In past episodes of Mormon Cop I have avoided using names and locations because communication techniques are getting so advanced I worry about embarrassing someone if they should see their story on this blog. Police do not see people at their best; usually officers see them at their absolute worst. Many times I have met the subject of a police contact some time later and they want to apologize for their extreme behavior that required police intervention. However, this incident is correlated to a person’s name so I will risk telling his story, hopefully without offending or embarrassing him.
On a beautiful Sunday morning I was on patrol out of East Precinct on the day watch. It was during the month of June about 10:30 in the morning. The cool morning air and dew were giving way to warm sunshine and clear skies. Dispatch sent me to the international airport that has an area where people can park their cars and watch planes take off and land on a nearby runway. This is such a popular area there are usually food cart vendors in this parking lot. One such vendor was just setting up his hotdog stand when he noticed a man sitting in a vehicle with the engine running and he was drinking a large can of dry cleaning fluid with the brand name; Super Spot Removal. Yes, there were two skull and crossbones insignias on the can and large written warnings alerting users to not drink this fluid.
When I pulled into the parking area I could see steaming exhaust coming from the tail pipe of an older Chrysler four door sedan. The back seat was full of personal clothing and belongings. The driver side window was down about three inches. I pulled my cruiser up tight to his vehicle rear bumper to prevent him from backing up or trying to flee. On police vehicles there are large push bars on the front bumper to push vehicles off the road, pin them in, or when necessary pit eluding vehicles. (to pit a fleeing car is a maneuver that uses the front bumper push bars to hit the suspect’s rear bumper causing their his to spin around during a high speed chase causing the vehicle engine to stall.) In front of this car was an old telephone pole cradled in brackets horizontal to the ground to prevent cars from hitting the airport fence. After I put my push bars on his rear bumper I was confident he would not be able to move his car.
As I walked up to the window I could see this person drinking from a large can of Super Spot Removal. I inquired if he was OK and he responded he wasn’t. Inquiring what was wrong I requested he roll his window down so I could hear him better and when he did I reached inside and turned off the vehicle ignition and removed the keys. I then requested he give me the flammable fluid he was drinking.
The can felt about half empty as he handed it to me. I again inquired what was wrong and he told me after he got home about 3 AM this morning and his live-in girlfriend had piled all of his clothing and personal belongings on the apartment porch and left him a note stating she didn’t want to see him anymore. He had developed a bad habit of staying out late on the weekend drinking and visiting bars.
He explained his life was worthless and that he had nowhere to go and didn’t know anyone that would help him. He was young so I inquired if he had family in the area. He said no and that he didn’t have any money to relocate near them for support. I then asked him if he believed in God. He said he did. I then asked him if believed in a loving Heavenly Father. He said he did. I then asked him if he felt his Heavenly Father would want him to be trying to end the life He gave him. He felt his Heavenly Father would not be very pleased with him. This vein of conversation continued for a few minute and then he vomited. I had called for an ambulance and was keeping him engaged in conversation until they arrived because he was becoming groggy and beginning to slip in and out of consciousness.
When the medics arrived I gave them the bottle of cleaner and they rushed him to the hospital to have his stomach pumped. As they were leaving I collected his identification and noticed his last name was Spott. I thought it was ironic he was trying to end his life with spot remover.
Those who attempt suicide are admitted to a psychiatric hospital for 72 hours of observation and stabilization prior to being released. A couple of days later I stopped by the psych ward to visit with him and see how he was doing. He thanked me for reminding him that he does have a Heavenly Father who loves him and that he was ready to give life another try. I encouraged him to pray daily to his Heavenly Father to find comfort and to get direction for his life.
“God is our father. We are His children. He loves us. He weeps with us when we suffer and rejoices when we do what is right. He wants to communicate with us, and we can communicate with Him through sincere prayer. He has given us this experience on the earth so we can learn and grow. We can show our love for Him through our choices…” Preach My Gospel p.31
To learn more about your loving Heavenly Father please visit mormon.org or lds.org
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