Hi all, Pat Davids here.
Last week I had the privilege of seeing our city’s SWAT team in action. On our street! It isn’t as thrilling as you might think.
The signs were all there that something was going wrong in the house down the block. I didn’t know them except to wave. They kept such a pretty yard and I stopped to tell the young man that once. I’m glad I did, but I wish I had done more.
At the start of the summer their once nice yard became overgrown, the trash started piling up. We speculated on the reason, of course. The economy is bad here, too. Did they lose their jobs or was the house being repossessed? My husband is the one who notices what cars are parked on the street and who they belong to. I can’t tell a Ford from a Fiat. He told me the young man’s car was there only once or twice a week now.
Someone mowed the front yard one day and I thought, good, thing are better, but they weren’t. The young couple was in the process of an ugly divorce. One evening it all became too much. They started fight that resulted in a domestic disturbance call, which became a hostage situation and then a police standoff. While the young man barricaded himself in his once lovely little home and threatened to kill himself, the SWAT team surrounded the place, made the neighbors get inside and stopped all the traffic.
We didn’t know what was going on at the time, just that police is heavy gear with big guns had taken control of our neighborhood. We only learned the sad facts later. Thankfully the young man gave himself up and no one was hurt. I pray he’s getting the help he needs.
Last week I had the privilege of seeing our city’s SWAT team in action. On our street! It isn’t as thrilling as you might think.
The signs were all there that something was going wrong in the house down the block. I didn’t know them except to wave. They kept such a pretty yard and I stopped to tell the young man that once. I’m glad I did, but I wish I had done more.
At the start of the summer their once nice yard became overgrown, the trash started piling up. We speculated on the reason, of course. The economy is bad here, too. Did they lose their jobs or was the house being repossessed? My husband is the one who notices what cars are parked on the street and who they belong to. I can’t tell a Ford from a Fiat. He told me the young man’s car was there only once or twice a week now.
Someone mowed the front yard one day and I thought, good, thing are better, but they weren’t. The young couple was in the process of an ugly divorce. One evening it all became too much. They started fight that resulted in a domestic disturbance call, which became a hostage situation and then a police standoff. While the young man barricaded himself in his once lovely little home and threatened to kill himself, the SWAT team surrounded the place, made the neighbors get inside and stopped all the traffic.
We didn’t know what was going on at the time, just that police is heavy gear with big guns had taken control of our neighborhood. We only learned the sad facts later. Thankfully the young man gave himself up and no one was hurt. I pray he’s getting the help he needs.
I know dramas like this plays out all over the world, but it was so sad to see it happen directly across the street from the neighborhood church. With help so close, God's two children never reached out for it. How sad is that?
3 comments:
Wow...very sad story. I am so sorry that things like this happen. My parents got a divorce almost 5 years ago. It wasn't pretty, but this story makes ours look like a piece of cake. I will hold these people in my prayers : (
Hannah
Thank you, Hannah, I'm doing the same.
Pat
What a scary story, Pat! We had helicopters wtih search lights over our house years ago. It was very, very scary!
I hope they get the help they need.
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