Somebody Up There Likes Me

I'm cruising up a main drag in my city, and turn off into the parking lot of a gas station/convenience store where I've found some interesting stuff in the past. On a hunch, I run the plate of a pickup that's pulling out. Stolen.

I turn around and get behind it, and call it in for confirmation. For whatever reason, it's taking dispatch forever to confirm the stolen hit. I keep asking - they keep telling me they're checking. This goes on for several minutes.

I can tell by the way the pickup is being driven that the driver knows there's a cop behind him. I can also see that there's a bunch of people inside. I'm confident that the stolen hit is valid, but I'd like a confirmation before I stop it. And some backup, too, which I ask for.

But, the pickup suddenly turns left into another gas station, and I decide to go ahead and make the stop before they do something really stupid. I hit the lights and siren, and the truck stops right in front of the doors to the store. I tell dispatch, "I've got like 5 at gunpoint".

I go into the whole felony stop spiel, but I don't call anybody out of the pickup without backup. I order them to put their hands up and stay put. Meanwhile, people are coming and going to the damned gas pumps and the store, gawking at this scene like I'm shooting a movie or something, and I'm screaming at them to get the hell out of the way.

Finally, my backup starts rolling in, and we begin pulling people out of the truck. The driver is very well known to all of us, and has outstanding armed robbery and burglary warrants. The others aren't wanted, but are held as accomplices.

When we search the truck, we find 3 loaded semiauto handguns laying right on the seats.