Metro Moment

Today I witnessed my first crime in progress. Actually witnessed might be too strong a term. I saw the direct aftermath of someone's really bad day.

I sat on the Red Line around 1pm, reading a submission for Writers' Group, when I heard a young woman a few rows behind me yell, "Hey!" The warning chime had just sounded and a guy ran out the door. The woman tried to follow, but the thief had timed it perfectly. The doors closed behind him, blocking her from chasing. "He stole my iPhone!" she yelled, unable to do much else.

I never saw his face. I only know it was a him from her statement. I don't even know what race he was. I felt bad for her. I couldn't go back to reading the submission.

The woman ended up at the end of our car, trying to watch him as he ran off. A rather attractive gentleman, who was sitting by the pass through door, stood up and pushed the emergency button. He made a phone call and subsequently exited with the girl at the next stop. It wasn't until they left that I saw he had a radio clipped to his belt. He was replaced by a Metro Cop in uniform.

After they were gone, a pair of friends across the aisle starting talking. One mentioned how she saw it coming, how she'd seen him spying her things. She started chuckling, which made me mad. I went back to ignoring my surroundings, but kept my arm through my backpack's strap.