Good Samaritan says 911 operator debated him instead of quickly sending help for carjacking

A motorist in DeKalb County, Georgia witnessed a woman getting carjacked and called 911, but instead of getting help, he says the 911 operator debated him about what to call the crime. As reported by WAGA Fox 5 News, Willie Hubbard saw the woman getting thrown to the ground by a man. Hubbard told the station, “I’m thinking that could’ve been my momma, my grandmother, that could have been my sister, anybody.” So he called 911 and reported the crime, hoping to get the woman some help from the authorities.

Willie Hubbard (WAGA)

Hubbard explained what transpired on his call with the 911 operator:

911 operator: ‘Sir could you tell me what happened.’

Hubbard: ‘He just snatched her out of the car and took her car. She just got carjacked.’

911 operator: ‘Well sir, that’s not a carjacking, that’s a theft.’

Hubbard: ‘Ma’am, that’s not a theft.’

911 operator: ‘Well did he have a gun?’

Hubbard: ‘No he didn’t have a gun, but he just snatched her and threw her to the ground, and stole her car.’

The Good Samaritan said that as he saw the woman on the ground screaming, the 911 operator kept debating the terms that he used to describe the crime. “Then she proceeded to say, ‘Well we’ll send a unit,’ Hubbard told WAGA. “So we sat there approximately 38 minutes before the first officer even came. And then when the sergeant came she was explaining to us that it was called to them as a theft not a robbery. And I was like, ‘That’s crazy.’”

James Conroy, interim DeKalb Police Chief (WAGA)

James Conroy, interim DeKalb Police Chief, said, “Looking at the call information, it does appear there was a delayed response of somewhere over 30 minutes, which in my opinion is not acceptable in a carjacking case.” He promised to look further into the matter.

The problem is something that Hubbard feels has got to be fixed saying, “The dispatcher was arguing with me about a call that I made about a concern, as a concerned citizen. I was just upset about it. Something needs to be done because if it happened to me it can happen to anybody.”

Video and more info: WAGA

Crime & JusticeSociety & Culture911 operator

View the original article here

Taco Bell customers get cash instead of food

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — That was no burrito.

Three people who ordered food at a Taco Bell drive-thru in western Michigan got something more valuable: $3,600 in cash.

A Taco Bell employee mistakenly passed the cash to the trio instead of their food Saturday. The money was returned a short time later.

Kennidi Rue told WZZM-TV and MLive.com that she and two friends thought about keeping the money but decided they would feel guilty if they didn't return it. Grand Rapids police Capt. Jeff Hertel confirmed the incident, saying an officer was called to assist.

"I thought it was joke," said Rue, 18, of Holland, Mich. "I thought we were on camera. ... The store manager literally just burst out in tears. She was so happy we brought it back."

The money was in a store bag for deposit at a bank. A message seeking comment was left with Taco Bell.

Rue, boyfriend Grant Kruse, 20, and another friend, Luke Postma, 25, got their meal when they returned the money. Kruse and Postma are National Guard members who were in Grand Rapids for training.

View the original article here

Danish supermarket got drugs instead of bananas

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Drug traffickers back in Colombia must be going bananas over how their shipment ended up at Danish supermarkets and not on the streets.

Police say employees at the supermarket chain Coop got a big surprise when they opened banana boxes from the South American country and found about 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of what police believe is cocaine.

The powder was discovered last week in Aarhus, western Denmark, when employees noticed that some of the boxes were heavier than others.

Coop spokesman Jens Juul says more bags with white powder were found Wednesday in a separate shipment from Colombia at a central dispatch facility in suburban Copenhagen.

Juul told the Danish news agency Ritzau the company has contacted their Colombian supplier.

Police are investigating, but haven't made any arrests.

View the original article here