SovereignAxe
Regular Member
Apparently only shortly before I arrived.
Last night the fiancee and I went out to Wal-Mart in Elizabethton to buy some groceries. After spending a third of my paycheck on that, we stopped by Taco Bell to get some cheesy fiesta potatoes (one of our favorite late night snacks). Before heading home we made a stop at Walgreens. The fiancee went in to get what she needed and I stayed and finished eating my potatoes.
Parked out front of the Walgreens was an Elizabethton PD Impala sitting right in front of the entrance-not in a parking spot, lights off. Another cruiser was leaving just as we pulled in. My first thought was, did they got robbed?
Sure enough, when my fiancee returned she confirmed that she overheard them talking about a guy with a knife that looked high. Had to have been a meth addict. Who robs a place with a knife? While high? Plus I've been told that East TN has the highest per capita meth usage in the whole country. I can't back that up, it's just what I've been told. And judging by what I see in the news every day, the population of Elizabethton (14,000), and the income level here (20% under the poverty line, median income 20-26k, depending your your gender), I don't doubt that figure at all.
AFAIK, nobody was hurt. It didn't make the news, so I still believe that. My guess is the guy ran out with an arm full of pseudoephedrine and maybe some cash.
It was a sobering reminder of how different my night could have been if we'd arrived just 30 or 45 minutes earlier. If it weren't for the fact that a police car was sitting directly in front of the entrance, I would have gone in with her. And if the incident in question happened while I was there...well, I'd have to take action. Reluctantly though, as I know how pathetic meth addicts are. The drug destroys the user's body, mind and life (it's a wonder most of them aren't homeless). But I also know that they'll do just about anything to get their next fix, which includes using that knife.
You can't help but ask yourself what you'd do in that situation, which is what I did most of last night. While I wouldn't gun down someone holding a knife-especially in this case as their quarrel is not with me, I would definitely draw down on him. Who's to say the pharmacy isn't enough and he starts turning the knife on me or other patrons? But if my drawn weapon isn't enough to persuade him, the moment he does come at me with the knife, I'm ready to put one center mass and see how pursuasive that is.
Like I said, it's a sobering thought when it happens so close to you. But I like to think I have the mindset to do what is right if the time comes.
Last night the fiancee and I went out to Wal-Mart in Elizabethton to buy some groceries. After spending a third of my paycheck on that, we stopped by Taco Bell to get some cheesy fiesta potatoes (one of our favorite late night snacks). Before heading home we made a stop at Walgreens. The fiancee went in to get what she needed and I stayed and finished eating my potatoes.
Parked out front of the Walgreens was an Elizabethton PD Impala sitting right in front of the entrance-not in a parking spot, lights off. Another cruiser was leaving just as we pulled in. My first thought was, did they got robbed?
Sure enough, when my fiancee returned she confirmed that she overheard them talking about a guy with a knife that looked high. Had to have been a meth addict. Who robs a place with a knife? While high? Plus I've been told that East TN has the highest per capita meth usage in the whole country. I can't back that up, it's just what I've been told. And judging by what I see in the news every day, the population of Elizabethton (14,000), and the income level here (20% under the poverty line, median income 20-26k, depending your your gender), I don't doubt that figure at all.
AFAIK, nobody was hurt. It didn't make the news, so I still believe that. My guess is the guy ran out with an arm full of pseudoephedrine and maybe some cash.
It was a sobering reminder of how different my night could have been if we'd arrived just 30 or 45 minutes earlier. If it weren't for the fact that a police car was sitting directly in front of the entrance, I would have gone in with her. And if the incident in question happened while I was there...well, I'd have to take action. Reluctantly though, as I know how pathetic meth addicts are. The drug destroys the user's body, mind and life (it's a wonder most of them aren't homeless). But I also know that they'll do just about anything to get their next fix, which includes using that knife.
You can't help but ask yourself what you'd do in that situation, which is what I did most of last night. While I wouldn't gun down someone holding a knife-especially in this case as their quarrel is not with me, I would definitely draw down on him. Who's to say the pharmacy isn't enough and he starts turning the knife on me or other patrons? But if my drawn weapon isn't enough to persuade him, the moment he does come at me with the knife, I'm ready to put one center mass and see how pursuasive that is.
Like I said, it's a sobering thought when it happens so close to you. But I like to think I have the mindset to do what is right if the time comes.