Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Hoky Smokes, That's My Old Place!

My old duplex at the corner of I-35 and Crestwood was the lead story on KVUE's 6pm newscast yesterday because some moron in a high-speed police chase crashed into it in a pickup that didn't belong to him. The current residents were not home at the time and there were no serious injuries. I can't find any photos on KVUE's website, but I'll post a photo if I can find one.

UPDATE: Click here to access video from KVUE (registration required). The name of the story is "Chase Ends with Truck Hitting House."

Frankly, I'm surprised something like this didn't happen sooner. The duplex itself was a nice, comfortable domicile when I lived there from 1995 through 1998, and I could hold band practice in the living room because no one in the other unit could hear us playing.

However, the duplex's proximity to I-35 (basically right under the exit ramp to Airport Blvd.) meant you saw car accidents on a regular basis. There was a late night high-speed police chase while I lived there in which some guy took out the signpost at the curb, but I'm pretty sure no one put a vehicle into the living room wall until Tuesday.

There was also one successful and at least one foiled break-in while I was there, courtesy of the neighborhood drug addicts. Because all the I-35 service road traffic was headed in one direction with no view of our back porch, would-be burglars could stand there indefinitely while trying to jimmy their way inside.

One night I came home to the sound of someone trying to do just that, so I bellowed "HEY!" in the meanest voice I could muster. Whoever it was ran off before I could get outside and stab him in the eyeball with a dirty steak knife.

I wonder if that would've made the news?

3 comments:

Kat said...

I was surprised that news reports missed one aspect of this gripping story: LOCKDOWN AT PRESCHOOL! Our kid goes to the school across the street, and we got a fevered e-mail from the director letting us know that they'd managed to save our children from the rampaging driver's license-less fiend who crashed into the duplex. Naptime was saved.
The crime spree in the 'hood has continued since you lived over this way: we're getting more and more gentrified. . . and experiencing more break-ins. Lately, actual PLANTS are taking a hit. I'd never heard of people stealing live things out of the ground, but it's happening in Cherrywood. Go figure.

Anonymous said...

Chasing would be thieves with a dirty steak knife....I always knew you had a touch of vigilante in you, Greg.

RKM

Greg said...

Well, I guess locking down the preschool made sense in lieu of reports that an errant tire from the pickup struck the church.

And just how much crack will a live plant buy these days?