An LA Cop. John Bowermaster
he’s always telling me you’re a sick son of a bitch! You are a sick son of a bitch!”
Sometimes Mike would overreact in situations that occurred. One night, Mike was the driver on X-96 with Ed. They were in pursuit of a stolen vehicle eastbound on Jefferson Bl refusing to pull over. The suspects punched the accelerator, leaving the officers behind by several car lengths.
Ed picked up the microphone, advising control they were in pursuit of a stolen ’68 silver Chevy Camaro. Mike was following the suspect in the number one lane nearest the center line. Mike approached another vehicle in the right number two lane also traveling the same direction in front of them.
As Mike approached the vehicle to pass, the driver panicked, making a left turn in front of the police car. Ed said, “Go right, Mike, go right—he’s turning left in front of us!” Mike froze in the situation.
Hitting his brakes, he turned left toward the car that was turning left in front of them. His braking allowed their unit to slow enough to clear the rear bumper of the other car as it passed in front of them. They were heading toward the curb on the north side of Jefferson. Crossing over both westbound lanes, their vehicle hit the curb. Both front tires blew out.
Their vehicle continued onto the sidewalk, striking a utility pole with the hood of their unit. The impact drove the engine block back into the driver’s compartment. The shotgun bracket mounted on the floor in front of their bench seat sheared off its mount from the impact.
Ed was holding the radio’s microphone just before impact. He keyed the microphone. “X-96 needs help on Jefferson.”
When the first unit arrived at their location, they found Mike lying on the sidewalk beside the driver’s door, conscious but unable to hold a conversation. Ed was walking around in the street, dragging the shotgun by its barrel.
Responding officers told the men when the RA unit arrived and asked the officers if they knew their names, ages, and what day it was. Neither man knew the answers. The RA unit transported the officers to the hospital. Both men had minor concussions from the impact. 6-A-51 took the GTA suspect into custody at Crenshaw, blocked in traffic.
Three weeks passed. Mike was driving with Ed on X-96. Following another stolen vehicle leaving the Jungle with two suspects in the car. Mike activated the unit’s red lights. The driver of the vehicle stopped in the middle of the street on Santa Barbara without pulling to the curb.
Paul and Bill, working A-91, responded as a backup for X-96 on the traffic stop. Paul turned off his lights and pulled up behind X-96. Ed told Mike, “I didn’t see their reverse lights flash on when they stopped. He didn’t put the car in park. Be careful.” Mike pulled up, stopping behind the suspect’s vehicle. Ed jumped out of the passenger side with his gun drawn.
The suspect’s vehicle sped off down the street. Mike, without hesitation, threw the car in drive and took off in pursuit of the suspects, leaving Ed’s passenger door wide open, with Ed standing in the middle of the street. Ed turned, looking back at Paul, who watched in disbelief as Mike drove away without him. Paul pulled his vehicle forward, stopping for Ed to jump in their back seat.
Paul looked at Ed in his rearview mirror. “What the hell was he thinking?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” A-91 followed X-96 in pursuit of the suspects for a couple of blocks. The street was blocked by additional units responding from the opposite direction, coming toward Mike, causing the suspects to stop their vehicle and surrender. The officers removed the suspects from the stolen vehicle, checked for weapons, and cuffed and placed them into the back seats of X-96 and A-91’s units.
Ed turned to Mike. “You want to tell me what the hell you were thinking back there? Why your sorry ass drove off leaving me standing in the middle of the goddamn street in the Jungle?”
Mike stood there, looking scolded. “I’m sorry, Ed. I had my head up my ass. I had tunnel vision. All I could see was those assholes getting away. I’m sorry!”
Ed said, “From now on, with your track record behind the wheel, I’m driving. If you ever drive again and pull this shit, I’ll shoot you myself!”
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