This Facebook post reminded me of a memory.
Before my law enforcement career, I worked in the lumber department of a home improvement store, Lumber City, at Telegraph and Victoria in Ventura.
The shopping center has been substantially changed since I worked there. Back then, Lumber City was in the southeast corner, with the back along the alley. There was a bank to west of Lumber City that had a drive-thru teller alley that ran from the main parking lot to the rear alley. The Vons store was along the east side with its back along Brookshire.
Leaving work one evening, some coworkers and I saw a guy running across the parking lot at an angle in front of us.
Moments later, a Ventura PD officer came running out of the store chasing him. As the guy was “leg-bailing” from the VPD officer, the officer was yelling at him to stop. A clipboard the officer was carrying wasn’t holding all the paperwork, and items were flying away.
The suspect was at a strong run. He had a good lead on the officer.
Instinctively, two of us lumber boys jumped in behind the bad guy and the chase was on. We ran through the bank drive-thru alley and into the alley behind the shopping center. As we approached a nearby apartment complex, for some reason I pulled my metal cased 25’ Stanley tape measure out of my belt holster and chucked it at the guy.
It nailed him square in the back between the shoulders and the dude went down on his face. My coworker and I held onto him until the VPD officer and his backup arrived. Laughs from all followed, but one. Fun times.
