CACTUS SUCK

Early in my patrol years myself and a new rookie that just got off FTO were sitting in ours cars talking about how nothing exciting ever happens on our shifts. Ours shifts overlapped, mine was graveyard and his evenings. Mickey, the rookie was a young guy and ready for something good to break loose.

Earlier that day a man had car jacked a little old lady and had gotten away and a mild search was still active. I had been on my shift maybe an hour when a shots fired call went out and the suspect fit the car jacker's description. Mickey and I were in route...so we thought. Our Sgt. redirected us and told us to stay closer to town and take any other calls that might come in. Now we were a little pissed that we were missing this and got back to our discussion about not getting the exciting calls.

About 30 minutes had gone by and I get a call for a barricaded subject. While in route to this call with Mickey as my back up, dispatch informs us that the suspect is holding her family hostage at gun point, "Ask and you shall receive." Now because of the Car Jacker shooting up the town, all other Officers on duty and some off duty are searching for this guy, which leaves Mickey and Myself as the only other Officers available. I contact the nearest city and request support from any available officers. I get three duty Officers and one off duty Officer to show up at the residence.

As we arrived at the location the three family members come running out the door and tell us the suspect is a female and had held them hostage with a 12 gauge shotgun. The sister of the suspect informs me the suspect had lost two family members in the last month, the latest being her husband and the suspect had not slept in a week. The suspect's record was clean, however the situation had now put her and all the Officers at great risk.

I quickly organized my group with the Officer with the most experience close to the door to try to make contact with the suspect. While he was trying to talk with her the rest of us would take our positions around the house. Several times the suspect came out toting the shotgun and it was very clear she did not want to talk. However, Jimmy kept engaging her in conversation until I let him know we were in position.

Our plan was just to talk her out, but as long as she had the gun we were just going to sit. She knew where Jimmy was however she couldn't see him or harm him as he was behind cover. Then after about 40 minutes she walks back out onto the porch with out the gun and we decide to rush her before she can get back in. Jimmy and myself are the closest to her and we take off in a full out run. Jimmy going straight at her head on and me from her left side. Did I mention it was pitch black outside that night, you couldn't see your own hand in front of you or the partial 5 strand barbed wire fence I ran into (at a full run). I hit that fence so hard it sent me flying backward a good 15 feet. I landed flat on my back in the middle of one big ass cactus plant. I didn't feel a thing, I jumped up and went to the house, where they had already detained my suspect. Jimmy looked at me as if waiting to see what I was going to do (the pain had set in) and in a firm commanding voice I said "I'll be right back, I need to take care of something."

I calmly walked down the hall of the residence, found the bathroom, went in, dropped my pants and pulled about 20 cactus thorns out of my ass. I got dressed went back to the living room got my suspect and put her in my patrol car. Jimmy walked up and asked "did you just take a shit in this lady's house?

Be Careful what you ask for.