This morning at 4:34am, after a night of trying to sleep and waking up from dreams repeatedly, I was wired awake by a noise that got louder and louder. It was a dragging noise, I thought, like someone dragging a large machine along the pavement with a tow vehicle. Then came the smell, a strong burning rubber smell. I pulled open my blind and looked outside to see a vehicle turning left at the intersection outside my window. It was still dark outside, so I couldn’t make out what kind of vehicle it was.
Then two police police vehicles – a car, then a truck – came in right behind it. The vehicles all stopped about 70-80m down the street. There was yelling from a woman’s voice, a screechy, complainy voice, and another officer’s voice yelling at her, seeming to give her instructions.
I put on my shoes and jacket and went outside to have a look. About 40m from him, an officer told me they were “dealing with a situation here” – in other words, clear out. I could hear the officer saying to another man that he didn’t like open blades around and asked if the weapon was loaded. The man mumbled something that I couldn’t make out. I went back home and made coffee.
Then two more police trucks came in. Then another truck. Later, an ambulance.
A while later I went out to the end of my driveway to look at take a picture. An officer said to get back in my vehicle or inside my house as there was a police dog working in the area.
At 5:18am, a police dog with its handler were outside my front window along with another officer. There were seven police vehicles and one pickup truck with flattened tires, presumably the source of the horrendous noise.
It is now 5:37, there are five police vehicles out there and lots of officers standing, looking, and talking. And my eyes are stinging from the stink of burning rubber – and lack of sleep.