French drug smuggler killed by NYC Detective

Last Sunday afternoon, French drug smuggler Pierre Jeantot was shot in the back and killed after an exhausting chase by Detective Jimmy Doyle. The incident started with a shooting from the roof of an apartment building on 57th Avenue. Jeantot knew Doyle was on his trail and tried to take him out

After a foot chase through the streets of New York City, Jeantot gave Doyle the slip and ended up on a train from 35th Street to 15th street. Doyle commandeered a civilian vehicle and chased the train to its next stop. Anticipating the chase, Jeantot made his way to the front of the train to force train operator Peter Howe to pass the next station, killing Police Officer Roland Evans on the way.

“As soon as I heard a gunshot, I knew something was wrong,” said bystander Betty Lou who followed the crowd to the front of the train to pursue the commotion after missing her stop.

Along with Lou, many others witnessed the events on the train including conductor Horatio C. Hornblower who was shot by Jeantot after trying to handle the situation. As this was happening, Doyle drove the commandeered vehicle rapidly and recklessly to catch up with the train. Doyle created a few traffic accidents and nearly injured innocent pedestrians including Margaret Johnson.

Johnson said that she heard a commotion from a distance and noticed it coming closer. With her two year old child in a stroller, Johnson was frozen by fear as the vehicle Doyle was operating came barreling towards her. She also added that Doyle’s actions were rash considering the number of lives he put in danger.

After catching up with the train after it collided with one already stopped at the next station, an injured Doyle vacated his vehicle and looked for any sign of Jeantot. Luckily, Jeantot was also a little banged up from the collision and slowly treaded away from the train. Doyle saw him, and in a last resort effort, shot Jeantot in the back before he could run away again.

Police Chief Morgan Freeman mentioned that he did not condone the car chase for the obvious risk involved, but commends Doyle for his bravery and successful stopping of the French fugitive. Such instances of commandeering a civilian vehicle are intended for only the most extreme of circumstances. Jeantot was wanted alive for prosecution, but Doyle had no choice other than shooting him.

“Although we wanted Doyle to bring him in alive,” said freeman, “it was better than not bringing him in at all.”

Story Exercise 2/11/09

Early Monday morning, a heroic teenager alerted police of an unconscious driver stranded on train tracks just in time for the station to alert an officer who rammed the car to safety.

Old Orchard Beach, ME was where the 80-year-old Francois Truffaut fell unconscious in his 1987 Cadillac on the Downeaster train tracks. 17-year-old James Laboke saw the stalled car on the train tracks shortly before 6am on his morning walk to work. Laboke noticed that the driver was unconscious and decided to intervene. After pounding on the windows and trying to force the locked doors, Laboke decided to run to the police station 100 yards away.

Police reported Laboke’s arrival at the station at 6am. They made a call on the radio which was heard by Officer Janet Paradiso, a captain on the force. Only a mile away, Paradiso took immediate action. She arrived on the scene at 6:05am and rammed the back of Truffaut’s car with her cruiser to roll it off the tracks merely seconds before the train came rushing by.

“I knew there was no time,” Paradiso said later, “I had to do something.”

Later, Truffaut was taken to the Southern Maine Medical Center without any recollection of what happened. As a diabetic, he might have gone into insulin shock which explains why he was unconscious.

Laboke made it to work on time at the Eezy Breezy Restaurant on East Grand Street without saying a word to anyone about the events.

Laboke’s boss Charles Champaigne said, “It doesn’t surprise me at all. That young man is one of my most responsible employees. He’s just a great kid.”

First Story Exercise

At around 9:00PM Monday night, a car load of three teenagers swerved and rolled over on Mile Hill Rd. in Belmont, MA. Two were injured. Seventeen-year-old Jamie Peterson, the driver of the vehicle, crawled out unscathed, but the two passengers yet to be named were not as lucky. Lieutenant Judith Barkus of the Belmont Police Department confirmed that the passengers were two young females. Eyewitness Josie M. Crandall watched the accident from her residence on Mile Hill Rd. and was the first to call the police.

“I’ve never seen a car going so fast on this road,” said Crandall, “It’s a dirt road, and it’s really easy to lose control.”

Peterson’s white Mustang sped around a corner near the fairgrounds as it was followed by Tom Carroll, Jr. who happened to be driving in the area at the same time. Carroll, in his pick-up truck, was first to act upon the situation. He mentioned to police he had been driving behind the Mustang when it suddenly sped around a curve. Carroll’s next sight was a flipped car.