1 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:08,439 Speaker 1: I was driving home from my friend's house. It was late. 2 00:00:08,679 --> 00:00:10,720 I don't know exactly the time, but if I had 3 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:14,000 to guess, it was probably two or three am. I 4 00:00:14,039 --> 00:00:17,440 lived twenty minutes away, which wasn't too far since most 5 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:21,079 houses around here are spread out. The rain and lack 6 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:23,679 of street lights made it hard to see, though, so 7 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:27,480 I was driving slower and more carefully. Five minutes down 8 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:30,480 the road, I pulled up to a traffic light. I 9 00:00:30,519 --> 00:00:32,640 had the red light, but there was a blue car 10 00:00:32,679 --> 00:00:35,240 on the other side who was on the road partially 11 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:39,039 in the intersection. Its headlights and everything were on, but 12 00:00:39,119 --> 00:00:42,079 it was just sitting there at a green light. I 13 00:00:42,079 --> 00:00:44,399 couldn't tell if there was something wrong or maybe they 14 00:00:44,439 --> 00:00:48,039 were asleep, but when the lights changed, I drove forward, 15 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:52,359 slowly maneuvering around them. I tried to discreetly look in 16 00:00:52,399 --> 00:00:54,840 their car as I passed, but the rain on my 17 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:59,200 window blocked most of my view. Only a moment after 18 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:02,200 passing them and driving down the road again, the blue 19 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:05,519 car turned and started following me down the road, so 20 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:09,599 it wasn't broken down after all. I kept my eye 21 00:01:09,599 --> 00:01:13,239 on the mirrors. I wouldn't consider myself a paranoid person, 22 00:01:13,519 --> 00:01:19,239 but the situation felt staged. Another minute down the road, 23 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:22,840 the car's headlights started getting brighter in my mirrors as 24 00:01:22,879 --> 00:01:25,200 they pulled their car closer to what felt like just 25 00:01:25,239 --> 00:01:28,719 a couple of feet from my back bumper. In weather 26 00:01:28,879 --> 00:01:33,120 like this, that made me really uncomfortable. I looked back 27 00:01:33,159 --> 00:01:35,640 at the road, but saw a small light pop up 28 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:38,760 on my dashboard. It was a signal that one of 29 00:01:38,799 --> 00:01:42,359 my tires was low on air, a common signal, but 30 00:01:42,439 --> 00:01:44,480 it felt like an odd time for it just to 31 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:49,040 pop up given the situation. I looked back in my mirrors, 32 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:53,439 seeing the cars still tailing me. They were so close 33 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:56,000 their headlights almost made it hard to even see the 34 00:01:56,040 --> 00:02:00,239 actual car. I was just four or five minutes away 35 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:03,159 from home, nearing the entrance to the neighborhood, when my 36 00:02:03,239 --> 00:02:08,879 dashboard started flickering a new signal, flat tire. My stomach 37 00:02:09,039 --> 00:02:13,000 dropped the second I saw that signal. I put all 38 00:02:13,039 --> 00:02:16,159 the pieces together and was almost one hundred percent sure 39 00:02:16,479 --> 00:02:20,879 that this car behind me had done something. I drove 40 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:23,719 another minute, hoping to make it closer to home, but 41 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:26,520 I could feel my car sinking to the left, and 42 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:30,159 I was practically driving on the rims now. I had 43 00:02:30,199 --> 00:02:33,439 to pull over. The car behind me did the same. 44 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:37,520 I should have called someone as soon as I parked, 45 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:40,080 but I was so concerned and focused with what the 46 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:42,680 person behind me was doing that it didn't even cross 47 00:02:42,759 --> 00:02:47,039 my mind. Though even if I did call someone, it 48 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:53,439 probably wouldn't have prevented what happened next. Once parked, three 49 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:56,719 doors opened from the car and three men came out. 50 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:00,759 I only had a few seconds to prepare and react, 51 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:05,439 but I was helpless and defenseless. They ran up to 52 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:08,319 my car, two on my side and one on the other. 53 00:03:09,599 --> 00:03:11,439 One of the men came right up to my window, 54 00:03:11,719 --> 00:03:14,000 yelling at me to open the door and pointing a 55 00:03:14,039 --> 00:03:17,400 gun at me. It happened so fast I was just 56 00:03:17,479 --> 00:03:21,360 in some dazed state. I started to reach for the door, 57 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:24,199 but the man by the back door smashed something against 58 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:27,759 the window, shattering it, then reached his hand in and 59 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:31,840 opened the back door. They were all still yelling, both 60 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:34,680 at me and at each other. The man in the 61 00:03:34,719 --> 00:03:38,280 back reached across opening the other back door, then reached 62 00:03:38,319 --> 00:03:41,400 in front of me to open my door. I was 63 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:44,000 still just sitting there, holding my hands up now to 64 00:03:44,039 --> 00:03:47,039 show I wasn't a threat. I knew there was no 65 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:49,479 way out of this, even if I did have a weapon. 66 00:03:51,199 --> 00:03:53,680 Once my door was open, the man with the gun 67 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:55,960 pulled me out of the car and slammed me on 68 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:00,199 the ground. The oddest thing is, while I was on 69 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:03,680 the ground looking out into the rainy pavement, all I 70 00:04:03,759 --> 00:04:06,439 was thinking about was how cold and wet the pavement. 71 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:09,400 Was not about how I had a gun being pushed 72 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:11,199 into the back of my head or that I was 73 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:14,879 being robbed and beaten. I think it was my head 74 00:04:15,039 --> 00:04:18,480 trying to distance myself from the traumatizing situation I was in. 75 00:04:20,079 --> 00:04:22,439 I wasn't on the ground for long before the men 76 00:04:22,519 --> 00:04:24,680 by the car called out and the guy holding me 77 00:04:24,759 --> 00:04:27,040 down hit me in the back of the head, causing 78 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:30,680 me to recochet off the pavement. I wasn't even sure 79 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:32,920 if he hit me with the gun or just his fist, 80 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:36,680 because I was already numb. I'm surprised it didn't knock 81 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:41,600 me out, though I heard their car doors close and 82 00:04:41,639 --> 00:04:46,519 then driving away. I rolled over, still in a daze 83 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:50,680 and tried to pick myself up. They'd taken my phone, 84 00:04:50,959 --> 00:04:53,160 so I was forced to drive my car home and 85 00:04:53,199 --> 00:04:55,920 call the police when I got there, which ended up 86 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:01,600 denting and damaging my rims. Anyway, the investigation went nowhere, 87 00:05:01,879 --> 00:05:05,720 determining only that the suspects had purposefully placed small tire 88 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:09,199 spikes in the road at the intersection I crossed them at. 89 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:12,959 I got lucky to have only hit one spike and 90 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:16,920 four to have caused less damage than usual. They likely 91 00:05:16,959 --> 00:05:19,439 planned to ambush me as soon as I hit the trap, 92 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:31,360 but in the end it didn't make a difference. I'm 93 00:05:31,399 --> 00:05:34,399 twenty four and I lived alone with my dog Bear 94 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:37,639 in a cozy town home up until three months ago. 95 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:41,519 I moved in when I turned twenty two, having a 96 00:05:41,519 --> 00:05:45,319 decent enough job. I loved the home, being the first 97 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:48,600 place I'd ever rented for myself, but two years of 98 00:05:48,639 --> 00:05:52,920 happy living was ruined by this one night. It was 99 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:56,639 gloomy outside and raining quite a lot. It was my 100 00:05:56,759 --> 00:05:58,680 day off, so I was sitting on a chair in 101 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:02,519 my living room scrolling off my phone. It was eight pm, 102 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:06,040 which was just an hour before I usually went to bed. 103 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:08,279 Bear had been sitting by the back door for a 104 00:06:08,319 --> 00:06:12,800 while looking outside. He started whining and ran up to me, 105 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:15,160 which was his way of communicating to me that he 106 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:18,319 needed to go outside. I got up and let him out, 107 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:21,839 then closed the door and stood in the kitchen. While 108 00:06:21,879 --> 00:06:24,160 it was just a town home, there was a small 109 00:06:24,199 --> 00:06:27,319 fence separating the backyards, so I didn't have to worry 110 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:31,439 about Bear running away or anything. Also, I shouldn't mention 111 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:34,279 that Bear isn't a large dog at all. He's just 112 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:39,319 fluffy and small, like a teddy bear. Not long, maybe 113 00:06:39,319 --> 00:06:42,240 fifteen or twenty seconds after I let him outside, I 114 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:48,759 heard him whimper and bark. It was very clearly a 115 00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:52,800 cowering bark, like he was running away from something. It 116 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:55,120 scared me, and I rushed to the door and looked out, 117 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:58,360 seeing Bear running back towards me with his tail between 118 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:02,399 his legs. Once he was inside, I leaned my head 119 00:07:02,399 --> 00:07:05,600 outside and scanned the back yard, expecting a coyote or 120 00:07:05,639 --> 00:07:08,959 something to be lurking by the fence, but nothing was there. 121 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:13,600 I made sure Bear was okay and locked up my door. 122 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:18,480 He never does anything like that, so that made me 123 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:21,560 really worried for him. I let him sit on my 124 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:25,240 lap for the rest of the night. Through the next 125 00:07:25,279 --> 00:07:28,240 thirty minutes, he was constantly perking his head up and 126 00:07:28,279 --> 00:07:33,519 staring at the windows and doors, a different one each time. Then, 127 00:07:33,959 --> 00:07:37,319 after forty five minutes of sitting there. Bear turned his 128 00:07:37,399 --> 00:07:40,439 head and stared at the window behind me, lowering his 129 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:46,120 ears and growling. Bear, I said, turning to look where 130 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:48,680 he was looking, and right in the window, just a 131 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:51,759 couple feet from us, was a man staring back at me. 132 00:07:52,759 --> 00:07:56,560 He was almost right up against the glass. I jumped 133 00:07:56,639 --> 00:08:00,279 up and screamed, stepping backwards. The man sprinted away down 134 00:08:00,319 --> 00:08:03,800 the side of the house. Bear started barking again from 135 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:08,399 the sudden chaos. I closed the blinds and checked all 136 00:08:08,399 --> 00:08:10,639 of the others, making sure they were closed as well. 137 00:08:11,839 --> 00:08:14,879 From the quick glimpse I got, I didn't recognize the man. 138 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:17,959 I didn't know who he was, or what he was 139 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:21,800 doing here, or why he was staring at me. I 140 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:24,199 tried to listen for any more indications that he was 141 00:08:24,199 --> 00:08:27,480 still around, but the rain outside was too loud, covering 142 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:31,800 up any possible sounds. Bear seemed calmer, though, so I 143 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:34,039 stayed up for a while longer just to be safe, 144 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:36,360 then went upstairs and had Bear sleep in my room 145 00:08:36,399 --> 00:08:39,639 with me. It took a long time for me to 146 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:43,039 fall asleep, having a lot on my mind, but after 147 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:47,759 an hour or so I slowly dozed off. When I woke, 148 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:51,440 Bear was standing up right by the bedroom door, staring 149 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:55,399 at it. This was a freaky thing to see, waking 150 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:57,720 up in the middle of the night. But not even 151 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:02,679 seconds later I heard something below me, a man talking, 152 00:09:03,639 --> 00:09:06,519 and not long after a man on the other side 153 00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:10,639 of the house talking back. Their footsteps were loud, and 154 00:09:10,679 --> 00:09:14,039 they didn't even seem to be whispering either. It was 155 00:09:14,159 --> 00:09:16,200 like they didn't care if I knew that they were 156 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:20,360 inside my home. My bedroom door was locked, but I 157 00:09:20,399 --> 00:09:24,000 had nowhere else to go. I went over to Bear, quietly, 158 00:09:24,159 --> 00:09:26,679 trying to keep him calm, then picked him up and 159 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:29,159 went over to the corner of my room behind the bed. 160 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:32,960 It took me a while to realize, but then it 161 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:35,519 struck me that I hadn't heard any noises at all 162 00:09:35,639 --> 00:09:40,559 in the past minute, no steps or voices. This was 163 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:42,639 when I took my phone out and called the police, 164 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:47,200 whispering as softly as I could as I told them 165 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:51,679 my address. Bear started a low growl, then began barking 166 00:09:51,679 --> 00:09:54,960 and whining. As two sets of footsteps started making their 167 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:59,080 way up the stairs. I begged for the operator to 168 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:04,080 send someone immediate. The two men started talking to each 169 00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:09,559 other again, but it was hard to make out their words. Hey, 170 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:11,759 we just want to talk. We're not here to hurt you, 171 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:16,080 I screamed, saying I called the cops and for them 172 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:20,159 to leave. I was panicking, not knowing what else to do. 173 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:25,559 There was a pause afterwards. We're here to help you, 174 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:29,720 one of the men said. I didn't respond, as I 175 00:10:29,799 --> 00:10:34,039 was busy trying to muffle my crying. Opened the door. 176 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:39,840 It got quiet again. I could only hear them breathing 177 00:10:39,879 --> 00:10:42,480 behind the door for what felt like a whole minute, 178 00:10:42,960 --> 00:10:46,919 before one of them walked back down the stairs. I 179 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:49,679 couldn't tell where they went downstairs, or if they'd left 180 00:10:49,799 --> 00:10:52,360 or not, but I was sure that it was just 181 00:10:52,399 --> 00:10:56,480 one set of footsteps that left the bedroom door. It 182 00:10:56,519 --> 00:10:59,879 was so quiet, though, and I couldn't hear any breathing. 183 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:04,960 In the far distance. The soft sound of sirens started 184 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:09,039 to get louder. A sense of safety was finally coming back. 185 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:13,600 Once the sirens got closer, I heard footsteps running out 186 00:11:13,639 --> 00:11:16,759 of the house downstairs, but now I was unsure of 187 00:11:16,799 --> 00:11:20,720 where the other man was. It seemed really unlikely for 188 00:11:20,799 --> 00:11:23,039 him to be by my door still, but I could 189 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:27,399 swear I never heard him leave. I waited for the 190 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:30,480 police to pull up and make their way inside I 191 00:11:30,559 --> 00:11:34,639 heard them searching downstairs, then slowly make their way upstairs 192 00:11:34,799 --> 00:11:38,639 and knock on my door. I almost didn't want to answer, 193 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:42,200 still thinking that other men had to be somewhere nearby. 194 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:45,919 When I opened the door, though it was just an officer, 195 00:11:47,279 --> 00:11:51,519 I immediately told him about my concerns. He directed me out 196 00:11:51,519 --> 00:11:54,440 of the house as one of his partners continued searching, 197 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:59,399 but nobody was found. The only thing they were able 198 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:02,960 to find was watery footprints all around the house, as 199 00:12:03,039 --> 00:12:06,279 well as an unlocked window, which, to be honest, I 200 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:10,320 wasn't sure if I kept locked or not. It terrified 201 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:12,919 me though, feeling so confident that the other man was 202 00:12:12,919 --> 00:12:16,519 still there, never hearing him leave, but then there being 203 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:20,360 no trace of him. It made it impossible to sleep 204 00:12:20,399 --> 00:12:23,279 at night, having this feeling of someone still in the 205 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:28,840 house watching me. I moved out three months ago. It 206 00:12:28,879 --> 00:12:31,120 was too much stress on my mind having a loose 207 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:34,360 end like that, especially since neither of them were ever 208 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:39,360 identified or arrested. There was no clear intention the men 209 00:12:39,480 --> 00:12:43,159 had either, which is just another question added to the 210 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:48,720 list of uncertainty. Even now, living miles away in a 211 00:12:48,759 --> 00:12:58,360 new apartment, I still sometimes feel like I'm not alone. 212 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:03,039 I work at a convenience store at the corner of 213 00:13:03,039 --> 00:13:06,960 a small shopping strip. It's basically a smaller local version 214 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:09,919 of a seven to eleven. I worked morning shifts for 215 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:12,600 a while, which started at three am and ended at 216 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:15,879 one pm. I agreed to these shifts because they were 217 00:13:15,919 --> 00:13:18,440 always the slowest and require the least amount of work. 218 00:13:19,600 --> 00:13:22,480 All the parts of my job included tending to customers, 219 00:13:22,679 --> 00:13:25,759 filling the shelves, and taking out the trash, which pretty 220 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:29,039 much meant I had nothing to do. It was the 221 00:13:29,039 --> 00:13:31,320 middle of winter at the time this happened, but I 222 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:33,919 live in a warmer state, so it usually rains instead 223 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:37,480 of snows. It was a light poor outside, but it 224 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:41,399 was enough to keep most people away. On early mornings 225 00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:43,519 like these, I like to lean against the front of 226 00:13:43,519 --> 00:13:47,360 the building outside and smoke to pass the time. I 227 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:50,279 wasn't supposed to, but there wasn't anyone to stop me. 228 00:13:52,039 --> 00:13:54,519 Along the shopping strip where maybe eight or nine other 229 00:13:54,639 --> 00:13:58,080 stores connected to hours, All of them were stores with 230 00:13:58,159 --> 00:14:00,360 normal hours, so none of them were at were open 231 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:04,159 until around six or seven in the morning. So when 232 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:06,360 I saw a car pull into the parking lot while 233 00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:09,639 I was smoking outside, I of course assumed they were 234 00:14:09,639 --> 00:14:13,600 coming to the convenience store. I burned out my cigarette 235 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:16,200 and tossed it in the trash, then headed back inside 236 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:19,600 and around the corner. There really was nothing to do, 237 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:21,679 so I was just waiting for the customer to come 238 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:23,600 in and leave so I could get back to being 239 00:14:23,679 --> 00:14:28,159 bored alone. After a few minutes of nobody coming in, though, 240 00:14:28,399 --> 00:14:30,879 I walked back around the corner and checked outside the door. 241 00:14:31,759 --> 00:14:35,039 The car was still there, parked in a parking space nearby, 242 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:38,000 but the headlights were off and as far as I 243 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:43,320 could tell, nobody was inside. Again. It was lightly raining 244 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:46,519 outside and all the other stores were still closed, so 245 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:48,440 I was a bit confused as to where they went. 246 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:54,039 I took one last look around, seeing nobody, then closed 247 00:14:54,039 --> 00:14:58,360 the door and went back inside. Thirty more minutes of 248 00:14:58,399 --> 00:15:00,600 nothing went by, and I I think I was just 249 00:15:00,639 --> 00:15:02,960 standing in the same spot behind the counter for the 250 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:07,720 whole time, spacing out. I checked the time, seeing I'd 251 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:09,480 only been at work for a little over an hour, 252 00:15:09,879 --> 00:15:12,000 and decided I should check the trash cans around the 253 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:15,879 store and toss them in the dumpster out back. I 254 00:15:15,919 --> 00:15:18,480 walked around to each trash bin, putting the bag in 255 00:15:18,519 --> 00:15:21,600 the cart and replacing it with a new bag. As 256 00:15:21,639 --> 00:15:24,320 I was doing this, I heard a faint click sound 257 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:28,720 come from outside. It sounded like something snapping or breaking, 258 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:31,759 but between the rain hitting the roof and the sound 259 00:15:31,799 --> 00:15:34,879 being somewhat far away, it was impossible to tell what 260 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:38,759 it was or where exactly it came from. In the 261 00:15:38,799 --> 00:15:42,679 moment it happened, though I barely even thought about it. 262 00:15:42,679 --> 00:15:45,960 It just didn't seem like anything worth thinking about, just 263 00:15:46,039 --> 00:15:50,360 another random sound that these old buildings made. Once I 264 00:15:50,399 --> 00:15:53,000 filled the cart with all the trash bags, I rolled 265 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:55,399 it into the back room and unlocked the back door 266 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:59,639 that led to the dumpster. I sighed, seeing as the 267 00:15:59,759 --> 00:16:03,000 rain was pouring down harder now, of course, right when 268 00:16:03,039 --> 00:16:07,639 I actually needed to go outside. Regardless, I pushed the 269 00:16:07,679 --> 00:16:10,360 cart through the rain and over to the dumpster, which 270 00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:15,039 was directly across from the door. After tossing in all 271 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:18,200 the trash, I turned back and started heading for the door, 272 00:16:18,759 --> 00:16:22,440 but I noticed something was out of place. The store 273 00:16:22,559 --> 00:16:27,120 directly connected to mine had its door wedged open. I'd 274 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:30,559 never seen anyone there earlier than six, so it made 275 00:16:30,559 --> 00:16:33,759 me think. I went back inside to get out of 276 00:16:33,759 --> 00:16:36,039 the rain and went out to the front door and 277 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:39,639 looked at the other store's door. All the lights were 278 00:16:39,679 --> 00:16:42,240 off and it looked locked up and empty, like it 279 00:16:42,279 --> 00:16:46,320 always was. At this time, I thought for a few 280 00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:49,279 more minutes before figuring I had nothing better to do 281 00:16:49,519 --> 00:16:51,879 and went back outside by the dumpster and walked up 282 00:16:51,879 --> 00:16:55,720 to the open door again. All the lights were off, 283 00:16:56,039 --> 00:16:58,720 but it seemed to lead into a small closet type room, 284 00:16:59,159 --> 00:17:03,440 which then had another door, probably leading to the main storeroom. 285 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:06,920 I stepped inside, standing in between the doorway so as 286 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:08,359 to not make it seem like I was trying to 287 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:13,000 sneak in or something. Standing inside, now, I could hear 288 00:17:13,039 --> 00:17:17,279 someone moving around in the other room, walking opening drawers. 289 00:17:17,839 --> 00:17:20,279 It sounded like they were making a mess, which then 290 00:17:20,319 --> 00:17:24,400 got me thinking even more, Hey, is everything okay in there? 291 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:27,880 I called out, hoping to get a reassuring response from 292 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:33,880 a neighboring store worker. The noises stopped. I waited a 293 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:36,640 few seconds before I realized that this was not normal 294 00:17:36,799 --> 00:17:41,079 and something was definitely wrong. I stepped back outside and 295 00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:44,440 into the rain. As I quickly made my way back 296 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:47,359 to my store, I recognized something was missing from the 297 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:50,599 door I had just left. It took a second to 298 00:17:50,599 --> 00:17:53,000 figure it out, but then I saw that there was 299 00:17:53,079 --> 00:17:56,039 no handle. It was just an empty hole where the 300 00:17:56,079 --> 00:17:59,559 handle and lock usually are. Then I looked down at 301 00:17:59,599 --> 00:18:02,640 the wedge that was holding the door open, seeing now 302 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:06,839 that it was actually the broken door handle. I ran 303 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:09,559 back into my store, locking all the doors and called 304 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:13,960 nine one one, as well as my store manager. Once 305 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:16,000 I knew they were on their way, I went up 306 00:18:16,039 --> 00:18:18,359 to the wall connecting our stores and put my ear 307 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:23,920 against it, listening to the suspected robbery taking place. Whoever 308 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:25,759 it was had to have known that I called the 309 00:18:25,759 --> 00:18:29,799 police because they were moving quickly, now running all around, 310 00:18:30,119 --> 00:18:34,359 tossing or knocking things over. After thirty seconds to a 311 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:38,039 minute of this, I saw lights flash outside and heard 312 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:42,160 sirens approaching the back of the building. The footsteps quickly 313 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:44,240 moved to the back of the store before a bunch 314 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:47,119 of loud yelling came, which I assumed was the officers. 315 00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:50,920 I checked out the back door after a minute, seeing 316 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:53,440 a less hectic scene, and walked out to talk to 317 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:57,759 the officers. I thanked them for coming so quickly and 318 00:18:57,799 --> 00:19:01,319 gave them a statement. The man who was arrested was 319 00:19:01,319 --> 00:19:04,680 found with a pillowcase full of nearly six thousand dollars 320 00:19:04,759 --> 00:19:08,759 worth of stolen items. He also had an empty firearm, 321 00:19:09,079 --> 00:19:11,519 along with a variety of tools used to break down 322 00:19:11,559 --> 00:19:15,920 doors and locks, and unknown to me, he'd also broken 323 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:20,160 into the store two spots down as well. It's unclear 324 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:22,039 whether or not the man knew I was working at 325 00:19:22,079 --> 00:19:24,960 the time, but my store lights were on, so it 326 00:19:25,039 --> 00:19:27,519 isn't likely that he would have broken into my store, 327 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:31,720 but several large scratches were found on the back of 328 00:19:31,720 --> 00:20:00,559 our door handle, which may have been from a previous attempt.