Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Don't pick my pocket

There are signs all over Paris to watch for pick pocketers.  I guess this is the case in most major cities, but it happened it us.  

Here is Lily's version of the story.  (paragraph breaks inserted by moi)





We were on our way to run the Pre Paris Marathon, Nolan and Duncan were waving their American flags. We walked down into the metro and my mom and I looked at the map to see which stop leads us I the Champs Elyseés. I said this way mom and she said no let's go this way today just for a change.


 So Nolan, Duncan, my mom, and I walked towards the turn style. Nolan first then Duncan put their tickets into the machine. My mom attempted to insert hers but it didn't work because she put it in upside down so she let me go ahead of her. 

Just as I put my ticket through I feel someone pretty much feel me up. I turn around and I see a hot French guy and I was just like well ok then. But then Duncan screams "they took your phone!" The boys split- 2 one way, the other boy a different way. My mom turns around and runs fucking fast after the two boys, (being her ticket didn't work the first time so she was still outside the turnstyle). Shes screaming "stop them!" So after watching my momrun faster than I've ever seen, I jump over the turnstyle and run up the stairs after the other boy. I get up to ground level and walk in the only direction the boy could've gone.

 I see him just causally sitting down on the curb. I walk up to him and stick my hand out and say give me my phone. He just stands up and looks away like he doesn't know what I am talking about. A French woman walks past and I stop her and try to explain in the little french I know that that boy pickpocketed me and to please help but she doesn't understand. 

The boy walks down the street with me following him. He turns a corner and sprints, bitch I followed him as fast as I could. I am yelling help, stop him but it was all old people on that street. He takes another turn and then disappears. So there lily is crying her eyes out telling herself to calm the fuck down and to think. So I walk back to the metro, & as I am walking a man notices I am hyperventilating and stops me and asks if I need help. He says he will take me to the police office but I told him I should go back to the apt. first to tell the rest of my family so he writes the address of the police station for me on a piece of paper.

 As I am crossing the street I see a police man. Well apparently the police in France doesn't speak English. He recognizes me because my mom was running down the street. As he Is trying to find my mom through the walkie talkie, Nolan and Duncan show up with their mom. 

We end up walking to the police station. Once we get in I spot one of the boys right away, handcuffed to the bench. Then my mom walks through the door with five police men. Little did we know, after my mom sprinted out of the metro station. She ended up running after the two boys three streets over screaming "police" at the top of her lungs (she peed her pants). Two policemen on motorcycles chased after the two boys while my mom trailed behind. The policemen did a James Bond slide with the motorcycles and stopped the boys in their tracks. 

The police patted down the hot French guy and sure enough found my phone. As they told the boys to stand up and face the wall in order to handcuff them, the hot one sprinted and didn't look back. One police ran after him but after 10 steps realized with all of his gear on he wouldn't be able to catch him so he backtracked and hopped on his motorcycle. 

Long story short the policeman didn't catch the hot one but we got one boy and he's sitting in a cell right now, and will be for 48 hours. Oh and obviously lily got her phone back. 


This is me again - needless to say, it was a dramatic morning.  The boys had run back to get me.  The 5k they were about to do ran right past the apartment and I was going to finish with them - no one got to run.  And poor Dave was at the apartment (command central) not knowing what was going on.  As when Lily's mom didn't know we had Lily with us.  Nolan and I walked back to the apartment leaving Duncan, Cristina and Lily at the police station to fill out the report.  

All safe.  

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