Well, he tried to mug me..
I had to open up the shop yesterday at noon. I had a huge paper due today so I took a bunch of books and papers with me, hoping to work on it. As I walk the couple blocks from my apartment to the shop, this guy comes up to me and asks me what street this is. He tells me he's meeting someone at a sushi spot and I told him there's one just behind that building. He keeps fiddling with his phone and then goes, "Also.. I'm going to need your purse."
"What?"
"I'm going to need you to give me your purse." I was really thrown off, because it's one thing to get mugged at night, in a neighborhood or something. But Mt. Vernon? At 12:00 in the afternoon? I told him that I didn't have any money or anything, that I just had my homework. "I'm just going into work man and I brought my homework with me. I have a paper due tomorrow so I really don't want to give you that stuff." He threatens me and says, "You better give me your purse before something bad happens," and the whole time I'm explaining to him that I don't have any money, just my school stuff, and that I don't want him to take my schoolwork.
"I'll leave your school stuff on the corner, I just need money." YO, I really don't have money. You can have my iPhone? I kept telling him I didn't have money but I did.. I happened to have my J.Crew magic wallet, you know, those small things that carry a few cards and cash that flip and hold your money magically. I showed him the insides of my purse, hiding the magic wallet under my books saying, "I really don't have any money, no wallet, no nothing. You chose the wrong person to mug because I don't have anything. Like I said, you can have my iPhone." He didn't believe me and said that I must have my ID or something and I said NO! I live a few blocks from here and just came into work. Home. Work. Don't. Need. Wallet.
After telling him, and being surprisingly calm about the whole situation, I was just like, "Dude, I don't have any money and I'm not going to give you my homework.. so I'm going to continue opening my store.." He walked away and goes, "Well I guess a robbery will have to do.."
I recognized this dude just a few minutes before he came up to me. He parked his car on Chase Street and I saw him get out of his dark blue truck. If I knew he was going to try and take my purse, I would've took more notice of the type of truck and his plate number.. but who knew.
When I opened the shop, I locked the door behind me and ran to see if Oliver was there. No.. *sigh*. I called The Dude, I called Oliver. The Dude came by the shop asap and Oliver told me to wait for The Dude to walk me home since Mr. Trynta-Mug-Me knew where I was at. He suggested I call the police and file a little report, so I did.
The cop came through, got some information and a description. All the while, my sweet Dude is running around Mt. Vernon on the BMX looking for a blue truck. He found a guy, took a picture of his car and peeped at his face. He didn't match my description. The cop wanted to know whether I wanted to file an official report (go downtown, talk to a detective, prosecute.. etc.) but I said nah. I told him if he could leave this situation on the side and if someone happened to report a guy that matched my description, I'd take part.. but other than that, I wasn't trying to OD on the situation. Just wanted people to keep a look out.
4+ years in Baltimore and I've never been mugged (thank G/knock on wood), though I guess in this situation, I didn't really get mugged.
Attempted muggery.
What's fabulous is that it all happened right in front of the shop door, which is so wonderfully captured by a video camera. I looked over the tape and thought if funny that my whole situation was caught on camera. I know what you're supposed to do in that sort of situation is give the guy what he wants so he doesn't hurt you, but I didn't see this guy as a threat. He seemed nervous, more than anything. He was fiddling with his phone the entire time and wouldn't look me in the eye. I think I should also be grateful to a car that pulled up to a parking spot 50-feet away which made him even more of a wreck.
So that's that. I was definitely shook and did some crying out of frustration and fear, though I don't think "fear" is the right word. I was startled more than anything, but I definitely talked this guy out of taking my purse. There he was seeing me as an opportunity for a little cash, and there he walks away.. with nothing. He might be the world's worst mugger.
