Citation Worthy.

I am pretty sure that there is one thing the average person can't say of which I am very proud of. I have been awarded two citations by two different police forces. 

The first one I was awarded back in April 2004, it is framed and sits on my wall. It will forever always be on my wall wherever I live. It is the one citation I am very proud to display. Even to this day while writing this story almost twenty years later my recollections of that afternoon are still crystal clear.

I have always been the type of person who is not afraid to stick my nose into other people’s business when I see something that isn’t right. I will have my say and I will voice my opinion. You might not like what I think or say, but I will let you know my thoughts anyway. If I don’t like you, you will know and I have always tried to be honest, upfront and straightforward. Although I may be outspoken, there are many times when what I think will just blurt out of my mouth with not much of a filter. However, I do realize that I need to work on my filter and I need to try being a bit more of a tactful person. It is an ongoing work in progress.

When I was a little kid living in the projects, I remember my mother always telling me that sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong could get me killed some day.

“Mind your own business, it’s not worth your life”. She always told me.

For me getting involved in an incident on a Friday afternoon back in the fall of 2003 could have easily been my early demise.

It was just a typical Friday afternoon in October, although surprisingly I do not remember the exact date. I had just finished my usual Friday late lunch at the Bloor and Jane Restaurant and I was driving my ice cream truck north on Jane Street. Friday was the only day that I was not in any real hurry to get back to the yard after making all my deliveries. I played hockey every Friday with a group of teachers along with some of their students after work and the arena was just a ten minute drive from the yard where I parked my truck. My intention was to always be at the rink each Friday at around 4 pm for our 4:30 pm skate.

I usually had all my deliveries finished by the early afternoon on Fridays in the fall and winter months. I would then need to kill some time before the Friday skate up at John Booth Arena so I always stopped in for lunch for my usual clubhouse sandwich. After my lunch I was just a couple minutes into my journey heading north on Jane St. As I approached Annette Street I could see there was some type of altercation on the east side in front of a flower market. I also noticed that there was a large crowd of people gathered around watching from the sidewalk. I could see two guys were struggling, there was a white older man and a much younger black guy who looked like he was in his twenties. None of the dozen or so people watching on the sidewalk were getting involved.

I slowly passed the fight in my truck and it looked pretty serious. I looked back through my side mirror and immediately saw that there was an undercover cop involved. I could see the flashing red police light on the dash of the undercover police car. It was now obvious that an undercover cop had pulled over a Honda Civic and for whatever reason a fight had started. I slammed on my brake, put the truck in park and jumped out of the cab. I quickly ran back about fifty feet or so when I realized that the older white guy was the cop. I could clearly see his police badge was dangling from a chain around his neck.

“Help me get this guy arrested. I am trying to handcuff him.” The cop said to me.

The cop was struggling while he had the guy up against the driver’s door of the Honda. The guy was reaching down into the open window when I grabbed him and put him in a chokehold. He was a tall skinny dude, but he sure was a strong motherfucker. We both fell back onto Jane Street where I was now underneath him lying on my back with my arms still around his neck. He was elbowing me while trying to bite me on the arm, I was lucky that I was wearing a long sleeved jacket. The cop quickly was able to get the cuffs on him and pulled him off me.

The whole incident was over within a minute although it seemed and felt like so much longer. With the exception of some scratches on my hands I was fine, but I was a bit dirty from rolling around on Jane Street. 

No harm no foul.

There were now well over six police cruisers that had arrived with sirens blaring and lights flashing within a minute after he was handcuffed. The traffic on Jane Street was now blocked both ways. My truck had already been blocking the single northbound lane after I had jumped into the fray.

The Sergeant from the detachment also arrived; she was very nice and expressed her appreciation for me saving her officer.

“Saving?” I asked.

Apparently, the thug had been reaching into the Honda for his knife he had in a compartment inside the driver’s door. Had he been able to grab the knife he most likely would have come up with knife in hand and been able to stab the cop trying to restrain him from behind. By me showing up exactly when I did and putting him in a chokehold, he was unable to retrieve the knife. Had he been able to get the knife the split second before I had arrived, it could have been me who was stabbed.

Who knows?

The thug had been pulled over after the cop ran the plate of the Honda. The vehicle was stolen and inside the trunk there were weapons, drugs and masks. It had been the same guy along with his accomplice that the cops had been looking for.

His accomplice?

Unbeknownst to me there was also a female undercover cop. She apprehended the other thug who had been sitting in the passenger seat of the Honda. She had him cuffed over on the sidewalk and was desperately trying to restrain him from escaping. All the while not a single soul on the sidewalk watching offered any type of assistance to either of the officers on that afternoon. I was the only person who got involved and it was very sad to say the least. Actually, it was pathetic to think that many people would just stand by and watch while two police officers struggled with what turned out to be two dangerous criminals.

Many of the other officers who had shown up thanked me for assisting their friend and colleague. The Sergeant told me that she would be recommending me for a civilian citation. After taking all my info, I just wanted to get the hell out of there and get to my 4:30 hockey game.

"I was happy to have been of assistance, but I gotta go" I told her.

Unbelievably, as I approached my truck there was now a forty-dollar parking ticket on my windshield.

“There is no fucking way I’m paying this ticket after being told I was being recommended for a citation,” I muttered to myself.

I marched the ticket back to the Sergeant and told her she could take care of it for me. Apparently, an area parking enforcement officer had given me the ticket for blocking and impeding the flow of traffic. Yes I was blocking traffic, but he obviously had no idea what was going on just behind my truck, otherwise he would have assisted us and we sure could have used his help. The Sergeant took the ticket and told me she would indeed take care of it.

After a couple months I had forgotten all about my impending civilian citation. I had just assumed that it was determined that my actions back on that Friday in October were not really worthy of any token award of appreciation. Besides, I always thought citations were for the real heroes like the guy who runs into a burning building to save a person’s life. Six months passed, I received an invitation in the mail to attend a ceremony at the police headquarters in downtown Toronto. I was informed that I would indeed be receiving a citation or as they called it a Community Member Award and it was going to be presented to me by the Chief of Police, Julian Fantino himself.

Around the same time, I had also received a subpoena from the Ministry of the Attorney General. I would now be required to give testimony if needed at the thug’s trial. His trial would be starting later in the year and I would be required to attend day long sessions in case my testimony was required. If there is one thing that can make you regret getting involved in the apprehension of a criminal it is the potential time wasted in court. Especially if you are self-employed as I was at the time. I think I was to be compensated about $20 for each day that I attended. I had no idea as to what my witness testimony could offer pertaining to the events on that Friday. But, I had now been subpoenaed, it was my citizen duty, I must attend. 

On Sunday April 25th, 2004 I attended the ceremony at headquarters with Janine and my daughter Stephanie. I was presented with my framed citation from the Chief. There were so many people there also receiving citations and before each citation was presented a brief recap was read as to why that person was deserving of the award. After sitting through all the presentations, I realized that only me and a couple others were the only persons who actually had put themselves in harm's way. Many of the awards were being presented to civilians who had simply dialed 911 which led to the apprehension of a criminal.

Seriously?

Personally, I think that it cheapens the award. However, I still do take great pride in my award. I know what I did that day and although I felt like it was no big deal at the time, it really was a big deal. Had I not gotten involved, there is no doubt that thug would have been able to grab his knife. A cop probably would have been stabbed and may have been killed. A cop with a wife and two little kids at home.

Shit, I may have been stabbed or even worse, I may have been killed.

I received a nice hockey book that Christmas from David, the officer who I had assisted on that day. Inside he had written a nice little note thanking me once again for everything I had done.

“Michael, My family and I appreciated your brave and courageous action in coming to my assistance while struggling to apprehend a violent criminal!”

It was a nice and very much appreciated gesture.

With the trial looming there were the usual delays, but eventually the trial started. My testimony was not required as the thug had pleaded guilty. He miraculously had cleaned up his life and was now enrolled in university courses; he also had a little daughter that he was now supporting. Personally, I think it was a big charade because I believe that a leopard never loses his spots, but the judge fell for it. 

He basically received a minimum sentence with probation.

No harm no foul.

One thing I know for sure is that thug is damn lucky that I did show up when I did and he was lucky I did get involved. Thanks to me, he is not spending the rest of his life behind bars in a penitentiary. There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind someone was getting stabbed had he been able to grab his knife.

My mother chastised me once again for getting involved and sticking my nose into other people’s business. She reminded me that I too had a daughter.

“What if I you had been stabbed?” she asked.

Although she was very happy with the outcome, she still wished I had not gotten involved.

“You might not be as lucky next time.” She scolded me.

My second citation was from the Peel Regional Police force. I was living in Mississauga where I witnessed a drunk man leaving the restaurant/bar where I was having dinner at. I followed the drunk outside and I followed him right to his car. I warned him not to drive or I would call the police. He agreed that he was not fit to drive and said he would walk home since he only lived ten minutes away.

I watched him stagger down the road, but I was not convinced. I went back into the restaurant and sat at our table. I now positioned myself near the window where I could see his abandoned car. Sure enough, after about twenty minutes the drunk had staggered back to his car. I quickly ran out of the bar, I blocked him with my car and prevented him from leaving in his car. I called the police and they were there within a couple minutes. The drunk driver was arrested and taken to the police station.

Once again I was told that I would be receiving a citation, my second in a year. The cop took all my information, but I elected not to attend the ceremony to receive my award. For me simply preventing a drunk driver from driving was not citation worthy in my books. What if somebody at the ceremony had risked their life assisting a police officer? They would without a shadow of a doubt be deserving of their award. I wouldn’t want to take any of the lustre off their heroic act by receiving the same citation for simply calling police to prevent a drunk driver from driving.

My framed Community Member Award is a standard diploma like document that all recipients receive. Along with your name, the Chief of Police signature and the official seal of the Toronto Police Services Board there is a brief description as to why you are deserving of the award.

Mine reads:

“In recognition of your invaluable assistance to the Toronto Police Service. As a result of the help you provided, officers were able to regain control of a dangerous situation and arrest a suspect.”

Yes, I am very proud that on a Friday back in October 2003 my actions were deemed to be citation worthy. 

I am very proud indeed.