Despite a perpetual media presentation, guns aren’t the only deadly weapons in the world. In Alabama recently, an off-duty policeman was nearly murdered in his driveway — and it wasn’t by an AR-15.
Around 5 p.m. Tuesday, Decatur Officer Jack Brown was relaxing at home. He noticed an unfamiliar black Jeep Wrangler sitting idly in front of his house. Jack went out to ask the driver if he needed help, and what followed was absolutely nuts.
As relayed by Al.com , now-identified 54-year-old Gregory Martin Hill swore at Jack before backing out. The man then attempted to run over the officer.
A Ring camera caught it all.
In the viral video, Gregory’s Jeep darts forward as Jack barely escapes. The vehicle hits a tree, and Jack hits the pavement — as he frantically makes his way inside the house. Prior to reaching the door, the cop tosses his phone to the ground; he appears to have possibly been speaking to dispatch.
Gregory exits the Jeep and runs into Jack’s carport. After his leisurely return to the crashed car, Jack comes running with a pointed pistol. Despite a wealth of commands to the contrary, Gregory turns the ignition and hits Reverse.
For a moment, the scene recalls an Old-West shootout: Two men stare each other down, each brandishing a lethal weapon. Then the man with the one-ton death machine triggers the gas.
The Jeep catches Jack on its hood, pushing him far outside the camera’s frame.
See the insanity for yourself:
Per the Decatur Police report, Jack “discharged his weapon into the Jeep numerous times.”
But he got at least as well as he gave.
Back to Al.com:
[Jack] was pushed almost the entire length of the front yard… [Gregory] then backed up and ran over [his] legs.
[Gregory] then exited the vehicle and was subdued by [Jack] and a civilian who witnessed the ordeal.
Gregory was initially charged with second-degree assault. The charge has since been upgraded to attempted murder. He was booked into the Morgan County Jail, his cash bond set at $1,000,000.
According to police spokeswoman Irene Cardenas-Martinez, there is no apparent connection between the officer and his would-be executioner.
As for the policeman’s tactics, upon review, the showdown left Jack in clear need of cover. Perhaps not standing in the open would’ve been the better move. And it may have been better to have held on to his phone.
Of course, that’s armchair quarterbacking; the officer was under stress amid a surprise domestic assault. Clearly, he didn’t want to shoot Gregory; some will surely accuse him of having been too nice.
And for those wondering why he didn’t remain in his house after the initial incident, Jack’s wife posted an explanation to Facebook:
[W]e have two small children who were at home at the time. [Jack] went inside and told the kids to hide and went back outside in an effort to protect our home and family after calling 911. My husband is blessed to be alive. He is sore, bruised, and scraped up but no serious injuries.
The video is a harrowing reminder that the world is a crazy place. And you need to be prepared for anything — because sometimes, “crazy” comes and parks in your front yard.
-ALEX
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