Bear Attack

Bear Attack
(Stories of The Lost Patrol)
(C) James J Alonzo

Working the mid night shift in Evans, New York, is tedious at times, boring, but at other times, adrenaline pumping. It was warm, cloudy dark night

Jack was arguing with some motorist about the speeding ticket Jack just gave him. The motorist was pissed. I could hear the conversation since I stood at the ready on the passenger side of the car for back up.

"You damn cops just give out tickets for no reason! Are you pigs on a quota?" asked the motorist

"Yes sir, we have a quota. Two more tickets and my wife will get a toaster oven." Jack responded, " Now get moving, or I'll arrest you for being stupid!"

Afterward we continued our patrol, and in a short time we got a 'residential burglar alarm' call in this very upper income residential area along the old Lake Shore road. A road that has many multi million dollar mansions belonging to the rich and shameless.

I fastened my seatbelt since Jack was driving. Don't get me wrong, Jack is a great driver, but he has been known for wrecking five patrol cars and one town boat. I actually enjoyed sailing over railroad tracks at over 100 miles and hour, leaving a bed of sparks behind us.

"What's the matter, rookie,?" Jack asked ribbing me, "You being chicken again?"

"Cautious Jack. I survived two years in Viet Nam because I was cautious. You know if you hear a shot, you duck, that sort of thing."   

"Yeah, I remember that burglary in progress call, and you got tangled up in the seatbelt trying to get out of the car!"  Jack laughingly reminded me of an embarrassing incident. 

"Yeah, yeah." I said irritated at Jack's memory. I knew I would not live this bear shooting down!

At the speeds we were traveling it wasn't long before we got there. On our arrival Jack being senior officer, ordered,  

"Get the front!"

Jack took the rear of the house, his preference. Jack finding the rear door open, entered the house. Meanwhile I took the front, trying the front door I found it unlocked. The house is a multi level structure. The ground level is the living room, kitchen, dinning room, assorted bathrooms, and a den. The upper level are bedrooms and bath rooms. The bottom (basement) level are guestrooms, bathrooms, and a "playroom". 

So as we are clearing this house, we have gone through the two upper levels and start on the bottom level. The house is dark and the only light source is our flashlights. 

By the time we get to the bottom level my adrenline is pumping and I can hear my heart in my ears. I get to the bottom of the staircase and make my academy taught tactical turn into the "playroom". As I do, my light catches a huge hairy figure, with out streached arms and in each hand it looked like he had knives like 'Freddie Kruger' as if about to strike and rip me apart! I immediately fire two rounds from my service weapon striking the figure twice center mass. 

Jack, hearing the shots flies into the room! Both our lights hit the figure, and now can clearly see that the figure is a stuffed Brown Bear standing about 12 feet tall, outstreached arms with what seemed like foot long claws!

"Nice shooting rookie!  You just killed a stuffed bear!" Jack said laughing, as he turned on the lights.

"You don't have to tell anyone, you know!," I pleaded, but it was to no avail.  

An hour later, the home owner returns and seeing several police cars, and our supervisor Lt. Jackman, who is chewing me out! 

"You can't go in someone's house and shoot their bear! What's wrong with you?"

The owner runs into his house. and sees that his Bear has been shot, and breaks out laughing. I learned some time later that the home owner never repaired the stuffed animal, he placed two rings around the bullet holes and now it a conversation piece.

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