For Paul Blair, a top aide to the influential conservative group Americans for Tax Reform, 2018 has been a pretty good year.
His efforts for Grover Norquist’s group scored some big wins, he bought a home near the Capitol, and he married his “best friend Victoria.”
Then on Monday night, as he walked home from Harris Teeter grocery market, it almost went to hell.
That’s when two armed gunmen, wearing ski masks, chased him down and robbed him, one pointing a pistol at his chest. They demanded money and his phone. A gun was dropped but didn’t fire. Their fists full of loot, they ran away.
“What is now just a dramatic story that gives me some street cred could have been something far far worse,” Blair wrote on Facebook.
Probably like others in street assaults, he considered just going home, but instead walked to the nearest fire station and asked them to call the police. Having never interacted with the men and women in blue, he ended up experiencing his own kind of Christmas miracle.
“In my decade in DC, I have never had any real interactions with the Washington Metropolitan Police Dept. The level of professionalism, empathy, and quick action leading to results will forever leave me with positive thoughts about the department,” he wrote.
The reason: Not only did the two officers quickly track down the phone, Blair’s wallet, and credit cards, but they eventually nabbed one of the two suspects.
“This was a real priority for them, and I don’t know if it would have been anywhere else. It certainly didn’t have to be,” Blair told Secrets.
One of the officers, Scott Possinger, is the 2018 “Officer of the Year” for the department’s First District. His specialty is tracking down bad guys in robberies. In this case, he and his partner did it in less than two days.
Blair turned his experience into a kind of “TED Talk” on Facebook, with praise for the police and blunt advice, such as “Don’t be an asshole” when facing a gun.
His Facebook post is below:
“Just after 7:00PM last night, I was robbed at gunpoint. I’m fine, and only sharing this because I want folks who live in DC to be aware of their surroundings, whether you live in SE or NW.
I had just come from the Harris Teeter on Potomac Avenue and was one block from our condo by an elementary school and fire station when I heard heavy footsteps behind me. I knew exactly what was happening. Immediately after I turned around, a second guy ran across the street, pointed a gun at my chest and told me to give him all of my money and phone.
Both guys were wearing black ski masks but appeared to be about 17 or 18 years old. One was bigger than me and the other was about my size.
For a brief moment, I questioned whether I should assert that the gun wasn’t real or wasn’t loaded. Fortunately, I decided not to do that and put my groceries down (they didn’t want the romaine lettuce for some reason) and told them they could have it, as I handed over my phone and wallet.
After realizing they had just scored about $350 bucks (I’m the idiot who carries that much cash) and while celebrating with each other, the guy holding the gun dropped it in my direction. This was the first time I’ve really panicked in my entire life. In the commotion of what was happening, I realized the gun was real but thankfully it didn’t fire when dropped. The guy also panicked, quickly picking up the gun and running off with his friend to a car that was waiting around the corner. That could have ended differently.
I contemplated not filing a police report, because what would they do? I live in SE Washington where this stuff happens regularly. Phones and wallets aren’t ever recovered after a robbery and I’d have to fill out paperwork and would be contributing to potentially reduced home values (important since we own a condo one block away). This went through my mind.
I walked over to the the fire station and asked them to call the cops on my behalf. I’m glad I did, and this is part of the reason I’m sharing this experience as well. In my decade in DC, I have never had any real interactions with the Washington Metropolitan Police Dept. The level of professionalism, empathy, and quick action leading to results will forever leave me with positive thoughts about the Department.
When the cops arrived, I quickly gave them the details of the two guys and their escape in a dark sedan. I also enabled the Find My iPhone feature on my laptop and began to cancel all of my credit cards. They had called it in to begin a search of the area. Within 30 minutes, the phone pinged for a brief moment on the app about 10 blocks away. The cops left, saying they knew the complex that had popped up.
An email 30 minutes later: my phone had been found and it was being returned to me without a SIM card or phone cover. It had been fingerprinted and numerous were found. The officer seemed pretty jazzed. He indicated that these guys may be the ones who have been doing this for a while. Nice consolation I suppose, but he didn’t indicate anyone had been arrested. Perhaps he couldn’t tell me for some reason.
Another email 90 minutes later: my wallet had been found. Every single card was still there (unfortunately all worthless and reported stolen, replaced by now), the only thing missing was the cash.
Within 5 hours of being robbed at gunpoint, my phone and wallet had been returned, people had been fingerprinted, and we were told this was the best lead the Department has had on a string of robberies like this one. Enabled by Find My iPhone, a helpful description of the perps, and quick action by the police, this wasn’t the worst way the situation could have turned out.
Lessons learned, that are hopefully of value:
1. No matter the time of day, be aware of your surroundings. This happened at 7:00PM on a Monday. People are opportunists, sometimes desperate, and if you’re alone you can be a target. Avoid silencing the outside world with music or podcasts while walking alone in the dark.
2. If you’re ever in this situation, do whatever you’re told. Don’t be an asshole (especially if you don’t also have a gun).
3. If this happens to you, try to pay attention to what is happening as it is happening. Descriptions of clothes, appearance, shoes, direction of things, etc. are all things that facilitate an arrest and even potentially the return of your property.
4. Get a camera system for your home. I’m told that this whole thing may have been caught on a nearby house’s security system camera but we’ll see. In this experience I also discovered that DC has a rebate program for private security systems for up to $500 per home. You can get 2-3 Ring cameras for your property (including condos) at that cost, which may help solve a crime or even prevent package theft. As the president of our home owner’s association, making that pitch to my neighbors wasn’t difficult.
5. Take nothing for granted. 2018 has been a great year for me, with the purchase of a home and my marriage to my best friend Victoria. What is now just a dramatic story that gives me some street cred could have been something far far worse.
Thanks for coming to my TED Talk. I’m now accepting recommendations for handguns most suitable for self-defense.”
