my weekend of random bizarre events
 

So, in the past I've heard some odd sounds coming from the building next door. I'm on the 2nd floor (top) of my building on the corner, facing the street the this other building. Occasionally will hear yelling, pounding, and one night a month or two ago one of their windows broke, apparently from a radio being thrown into it. I kinda suspected that someone lived there that wasn't quite right.

At any rate, Saturday afternoon the g/f and Calvin are home with me and I'm about to pack the car to head for a gig. I hear some of the yelling, pounding, etc and look outside my front door to see if I can tell what is going on. I go back in the apartment, pick up my amp head and the plate glass window facing their building (which I'm standing 2' from) shatters. Thankfully the blinds were closed. We were all startled and I went out to try and figure out wtf was going on. There was no one around, but there was a small window in the unit next door open, and the yelling started up again. I called 911 and carefully went outside to wait for Santa Monica's finest. They showed up (2 units) and I pointed out the unit in question. They tell me to go wait in my apartment. I start cleaning up the glass and a few minutes later the cop shows up with a middle aged woman. Turns out she's from a home care agency and there is an adult autistic woman who lives in the unit with full-time supervised care. Well, evidently not supervised enough to keep her from throwing a hard plastic water bottle out the window at mine to break it. She apologized, left her card and I told her I'd give the info to my landlord for repair costs. We then packed up the car and left for the gig.

So...yesterday we just finished dinner, were watching a bit of food network right before I was about to leave for another gig. I'm on the couch and notice out of the corner of my eye that the screen door is slightly moving. I figure one of the cats might be trying to push it open so I get up. I see a 30-something woman standing outside the screen door (front door was open), and upon seeing me she walks in the apartment (!). She starts babbling about people trying to kill her, that someone was killed down on 3rd street and they are after her. At this point Calvin retreats to his room and my g/f is standing up just kind of freaked out. I ask her a few questions keeping myself between her and the rest of the apartment. Kind of an odd position as violent crime certainly does exist in the world. I ask her where she's from and she said, "3rd street," and then says that they're going to come through the windows to get her. And I'm on the 2nd floor - so at that point I say, "get the **** out of my apartment right now." She starts babbling a bit about them being after her and hesitating so I get in her face and begin moving her out of the apartment, locking the door behind her. I watch through the peep hole. She lingers for awhile on the 2nd floor landing (10 unit building, half lower, half upper), then finally goes down the stairs. I go out a few minutes later and she's nowhere to be found.

My building is one building away from a supermarket and other businesses, so if she really was in danger she was 100 yards away from a populated public spot. I figure she was just nuts - plenty of that in Santa Moinca. I also wondered if it might be the adult autistic woman from next door as it was quite a coincidence, so I emailed the caregiver. She said the description didn't fit as her client is 19 and dark haired and has people constantly there so she doesn't leave the premises.

We actually spent Saturday afternoon looking at a house to rent and hopefully we'll get it (in competition for it at this point with at least one other couple). Freaky weekend...

Move

seems that "what if" situation was never planned for.

Where was Hobbes? U ought to be used to this kind of shyte from having to deal with your family.

You know the schizos have this weird kind of radar they can home in on a kindred spirt. It realy is uncanny.

Wow, sounds like a really nice place


to move away from.

Glad nothing turned out too badly. Hopefully, that trend keeps up until you find a new place.

I was expecting you to announce that you'd found yourself driving a mustang. ;)

Moving is on the docket, but this actually is a pretty nice part of Santa Monica (Lincoln Bl just below Montana Ave in north SM). My hunch is that there are more "supervised" people living among the population that people realize. The second event was just whack. As for being "prepared," I have plenty of firepower but certainly don't keep it for quick use. And I'm not planning to change that strategy. This was a random occurrence and did not require deadly force. Had my door been closed (as it normally is) it never would have happened.

We are hoping that the landlords of the house pick us to be their tenants as it'll be a much nicer environment.

wow. is her name "Luka"?

you were probably not in danger, but i bet it was really nerve racking to be in that situation.

start saving moving boxes ;)

Sounds like a coincidence that this random nutjob showed up... hope the new house comes through for you guys.

There are bad/crazy people everywhere, unless you want to move to Antarctica.

Or the threat of it. This time.

Being from OC, places like Santa Monica freak me out. I was up there a few months ago looking at a Duc 900SS and just could not believe the freakiness out and about. Interesting part of the world you have there, Todd.

before the early eightys there were places to supervize those people for just this reason.
thank you Ronald-

Yikes! Good luck with the house hunting, Todd. Just don't move next to a neighbor like Vinny's:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/562195-my-bloods-boiling-need-some-advice.html

Yep, and there is also a high porbiliity for more "authorized residential care facilities" in an area where one already exists with no major public/neighbor/HOA/councel objection. This is also true with registered sex offenders. Once one finds a spot that they don't get hassled, more start popping up all over in that same area.

was she hot?

Sounds like life in the big city . . .

There are poor, broken, deranged, and disabled people out there in the great U S of A, as there are everywhere. Some of us live where we don't have to see this, some of us live in the midst of it, most of us get a little dose every now and then.

I'm the same way, guess us Orange county folks just can't deal with diversity ;)

You're welcome to break out your checkbook and support them any time if you really feel that strongly about it.

you should really rethink your "what if" stance here. it doesnt matter what zippy code you live in. she had the DROP on YOU! and you poo'd yerself big time! admit it. i would have, and i can admit it.


we have a white guy we know. nice home, nice zippy code.................HOME INVASION! beat/pistol whipped the living dog snot out of both he and his roomy. cleaned them out of property. as in a pick up truck full of their stuff. they never planned for it, expected it.


badguys followed him into a home depot. cased them. all on video. when he left home depot, they followed. not 15 seconds after he shut the door they came through the unlocked door.

cops caught one but never recovered property.


think about this real damn hard.

1) spoon

2) attached really really bright light(UTL)

3) phone



theres only (2) ways that crazier than a shat haus rat beeaatchh would have left my house................on a back board or in handcuffs.............PERIOD!


and i would have been perfectly LEGAL!

poo'd myself? No, just took care of a crazy situation as best I could with no violence. Escalation of force was not necessary. You can always play, "what if?" And in CA you can't use deadly force in a situation that doesn't call for it.

So let's go with your path of action. Crazy woman walks in the apartment. I grab the nightstand spoon and tell her to get out. That agitates her more and she reaches into her bag. I put two in the chest and one in the head with my g/f and son watching. Even if I don't go to jail for killing an unarmed person, my son and g/f end up pretty messed up in the head.

Instead I calmly handle the situation with no escalation of force and it's over in a minute or so. Son and g/f are a little freaked out but nothing serious.

So, could she have killed me or had some accomplice waiting in the wings? Maybe. But she didn't.

Silly, we pay whether they are in or out.