Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Where's a Cop When You Need One?

I was headed home Wednesday afternoon on a busy road not too far from my apartment. Stopped at a light in the center lane, with cars on all sides of me, I happened to notice the Asian driver of the car on my right take a drag on a cigarette, and then slip the still-lit butt out through the gap made by his partially open window, and drop it to the road. I hadn't noticed the car prior to pulling up beside it, but I think it was a Toyota Prius.

The butt went out the window just as traffic started moving under the green light. I was so incensed I thought of stopping (or pacing him) and yelling at the guy. Of course, that would have been irrational and dangerous, albeit liberating.

I pulled forward with my lane of traffic, still fuming at that careless boob, but I didn't notice he hadn't moved. A hundred feet or so forward, I looked in my rear view mirror and saw him still parked where he had dropped the butt, but now his door was open, and all the cars in his lane behind him were blocked.

A second look yielded to my eyes the flashing headlights and the grill-embedded blue strobes of the unmarked police car that had been in line immediately behind him, and the bent-over body of the cop whose face was now in the driver's, undoubtedly asking why he had tossed the lit cigarette butt out his window!!!

FINALLY, after 45 years of seeing assholes get away with all kinds of shit, I saw proof that sometimes they do get caught!

And it was good!

9 comments:

kenju said...

See? There is a God after all.

Tony Gasbarro said...

kenju— That's one opinion... not mine.

kenju said...

I know, I just had to say it.

Maggie said...

Oh man, I LOVE it! whoot-whoot!

When I had just read the title to the post, prior to the post itself, I was going to tell you the cop was pulling ME over today for a passenger seatbelt violation... I like your story so much better!

tiff said...

Is chucking a lit butt out the window a crime where you are? I seriously doubt is it one here in the Ol' North State. Tobacco is King heah, y'all.

Tony Gasbarro said...

tiff-- Littering is a misdemeanor here, I do believe. Also, he was chucking an incendiary device out his window. He may have been arrested as a terrorist.

Hutchlover said...

Oh, boy. So I really put my foot in my mouth this afternoon, huh?

Hutchlover said...

BTW, that cops an a-hole. Just saying. I think there are worse things to worry about in regards to Chicago asshole drivers/traffic, than someone throwing out a fricking degradable butt.

Trust me.... 90% of Chicago drivers have no idea that you're to use turn signals when changing lanes or what speed limits are.

Sorry, Chicago drivers are big pet peeve of mine.

Tony Gasbarro said...

hutchlover-- Put your foot--- whatever are you talking about?

Littering is littering. It always pisses me off when I see people chuck shit out of their cars like it doesn't matter. Sure, most of the stuff is "biodegradable," but biodegradability is intended for the landfills, where trash is dumped and buried, and the biodegrading doesn't take place in our streets and our yards. And besides... that guy was tossing a known toxic substance — a carcinogen, no less, out into the general populace. He should go to prison!

;)