My brother told a story of a recent encounter where he said the Sipik 68 that I had given him a week earlier supposedly saved his life. I’ll keep it short and leave out some details but you will get the idea. I don’t know every detail so I suspect he left out some info but here goes.
He was walking towards the entrance of an apt of one of his friends at night. Someone blinded him with a powerful flashlight. He was disorientated. The guy with the light asked him what he was doing and slowly started moving towards him. My brother asked him who he was but the flashlight guy didn’t respond. The flashlight guy kept advancing on my brother and my brother asked 2-3 more times who he was.
Understandably my brother was a bit alarmed and on edge at this point. He wasn’t doing anything wrong and someone came out from the shadows and blinded him rendering him totally helpless. My brother drew his EDC knife and said “who the F**K are you man?” The flashlight guy told him to drop the light and my brother said F-you!
At this point my brother remembered that he too owned a flashlight. He pulled it out and shone it in the other guy’s face. At that point the other guy said he was calling the cops and my brother said “good” as he thought this whole time he was being jumped.
The cops arrive almost instantly and handcuff my brother and put him in the back of the squad car. The cop starts driving off and my brother is like WTF is happening here? The cop says he is under arrest for public intox. My brother who hadn’t been drinking was dumbfounded and totally confused by the entire situation.
The part that he says saved his life is that by shining a light back in the other guy’s face, it made him stop advancing and paused the action till the police arrived. My brother said he was about to defend himself using his knife but knows he would have been shot if he did. The flashlight guy was apparently an off duty cop who lives in the apt complex and had a gun.
Long story short, there have been many complaints about this off duty cop doing similar things like this and harassing people. He should have identified himself as a cop instead of creeping up on someone and fearing them out.
My brother was taken in and charged but he is getting a lawyer and the bogus charges won’t stick. Furthermore, there may be a lawsuit against the off duty cop.
So the lesson is, always have a bright flashlight on you, it could level the playing field if someone tries to take advantage of you. At least you will be equal and not helpless.
Police departments everywhere have rules regarding off-duty activity and policing your own neighborhood is activity that is frowned upon. The off-duty officer was probably in hot water for what he did however, a few details do seem to be missing so I reserve the right to edit my reply as details emerge. :).
Yikes! Send that to Sipik and they’d send you a few lights for sure!!
Glad he is mostly OK. The cops are like that here with motorcycles. They’ll pull you over and impound the motorcycle then you pay $1500 in storage fee’s for a week plus have to get a $$$ lawyer to get the “stunting” charges dismissed, so you’re screwed both ways.
And the cops wonder why we never stop for them, lol.
I always had a fairly low view of Sipiks but a $5 light you have with you is better than the $200 monster thrower that you leave at home because it’s too big or expensive to take along.
I know he wasn’t using 14500s so I’m even more impressed. I guess a Sipik focused right in your eyes at night is pretty effective.
I’m sure there are some details left out but the story is all too familiar around here. I have known at least too other people who were charged with public intox with no reason or evidence. Apparently cops can bust you for it and it’s your word against their’s. The cops can say you had bloodshot eyes or some other non-scientific reason and it’s up to you to prove your innocence.
I used to think anyone who was arrested was probably guilty or there was some reason for it and people should just co-operate with the police but lately they seem to be stepping on the people’s toes. At least locally that seems to be the case.
I spent some time in the UK and I was amazed by the difference in the attitude of the police force there. Really nice people who are truly there to help. In the USA, the cops seem more like predators than public servants.
I have to agres with you more than you know my whole family from my wife whos never even had a speeding ticket to at the time 1w year old son 16 year disabled daughter 15 year old son and 17 year old son all in one foul swoop nowadays its a!ll about intimamadation