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APPLYING JUJITSU ON THE JOB
by
Edgar E. Carol, Jr.
Working days out of South East Substation was a boring,
thankless job. All the hooks and crooks were in bed or acting like they were
working at honest jobs. The only folks out there were those fine citizens who
were complaining about holes in our crime-fighting machine.
Because I was working solo, I got all the complaint calls for that sector. This
was the second week of the month and my teeth were wearing down from gritting
them over questions like, "Why haven't you found my grandfather's watch? I
reported it stolen ten years ago." About fifteen minutes after such a call, the
dispatcher informed me that now I was Car One of a two car team. At last I was
going to get to do some real police work! Two-man squads got the action calls. I
just hoped that I could remember how to handle one!
The dispatcher then informed me that he was sending us to a "Family Disturbance
with a Gun." I would rendezvous with Car Two in about five minutes at the
address of the disturbance. I drove up in front of the small, neat white house
and checked out the scene. Because Car Two was very close, I approached the
front door. We didn't have SWAT teams back then, so my partner and I were both
first and last line of defense.
I carefully stood on the left of the door so that when it opened those inside
wouldn't see me before I saw them. I saw Car Two pull up in front, so I knocked
on the door and hollered in my best South Dallas Police voice, "Open up!
Police!" That's "Pooolice" with three o's!
The door suddenly popped open. Surprise! It was hung backwards and the guy with
the shotgun was looking right at me. As he leveled the gun at my head, I
squatted and brought up my left arm in a blocking motion. The gun went off with
a deafening roar! I stepped into the block, raising the barrel higher and
pushing the butt of the gun within reach of my right hand. I grasped the butt
and jerked the gun right out of his hand just as Sensei had taught me. I
remember thinking, "Wow! It works!"
Now I had the gun by the barrel and swung it over my head connecting the stock
with the top of the shooter's head. It broke with a satisfying crack -- the
stock, not the head. The guy dropped to his knees but was still acting
aggressively, so I swung what was left of the shotgun and again hit him on the
head.
Down he went, out like a light! I was raising the shotgun over my head preparing
to administer a final attitude adjustment on him when my partner arrived at my
side and drawled in a deep Texas accent, "Boy, that there ain’t very smart to
do!"
Still holding the gun over my head and without looking at him I replied, "He
tried to shoot me."
"Yup, but that there's an automatic shotgun. Before you hit him in the head,
look where the barrel is pointed!"
I lowered the gun and looked. I've wondered ever since, do they make bulletproof
groin cups? That’s when I noticed a shotgun pellet hole in my Police cap.
-----------------------------------------------------
E. E. Carol, former Police Olympics silver medalist, studied for over 30 years
under Vince Tamura. He retired from the Dallas Police Department after 31 years
of service. His hobbies include Dog Obedience training and combat style pistol
shooting. Carol Sensei teaches at his Ichi Ni San Judo and Jujitsu Club in Kemp,
Texas, where he is terrorized by seven-year-olds. He holds yodan judo and sandan
jujitsu ranks.
2008-10-11
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