Mystery of the Ripped-Off Doors

Summary

A college student working as a security guard recounts an unusual night involving the pursuit and apprehension of a man who vandalized bathroom stalls in an office building.

Abstract

The narrative describes a quiet night disrupted by a series of loud noises originating from the men's bathroom in a closed office building. The security guard, a college student, investigates and discovers ripped-off doors. After a brief chase, he apprehends a muscular man hiding behind a dumpster. Despite the absence of a police officer for an hour, the guard manages to collect the vandal's information and later assists the authorities. The vandal turns out to be a disgruntled ex-employee of the building's maintenance staff, leading to a court case where he is fined for damages and court costs.

Opinions

The security guard appears to be reflective and somewhat nostalgic about the incident, considering it a notable event in an otherwise uneventful job.
The author seems to empathize with the vandal, hoping that the incident marked a turning point for him to improve his life.
There is a sense of duty and pride in the guard's actions, as he took his role seriously despite not being a law enforcement officer.
The guard's calm demeanor and procedural approach to handling the situation are highlighted, suggesting a level of professionalism and competence.
The delay in police response is noted without direct criticism, but it implies a potential inefficiency in the non-emergency response system.

I did chase a guy once.

The office building was closed for the night but the connected restaurant had lobby access and patrons would use the bathroom in the building. It was maybe around dusk.

I heard a loud BAM from the men’s room around the corner from my lobby desk and took a look — a toilet stall door was on the floor. Strange. I went back to my desk.

A little while later BAM again from the same men’s room — I walked over briskly this time and found a second door on the floor. Not good. Looked around the lobby and peeked into the cafe and saw nothing to explain it. Not a rowdy place. Back to my desk — but now ready.

The moment I heard a BAM from the men’s room I ran and this time caught a glimpse of a man’s shoe as it bolted around a corner — I ran to that corner and saw a rear exit door closing — so I ran out that door still not seeing the man but assuming he was outside ahead of me — ran to the side of the building near some cafe tables and a dumpster.

It was obvious I was looking for someone; a patron waved his hand toward the dumpster and I walked around to the back of it. There crouching was this muscle-bound dude with a shocked expression that I had found him.

Really I was not quite sure what to do. I’m not a police officer, but was in a uniform.

I calmly told him he would need to come with me and we walked back to the lobby. I asked for his driver's license and he gave it to me — I copied all the info and asked him to sit with me in the lobby to wait for a county police officer.

I stoically called the non-emergency number. After an hour of waiting with no officer, I told him he could leave and he would be contacted. A few hours after that an officer did show up and I shared all the info I had.

There was a court date a few months later. He was a pissed-off ex-employee of the building maintenance staff. I think they fined him for court costs and the damage.

I hope he turned his life around and hiding behind a dumpster was his lowest point.

It’s easy to go up from there.

Mystery of the Ripped-Off Doors

I was a security guard during college. It was mostly quiet, but not always.

I did chase a guy once.

Tricking the Quartermaster

We all do what we must to survive.