So I'm sitting at home right now, right...

CosaNostraUSMC · 12-23-2007, 22:49

...and I walk from the living room to the bedroom to get on PS.com. My wife is in the living room with our son. As I sit down and log on, I hear voices outside, so naturally I look out the window (we're third floor streetside in little mexico) and see 2 unfamiliar young girls walk into the complex. I proceed to go back to the computer.

About 5 mins later, a knock at the door. I go to the door and peer thorugh the peep hole. I see the 2 girls in our hallway that I earlier saw entering the building. One is knocking on the neighboors door across from ours and the other has since moved laterally from our door...out of view. I get suspicious, don't answer, and am now heavy with a can.

They begin their decent down the stairs from our floor, which are directly adjacent to our door. I open our door and look on either side of the ground outside our door...we usually have a statue on either side, that were wedding gifts from Okinawa, which are now GONE.

I move out of the door and decend the stairs and catch them at the neighboors front door directly below our unit. I say, "Where are the statues that were next to my door?". They turn around and I get a good look at these two Latina juvenile girls, and begin taking mental notes of their appearance and attire.

The one closest to me says, "No abla Engles." By now I've figured they pulled the, 'I'm gonna play stupid Hispanic card'. Well, I wasn't having it. So, in my crappiest Spanish I say, "Oh really, maybe I'll get my gun!". Right away the first girl coughs up 1 of our statues from her pocket and I ask for # 2. They say, "there was only one". I say, "no there was 2 and I want the other one or there'll be mas problemas, comprende!". The first girl tells the second to give it back, and she does.

Now I'm glaring at them as if I could kill them, knowing that they just walked up to my front door and stole a wedding gift that was given to us by good friends, something irreplacable....not to mention so close to the holidays. Low down dirty bitches!

They leave, and I'm calm since we got our possesions back. Something tells me to go outside though, and I do. When I get street level, to my surprise and amazement, they're casing the complex next door to us. I figure they've been doing this all night, since it's holidays and a lot of folks are out of town. I decide to call a Paisan at the local PD.

He shows up in 5 mins, since he patrols my hood. I tell him all that happened, including my threat of getting my gun, and how they coughed up the goods right then and there. He radios another car, saying the girls I described were down the street as he approached my location. The other unit flies down to ID them and make a report.

He says, "You wanna press charges or what?" I told him, "nah, just punk kids, but thought you should be aware that they're casing the area, may lead to somehting later on, may not. Either way, I want to put it on the record that it took place and you get their info...just in case my use of the word "gun" brings uninvited guests around my place and family in the near future." And I let him know I'll be in NY for almost a week in the coming days, wife and son will be alone at home. He's a stand up guy so he says he'll patrol my place in the evinings and have someone roll through the hood in the afternoons for me, just to keep an eye out.

Not to get too long winded, but fuck...if you're gonna steal something, go big or go home. Don't waste the victim's time, LEOs time, or your own time with petty crimes like these 2 cafones. It's not worth the risk of arrest, or even worse, getting clipped by a pissed off homeowner, is it?!

FWIW, my guy at the PD called me now, said he got their info from their IDs, a couple of polaroids and told them, "it would behoove you not to fuck around with the gentleman's apartment or family after tonight. He knows people...and now...he knows who you are and where you live."

Just remember to remain vigilent during these holidays, Gents. If you leave town, have someone watching your place.

GratefulCitizen · 12-23-2007, 23:16

Well done.

Stay safe.

12-23-2007, 23:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by CosaNostraUSMC

...told them, "it would behoove you not to fuck around with the gentleman's apartment or family after tonight. He knows people...and now...he knows who you are and where you live."

IMHO and experience, the best of deterrents.

CosaNostraUSMC · 12-23-2007, 23:45

Laptop... $900

Monthly internet... $50

Looks on the faces of the girls in the polaroids I'm looking at right now... PRICELESS!

sleepyhead4 · 12-24-2007, 02:01

Right on. Someone who won't take sh!t and play victim. You are my new hero.

**Jack Moroney (RIP)** · 12-24-2007, 06:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by CosaNostraUSMC

Just remember to remain vigilent during these holidays, Gents. If you leave town, have someone watching your place.

Well if I hear anything outside my door that does not sound like an owl, coyote, fox, or large non-human breaking through the crust of the snow, the tranquility of the forest will be disrupted by a round getting jacked into the chamber.

CosaNostraUSMC · 12-24-2007, 10:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Moroney

Well if I hear anything outside my door that does not sound like an owl, coyote, fox, or large non-human breaking through the crust of the snow, the tranquility of the forest will be disrupted by a round getting jacked into the chamber.

Sir, you always find a way to put things so...eloquently.

Defender968 · 12-24-2007, 10:35

My only comment would be next time press charges, the first one may not do much but many states have 3 strike type laws, in SC it's called property crimes enhancement, after the 2nd conviction of a property crime i.e. stealing something, you can be charged with the property crimes enhancement statute which actually has teeth. I got a long time career criminal sent away for nearly a decade with this statute after he stole a 6 pack of natty light.

SF_BHT · 12-24-2007, 10:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Defender968

My only comment would be next time press charges, the first one may not do much but many states have 3 strike type laws, in SC it's called property crimes enhancement, after the 2nd conviction of a property crime i.e. stealing something, you can be charged with the property crimes enhancement statute which actually has teeth. I got a long time career criminal sent away for nearly a decade with this statute after he stole a 6 pack of natty light.

Ditto. Unless those girls were known and you wanted to cut them a break you should have pressed charges. If it was the 1st time it might get them back on the right course. If not they may have been at this for a long time and use their cute little Latina look to keep them out of jail.

CosaNostraUSMC · 12-24-2007, 11:36

The officer obtained their info and photos for me, off the record.

We're having someone pay them a visit this morning...should change their minds about doing this sort of thing again, especially if it involves my property and residence.

Don't think we'll be seeing those two girls around the neighborhood again, anytime soon.

mdb23 · 12-24-2007, 12:17

Just as a word of caution, I would be careful as to how far I took the "off the record" intimidation tactics. All it takes is one phone call from these girls to the PD, and your paisan at the PD is going to be doing suspension days for giving out a juveniles' personal information to a third party.

Just from a PO's angle, he did you a personal favor, but if you take it too far, he could get burned pretty badly, especially since they are juveniles. We are not allowed to photograph juveniles without a parent's consent (or at minimum, a notification and charges being filed), and we sure as hell aren't allowed to release those photos to a third party. That's a huge no no.

Your chance to really jack with them was when you could have pressed charges. IMHO, you should have. Get them in the system, so the next time they do this (and they will) it isn't a first offense.

Best of luck.

CosaNostraUSMC · 12-24-2007, 12:36

They appeared to be juvies, but in fact are of legal age.

The visit they and their parents received was from the Asst. DA, and a guy I know that did some time for bad things. Both said the girls were visibly shaken and cried when they heard about life inside.

Nothing too sinister, just an eye opener for these two. As I said, I don't think they'll continue down this path. Hopefully, they'll remember this.

My Christmas present to them, for their lifetime.

mdb23 · 12-24-2007, 12:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by CosaNostraUSMC

They appeared to be juvies, but in fact are of legal age.

The visit they and their parents received was from the Asst. DA, and a guy I know that did some time for bad things. Both said the girls were visibly shaken and cried when they heard about life inside.

Nothing too sinister, just an eye opener for these two. As I said, I don't think they'll continue down this path. Hopefully, they'll remember this.

My Christmas present to them, for their lifetime.

Ok, that's a different story from what I initially understood. I thought that they were juveniles, and that you were just having some random dude go scare them. That could be bad.

Considering that they were adults, and that the ADA went, then the officer should be fine.

Happy Holidays.

CosaNostraUSMC · 12-24-2007, 13:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdb23

...and that you were just having some random dude go scare them.

What did you think...I was gonna have a couple of kids clipped over some porcelain?

Defender968 · 12-24-2007, 13:23

You know you laugh, but believe me I've seen crazier things while on the job. In the military we deal with screw ups on occasion, but in my opinion by far and large we deal with people with decent heads on their shoulders. The civilian world is completely different, it was a bit of an eye opener to me when I first became a LEO. People are morons, and as such do stupid things, because they either don't or are unable to think through their actions.

Perfect example, Joe bag of garbage sticks up his local Pizza joint, gets a whapping 500 bucks, of course he lives 2 minutes from said Pizza joint and is a known thug, so he gets hemmed up pretty quick. Anyone know what the penalty is for armed robbery? I'll tell you it's a whole lot longer than the one week he could have spent working at McD's to earn that same 500 bucks.

Because people do not, by far and large think through their actions it's completely plausible to me that someone might have two girls "clipped" over porcelain, after all I knew a thug who killed a kid over a base ball cap. Not that I’m saying you’re that guy, but it does happen. Just my .02.