1
00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:08,279
Speaker 1: I've been a taxi driver in the big city for

2
00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:12,359
over fifteen years, specifically Chicago, but I used to live

3
00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:16,120
in Las Vegas and worked as a driver there as well. Recently,

4
00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:18,399
I know a lot of new methods of getting around

5
00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:21,320
have been coming up, like Uber, but this happened to

6
00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:24,559
me years ago before that even existed, or at least

7
00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:28,320
before it was commonly used. For context to those who

8
00:00:28,359 --> 00:00:32,920
aren't familiar, Chicago has cold, nasty winters and the temperatures

9
00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:37,119
dropped to freezing all the time. The taxi service I

10
00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:40,200
worked for wasn't the typical yellow taxi car type job

11
00:00:40,359 --> 00:00:43,280
you used to see all the time. This, at the

12
00:00:43,359 --> 00:00:45,719
time was a more modern type of job where you

13
00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:48,000
use your own car and put a sign on top

14
00:00:48,079 --> 00:00:51,039
whenever you're working so that people know that you're a taxi.

15
00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,840
In return, the company takes a portion of your earnings,

16
00:00:55,439 --> 00:00:57,840
but this way you can work whatever shifts you want

17
00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:01,759
and can charge what you feel is necessary. At the time,

18
00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:04,359
this felt like a luxury I never wanted to end,

19
00:01:04,879 --> 00:01:09,280
but it didn't last forever. I never set a schedule

20
00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:11,640
for myself, so I would just go out and drive

21
00:01:11,719 --> 00:01:16,000
whenever I decided on any given day. During the holidays,

22
00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,599
I worked more hours, though since more people are out

23
00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:21,840
and about. I didn't have any family nearby at the time,

24
00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:24,599
and I lived alone, so holidays were just like any

25
00:01:24,599 --> 00:01:28,400
other day for me. This unfortunate event took place on

26
00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:32,599
Christmas Eve. I began driving at ten am and was

27
00:01:32,719 --> 00:01:34,959
very pleased with the amount of business I was getting.

28
00:01:35,799 --> 00:01:38,799
There was almost no downtime between customers, and they were

29
00:01:38,799 --> 00:01:41,120
willing to pay more due to how busy it was,

30
00:01:41,599 --> 00:01:44,359
which meant I was making nearly eighty dollars an hour,

31
00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,840
which was really good for me. By the time eight

32
00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:51,079
o'clock came, I had been working ten hours but was

33
00:01:51,159 --> 00:01:56,959
still making great money. However, snow started falling. It was

34
00:01:57,079 --> 00:01:59,439
light still, but I figured I still had time before

35
00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:02,319
it got worse. I took a quick stop at a

36
00:02:02,319 --> 00:02:04,680
fast food place to grab a bite to eat, then

37
00:02:04,719 --> 00:02:07,079
headed back out to work as much as possible while

38
00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:10,840
I could. The crowds were dying down, but a lot

39
00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:13,520
of other taxi drivers had gone home as well, which

40
00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:17,199
meant I had less competition. I picked up a small

41
00:02:17,199 --> 00:02:20,479
group from a large road and took them home. They

42
00:02:20,479 --> 00:02:24,000
lived in a relatively low quality neighborhood with very close

43
00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:27,879
together old homes. The group was nice, though, and left

44
00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:31,240
a good tip. As I was pulling away from the

45
00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:34,039
side of the road, though, a man came from behind

46
00:02:34,039 --> 00:02:36,360
a parked car and held his hand out as if

47
00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:39,759
wanting a ride. It was hard to see him through

48
00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:42,439
the snow and darkness, but he had a dark hoodie on,

49
00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:46,800
and as I got closer he almost looked nervous. But honestly,

50
00:02:46,879 --> 00:02:50,000
this wasn't uncommon around here. I pulled up next to

51
00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:56,319
him and he got inside. Where you headn't I asked,

52
00:02:56,599 --> 00:03:00,039
continuing forward again as I rolled down the street for

53
00:03:00,039 --> 00:03:03,199
a few seconds, though I realized he still hadn't answered.

54
00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:08,199
I spoke again, more punctual, this time asking where he

55
00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:11,199
needed me to take him. I looked in the rear

56
00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:13,759
view mirror as I asked, and the man made eye

57
00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:19,159
contact for a second before looking away. Then he spoke, Uh,

58
00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:22,800
just take me here, he said, pulling a small piece

59
00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:25,520
of ripped paper from his hoodie pocket and handing it

60
00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:29,400
to me. On the paper was a poorly written address

61
00:03:29,479 --> 00:03:32,719
on a street I was unfamiliar with. Having driven in

62
00:03:32,759 --> 00:03:35,680
the city for years, I'd at least heard of almost

63
00:03:35,719 --> 00:03:38,400
all the road and street names, so this made me

64
00:03:38,439 --> 00:03:42,479
pretty confused. My initial thought was that it may be

65
00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:45,400
a far drive outside the city, and in that case,

66
00:03:45,639 --> 00:03:48,719
I wasn't sure if I could do it. At an

67
00:03:48,719 --> 00:03:51,680
empty stop sign, I reached over to my rarely used

68
00:03:51,719 --> 00:03:56,719
GPS and typed in the address. Nothing came up. I

69
00:03:56,800 --> 00:03:59,240
started to get nervous, looking back at the paper in

70
00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:03,120
GPS to make sure I typed it in right. Uh, sir,

71
00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:06,840
I don't know where this address is, I said, as

72
00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:10,280
I turned my body to face his Yeah, just pull

73
00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:14,280
over here, he said, in a surprisingly strict tone. I

74
00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:17,319
was pretty sure what was happening, but I remained calm

75
00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,360
and pulled over on the side of the road. This

76
00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:25,839
street was pretty much empty, no cars, no people, no lights.

77
00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:29,279
I put the car in park and just sat there

78
00:04:29,439 --> 00:04:34,000
looking forward. The man turned around for a second looking

79
00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:38,399
out the side window, then immediately lunged his body between

80
00:04:38,439 --> 00:04:41,199
the front seats and grabbed my head, pressing a small

81
00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:45,079
gun to it. He was screaming things at me, asking

82
00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:47,920
for my wallet and keys and everything, but I was

83
00:04:47,959 --> 00:04:50,160
in so much shock and all I could focus on

84
00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:52,600
was the pain due to how the man was aggressively

85
00:04:52,639 --> 00:04:56,680
digging the barrel of his gun into my skull. This

86
00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:59,720
only angered the man further, and he continued yelling. As

87
00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:01,879
I tried I do grab my wallet, but I guess

88
00:05:01,879 --> 00:05:04,720
I wasn't fast enough. He pistol whipped me in the

89
00:05:04,759 --> 00:05:07,759
back of the head, making my vision blurry and sending

90
00:05:07,759 --> 00:05:09,959
a rush of pain through my head as if I

91
00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:15,439
suddenly had the worst headache imaginable. Dazed and barely conscious,

92
00:05:15,879 --> 00:05:19,279
I tossed my wallet on the passenger seat. I don't

93
00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:21,480
even know what I did wrong this time, but he

94
00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:26,240
hit me again, worsening everything. I'm assuming the man noticed

95
00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:29,000
my condition though, as he took the opportunity to get

96
00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:32,040
out of the car, but that was the last thing

97
00:05:32,079 --> 00:05:36,839
I remembered. I woke up on the side of the street,

98
00:05:37,079 --> 00:05:39,600
which seemed like just a few minutes after the attack.

99
00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:44,439
I was covered in snow and was freezing. My car

100
00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:48,519
was gone, as well as my wallet, keys, and phone.

101
00:05:48,639 --> 00:05:51,120
My head was killing me and I could barely manage

102
00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:54,920
to walk. Shivering and in pain, I made my way

103
00:05:54,959 --> 00:05:57,839
through the snow covered sidewalks to a nearby gas station

104
00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:02,240
and got help. In short my car was found a

105
00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:05,560
week later further outside the city, abandoned on the side

106
00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:09,399
of the road. Thankfully, I had no lasting injuries, but

107
00:06:09,519 --> 00:06:13,759
getting a new phone, license, bank card, everything was just

108
00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:19,000
a hassle. Without my car, I couldn't work either. The

109
00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:22,160
whole thing was just awful. Not to mention the terror

110
00:06:22,199 --> 00:06:25,639
I felt in the moment, what really bothers me was

111
00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:28,759
how aggressive the guy was for no reason. I mean,

112
00:06:29,079 --> 00:06:31,120
if the guy just asked me for my shit, I

113
00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:34,600
would have given him no trouble. I just don't understand

114
00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:36,399
why it had to go down the way it did.

115
00:06:37,439 --> 00:06:39,839
Clearly his goal wasn't to kill me, so why did

116
00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:42,160
he have to hurt me so badly if I was complying.

117
00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:47,120
Since then, I started working for a larger taxi company

118
00:06:47,199 --> 00:06:49,199
run by the city, where they give you a car

119
00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:53,000
and everything. It makes me feel safer, but I still

120
00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:57,199
find myself getting uneasy around certain people. Luckily I can

121
00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:00,519
choose to not work nights though, and on holiday I

122
00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:03,199
make sure to be much more careful because I found

123
00:07:03,199 --> 00:07:06,720
out the hard way that just because it's Christmas doesn't

124
00:07:06,759 --> 00:07:10,040
mean all the horrible people take the day off too.

125
00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:19,759
I was on the road during a small snowstorm and

126
00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:22,399
had been driving for about eight or nine hours already.

127
00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:26,279
I say small snowstorm because it was much more snow

128
00:07:26,319 --> 00:07:28,519
than a regular snowfall, but not as much as a

129
00:07:28,519 --> 00:07:33,399
typical blizzard you'd probably imagine of a normal snowstorm. I

130
00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:35,759
was delivering a few palettes to a warehouse for the

131
00:07:35,759 --> 00:07:38,319
company I worked for, but I was ahead on time,

132
00:07:38,439 --> 00:07:41,120
so I didn't feel any need to go quickly, especially

133
00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:44,439
not with the snowfall. I was on a dimly lit

134
00:07:44,519 --> 00:07:47,000
highway and had my brights on. When I could see

135
00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:51,120
in the distance of flashing and flickering light. Getting closer,

136
00:07:51,279 --> 00:07:54,480
I realized it was much larger and brighter. It was

137
00:07:54,519 --> 00:07:57,160
a deep red, and that's when I realized it was

138
00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:01,240
a fire. The snow falling down made it too difficult

139
00:08:01,279 --> 00:08:03,120
to tell if it was on the highway or off

140
00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:06,000
to the side, but either way I was gaining on

141
00:08:06,079 --> 00:08:09,720
it fast. I tried to break slowly, but I had

142
00:08:09,759 --> 00:08:13,519
completely misjudged how close I was, so I pressed down harder.

143
00:08:14,759 --> 00:08:17,639
I could feel the back trailer starting to slide behind me,

144
00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:20,319
and I immediately let go of the brakes, causing it

145
00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:23,399
to straighten but jolt back and shake the whole truck.

146
00:08:24,399 --> 00:08:26,959
It was terrifying trying to keep the truck from tipping

147
00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:31,120
over and not slide into the fire. Closing in on it,

148
00:08:31,199 --> 00:08:33,440
though I realized it was off the side of the road,

149
00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:36,480
and while it was a relatively large flame, it seemed

150
00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:39,799
to be centered in a single spot. I was able

151
00:08:39,799 --> 00:08:42,000
to get the truck to stop safely on the side

152
00:08:42,039 --> 00:08:44,440
of the highway. As I leaned over and looked out

153
00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:48,840
the passenger window at the tree line next to the road,

154
00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:51,840
I could barely make out a small car at the

155
00:08:51,879 --> 00:08:55,759
center of the flames. I was in awe at the sight,

156
00:08:56,320 --> 00:09:00,559
never having seen anything like it. I quickly did my

157
00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:03,320
seatbelt and got out to see if anyone was hurt.

158
00:09:04,039 --> 00:09:06,840
Staying a safe distance away, I tried to look around

159
00:09:06,879 --> 00:09:10,120
the scene for anyone. I didn't know how it could

160
00:09:10,159 --> 00:09:12,759
have caught on fire, and the car seemed pretty normal

161
00:09:13,399 --> 00:09:16,120
aside from the burn marks, it kind of looked like

162
00:09:16,159 --> 00:09:19,519
a regular parked car, not damaged or anything from any

163
00:09:19,519 --> 00:09:24,639
sort of crash. Not seeing anyone nearby, though I feared

164
00:09:24,639 --> 00:09:27,399
the worst that some one may be inside the car,

165
00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:31,159
I pulled my phone out and called the police. I

166
00:09:31,279 --> 00:09:33,320
was thankful to have enough service to get a hold

167
00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:36,399
of them, but they were fifteen minutes out, and firefighters

168
00:09:36,399 --> 00:09:40,320
and ambulances were even further out. The more I stood

169
00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:43,039
there in the cold, waiting for the police, looking at

170
00:09:43,039 --> 00:09:46,480
this huge flame coming from what seemed like any other car.

171
00:09:46,919 --> 00:09:51,639
I started wondering if it was intentional. Now I'm no detective,

172
00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:54,440
but it just didn't look like an accident in any way.

173
00:09:55,639 --> 00:09:58,080
My body shook at the thought, and I turned around

174
00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:02,240
to get back my truck. Hey, hold up, A man

175
00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:05,879
called out from beside me, maybe thirty feet away, but

176
00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:10,200
was masked by the falling snow. I looked in that direction,

177
00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:13,679
part starting to race as two men walked up to me.

178
00:10:15,159 --> 00:10:18,159
They were wearing face masks, covering their mouth a nose.

179
00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:21,360
I greeted them and asked if they knew about what

180
00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:24,399
happened here, and they both shook their heads, which was

181
00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:26,960
really odd considering I didn't see or hear them pull

182
00:10:27,039 --> 00:10:29,919
up in any car. There was no way they walked

183
00:10:29,919 --> 00:10:32,639
here in the middle of nowhere on a highway, so

184
00:10:32,679 --> 00:10:35,559
I obviously started getting a really bad feeling in my gut.

185
00:10:36,679 --> 00:10:39,200
I'm gonna get back my truck and get going. Have

186
00:10:39,279 --> 00:10:42,759
a good night, guys, I said, beginning to walk, trying

187
00:10:42,799 --> 00:10:47,159
not to seem afraid. No one of the men said strictly.

188
00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:51,879
I turned back around and in that moment, I faced

189
00:10:51,919 --> 00:10:55,279
the most terrifying thing in my life. The man had

190
00:10:55,279 --> 00:10:59,080
a handgun pointed right at me. I told him I

191
00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:01,960
would comply with whatever he wanted, and then he told

192
00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:06,360
me to move and stand against the trailer. He aggressively

193
00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:09,320
patted me down, taking my wallet and phone, while the

194
00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:11,480
other man robbed whatever he could find in the front

195
00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:15,159
of the truck. I was trying to hold in tears

196
00:11:15,279 --> 00:11:17,200
as I was thinking about my family and how this

197
00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:20,440
might be it for me. I was almost sure that

198
00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:23,279
they had lit that car on fire now, meaning they

199
00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:26,559
likely robbed someone just like me, and I didn't see

200
00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:30,720
anyone else around, so we all know what that probably meant.

201
00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:35,679
After a minute, the second man reapproached us. He put

202
00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:38,000
his hand on the man's shoulder who was holding the gun,

203
00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:43,000
and leaned in, whispering something in his ear. Then, just

204
00:11:43,039 --> 00:11:46,799
like they came, they both rushed into the dark, disappearing

205
00:11:46,879 --> 00:11:51,480
through the thick snow. I was in shock, still standing

206
00:11:51,519 --> 00:11:55,159
against the truck before running inside and locking the doors.

207
00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:58,200
I didn't have my phone or wallet, so I just

208
00:11:58,279 --> 00:12:02,000
stayed and waited for the police to arrise. This whole

209
00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:04,120
thing was a big deal in the area for a while.

210
00:12:04,399 --> 00:12:08,559
Though it happened many years ago. The car was set

211
00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:12,360
on fire by the two men, and unfortunately I was right.

212
00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:16,559
They robbed an old lady who was pulled over, and

213
00:12:16,639 --> 00:12:19,039
burned the car to make sure no evidence of them

214
00:12:19,159 --> 00:12:23,679
was left. They were caught not long after, eventually giving

215
00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:26,559
details on where the body was, but they never gave

216
00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:29,000
an explanation to why they went back to the scene

217
00:12:29,039 --> 00:12:32,039
when they saw me. It could have been to rob me,

218
00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:34,440
just as they had done, but it seemed like a

219
00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:38,679
big risk for little reward. Most of all, I don't

220
00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:41,679
know why they chose to let me live considering what

221
00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:45,799
they had just done to the previous victim. I am grateful, though,

222
00:12:46,039 --> 00:12:48,360
and I hope nobody else has to go through something

223
00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:52,200
like that. My advice is that if you see something,

224
00:12:52,639 --> 00:12:55,320
just stay in your car, lock the doors, and call

225
00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:59,120
the police. Don't go trying to help, because there's always

226
00:12:59,159 --> 00:13:01,120
a chance that it it's going to end up being

227
00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:13,519
you who needs help. I was a normal pizza delivery

228
00:13:13,639 --> 00:13:17,480
driver for Dominoes in high school. I also worked part

229
00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:19,759
time at a Jimmy John's on the weekends, but that

230
00:13:19,879 --> 00:13:23,360
was just a side job anyway. I just wanted to

231
00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:25,080
put that out there so that you know I'm not

232
00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:28,320
just some random guy doing his first delivery. I was

233
00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:31,360
very familiar with making food deliveries, and what happened on

234
00:13:31,399 --> 00:13:36,279
this night was not normal at all. Ninety percent of

235
00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:39,320
the time, I don't take the phone calls. Usually there's

236
00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:41,600
someone in the restaurant that takes the orders and gets

237
00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:44,320
the pizza ready. Then I just run inside, grab it

238
00:13:44,399 --> 00:13:48,480
and go. This time was no different. I just finished

239
00:13:48,519 --> 00:13:50,679
with a previous order and ran inside the shop to

240
00:13:50,679 --> 00:13:53,360
pick up the next order. As I grabbed it, though,

241
00:13:53,519 --> 00:13:55,759
my coworker told me to make sure the guy pays

242
00:13:55,799 --> 00:13:59,200
him full. It was an obvious statement, so the fact

243
00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:01,279
that he felt the need to say that was weird.

244
00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:04,600
I was in a rush because of the snowy roads, though,

245
00:14:04,759 --> 00:14:08,879
so I just said okay. As I walked out, getting

246
00:14:08,919 --> 00:14:11,519
in my car and situating myself, I thought about it

247
00:14:11,559 --> 00:14:14,320
a bit more and then actually wondered why he said that.

248
00:14:15,279 --> 00:14:17,639
I settled on the idea that it was probably just

249
00:14:17,639 --> 00:14:20,759
some upright guy that was trying to get discounts. I

250
00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:23,440
began the drive, and if I remember correctly, it was

251
00:14:23,519 --> 00:14:26,919
just ten minutes away from the shop. I should mention

252
00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:29,519
it was just past ten pm, so the roads were

253
00:14:29,519 --> 00:14:31,759
mostly empty. But as soon as I pulled out of

254
00:14:31,759 --> 00:14:34,519
the parking lot, I noticed a car speeding up behind

255
00:14:34,559 --> 00:14:37,519
me until he got close. Then he eased off and

256
00:14:37,559 --> 00:14:41,159
matched my speed. I couldn't tell what type of car

257
00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:43,799
it was, but it isn't uncommon for people around here

258
00:14:43,879 --> 00:14:46,080
to go crazy fast at night when no one else

259
00:14:46,159 --> 00:14:49,360
is on the roads. That being said, the snow was

260
00:14:49,399 --> 00:14:52,360
falling a good amount, so going fast probably wasn't the

261
00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:56,320
best idea. I kept my speed and just casually drove,

262
00:14:56,759 --> 00:14:59,279
hoping he'd just go around me or turn off somewhere,

263
00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,559
but he stayed. It wasn't until we reached a traffic

264
00:15:03,639 --> 00:15:07,039
light that the person pulled into the lane next to mine.

265
00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:09,360
I always just stare ahead at traffic lights so that

266
00:15:09,399 --> 00:15:12,679
I don't make awkward eye contact, but someone started yelling

267
00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:16,080
from the car next to me. I looked over, seeing

268
00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:19,200
a man staring right at me with his window rolled down.

269
00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:23,200
I quickly broke eye contact and looked forward again, but

270
00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:25,679
the guy started yelling again, asking me to roll the

271
00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:29,279
window down. I pretended not to hear him and started

272
00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:31,480
fiddling with the pizza bag next to me, as if

273
00:15:31,519 --> 00:15:35,320
I were searching through it. I kept the traffic lights

274
00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:37,200
in the corner of my eye, though, and as soon

275
00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:39,840
as it turned green, I quickly sped down the road.

276
00:15:40,919 --> 00:15:43,919
The man didn't stop, though, he continued next to me,

277
00:15:44,159 --> 00:15:48,279
driving erratically and swerving all around. His window was still

278
00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:50,600
down and I could see he was constantly trying to

279
00:15:50,639 --> 00:15:54,519
stare at me and get my attention. The man looked angry, though,

280
00:15:54,919 --> 00:15:56,759
so there was no way I was stopping to talk

281
00:15:56,799 --> 00:15:59,759
to this guy. But I was getting really annoyed. I

282
00:15:59,799 --> 00:16:03,559
was even scared, just bothered by this guy. I wanted

283
00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:05,559
to take a side road or something to try and

284
00:16:05,559 --> 00:16:08,879
lose him, but the snowy conditions made me question whether

285
00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:11,600
or not the side roads would be plowed. Yet I

286
00:16:11,639 --> 00:16:13,080
was not in the mood to get stuck in the

287
00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:15,559
snow with this crazy dude, so I just took my

288
00:16:15,679 --> 00:16:19,759
chances and stayed on the main road. Only one to

289
00:16:19,799 --> 00:16:22,960
two minutes away from the house, the guy still beside

290
00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:25,960
me sped up and immediately swerved into my lane in

291
00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:29,360
front of me. I slammed on the brakes, but it

292
00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:32,559
only slowed my car slightly before it began to slide.

293
00:16:33,639 --> 00:16:36,679
Luckily for me, the other guy had the same problem.

294
00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:40,080
His car continued sliding all the way off the road

295
00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:43,720
and into the thick snow. His car had almost completely

296
00:16:43,759 --> 00:16:47,919
turned one hundred eighty degrees too. My adrenaline was making

297
00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:51,000
me shake as I rolled down the road slowly, looking

298
00:16:51,039 --> 00:16:54,120
in my mirrors at the guy's car. I then picked

299
00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:56,240
up some more speed so I could put some distance

300
00:16:56,279 --> 00:16:59,240
between us, though I didn't think he'd be able to

301
00:16:59,279 --> 00:17:02,720
get out of there for a while anyway. I felt

302
00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:05,279
bad for leaving him like that, but he clearly had

303
00:17:05,319 --> 00:17:07,480
bad intentions, and I was not going to stay there

304
00:17:07,519 --> 00:17:10,920
to find out what they were. I pulled him to

305
00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:13,119
the driveway of the customer's home and walked up to

306
00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:17,799
the front door, knocking several times. After a minute of

307
00:17:17,799 --> 00:17:20,519
no answer, I called my boss, who then called back

308
00:17:20,559 --> 00:17:23,920
the number to tell them I was there, still knocking

309
00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:26,559
and ringing the doorbell. My boss called me a minute

310
00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:29,920
later to tell me that he didn't pick up. I

311
00:17:30,039 --> 00:17:33,119
stood there, confused, looking at the lights that were left

312
00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:35,759
on in the house. Then I started to put the

313
00:17:35,759 --> 00:17:39,359
pieces together. I ran back to my car and drove

314
00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:42,119
out of the neighborhood. I took a different route to

315
00:17:42,119 --> 00:17:44,400
the shop, just to make sure I avoided that car

316
00:17:44,799 --> 00:17:48,599
then told my boss what had happened. I believe the

317
00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:51,519
customer was the guy in the car. My boss said

318
00:17:51,559 --> 00:17:53,839
he gave him a bad feeling on the phone, making

319
00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:56,880
him think that he wasn't going to pay. I think

320
00:17:56,880 --> 00:17:59,200
the guy's plan was to follow me out of the shop,

321
00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:01,480
then get me to pull over so he could rob

322
00:18:01,559 --> 00:18:05,680
me either of the pizza, my wallet, or both. It

323
00:18:05,799 --> 00:18:08,359
made sense that the man wasn't at home too, because

324
00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:11,559
he had gotten stuck in the snow. I don't know

325
00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:14,279
for sure. I could just be overthinking all of it,

326
00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:17,960
but my boss agreed with my theory. He said he

327
00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:20,279
would notify the police and give them the guy's number

328
00:18:20,279 --> 00:18:23,880
and address, although he never updated me about it, so

329
00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:26,640
I'm not even sure if he actually did. But as

330
00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:29,640
far as we know, that guy hasn't called the shop

331
00:18:29,759 --> 00:18:30,079
since