtube;DkuV7A6PeMk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkuV7A6PeMk[/video]

F350 said:

M-Taliesin-

Did you do a complete clean and sweep on the passenger side, who knows what she might have dropped. It would be a real BUMMER if you were standing up for your rights at a traffic stop and they brought in the sniffer dog and found a crum of crack or meth under the floor mat or in the crack between the seat and back :uhoh:

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I was going to suggest the same thing....for the exact same reasons

She obviously took one look at your Expensive Stetson and leather jacket, and knew you were a Real Professional she could trust.