It seems one of our neighbors thought someone jumped the fence and called the police. I was the only one home, and they had me come down slowly with my hands up. They handcuffed me first in case I was a thief. Then, one of them searched the house while the other explained what was going on. I kept on saying I was that my parents were homeowners.
Another officer came with a shield. After the first was done searching, they were satisfied I was the homeowner. I had told them what happened: I had had to walk half an hour home in the Arizona sun at 120 degrees for the first time in two months. I was feeling lightheaded when I got home and my keys were buried in my backpack somewhere. I wanted to use the outside gate to go into my backyard where I could wet my face with the water from our pool and sit in the shade and find my keys. I found them and used the front door to get in the house. However, the outside gate that I used is rusty. I have to pull the handle and kick a couple of times for it to open, since my Dad never bothered to get it fixed. This is what alerted the neighbor.
So at 3:15 I'm reading about the health care bill and the Gates incident and the space shuttle and Microsoft's new stores when I hear my security alarm beep twice to signify that someone opened a door. It's too early for my sister to come home, so I shout, "Hello?" No reply. I get up to go to my balcony upstairs which overlooks the living room and three windows looking outside into the backyard deck. I see two black shapes there. I'm scared now. One of them opens the door again and I again shout, "Hello?" A voice calls out telling me to walk down slowly with my hands up.
So there are two police officers there, one of them is poking is head in the door and has a taser. I'm terrified now. And no, I didn't get tasered.
They have me get on the floor on my knees and handcuff me. I say two times I'm the homeowner's son, I live here. They quickly explain to me that someone was reported to have jumped the fence, and if anyone else was in the house. I say no. One says he needs to search the house. The second has me sit in one of the family room couches (as they came in through the door from the family room to the backyard, which someone (my Dad, probably) left unlocked). He explains everything to me and starts asking me questions. I tell him that he can call my Dad and confirm that I live there, he says they first need to search the house, a valid thing. I answer the questions and explain what happened. He tries to confirm I'm the homeowner. First he asks me if the three laptops in the house are ours, I say yes, he asks me what are the screensavers. I tell him that I don't use those laptops and don't know, but on my upstairs computer, he can check, I was on google reading news articles on the Gates incident. My mind blanked on the other articles and it was the only one I could think of. He asks me if I have any ID - I tell him I have my student ID in my jeans pocket upstairs, as my mind blanked about my permit in the same pocket.
In the meantime, another officer comes in with a shield, and he goes to search the house, too. This guy is pretty much satisfied I'm the homeowner, and takes off the handcuffs and has me sit down on the couch again. The other two come and say there's no one else. A fourth guy comes from the front yard. It seems I had dropped my old schedule out there while searching for my keys, so he uses it to ask me my name, school, grade, what my parents do, so forth. Then, just to do one last check, he wants me to go to the silverware drawer and take out a spoon. I do so, and they four agree that they're satisfied. They make sure multiple times that I'm ok, and the fourth one gives me his card, saying that if my parents have questions, they can call the number on the card.
So pretty terrifying for me.
They took off the handcuffs, a fourth one came and he again confirmed my information, and story, and then after making sure I was ok, they...both left. Interesting experience. Hope I never have to go through it again.
"Arvy is randomly full of win." - Skarr
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"I don't watch cartoons, those are for third class people." - Arvy
"Yeah, children, those third class people." - Sails
And because I bet Blatant he wouldn't be orange in two days and lost... HEIL BLATANT!