Standoff ends on bizarre note at mall Tuesday, September 14, 1999 By Anne Bowhay Staff Writer ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A 34-year-old Cincinnati man who told police he fears an impending Y2K crisis slashed himself, then threatened two police officers before collapsing outside a Hickory Hills shopping center Sunday, police said.

The man later told police that he, a girlfriend and her 10-year-old son were en route to the California desert, where they plan to live when the year 2000 begins next Jan. 1, police said Monday.

The bizarre incident occurred at 9:40 a.m. Sunday in the parking lot of Hickory/Palos Square Shopping Center, 9500 S. Roberts Road.

A patrol officer stopped a car after he saw a man driving alone with two flat tires, a police spokesman said. But when the officer walked up to the car, the man pulled a knife, threatened to cut his own throat, and drove to another part of the parking lot  at a slow rate of speed, due to the flat tires, police said.

A second officer arrived to help and within a few minutes they cornered the rental car, a Ford Taurus with Ohio plates.

The driver got out of the car holding a folding knife with a blade about three inches long, police said. His pants were soaked with blood, and his left forearm was cut open from elbow to wrist.

After threatening to cut his own throat, the man opened the trunk of his car and took out a .9 mm semiautomatic handgun, police said. Holding the gun at his side, the man told officers, "Kill me or I'm gonna kill you." He then passed out, apparently from blood loss caused by stab wounds in the arm and a thigh, police said.

Charges that include unauthorized use of a weapon will be filed today against the man, police said. A bond hearing is expected today at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, where the man underwent surgery to his arm Monday.

Once inside an ambulance, the man "was babbling some stuff about Y2K and he was going to live in the desert. He had a lot of survival stuff in the car," said the spokesman.

The man's girlfriend appeared on the scene after paramedics arrived, the spokesman said.

"His girlfriend said he's all upset about Y2K," the spokesman said. "According to her, they had liquidated all their assets to get ready for Y2K."

Their car was packed with survivalist gear, including a large hunting knife and a book on building dirt houses.

-- a (b@c.com), September 14, 1999

Answers

Nothing like an a**hole to make the rest of us look bad...

-- Billy-Boy (Rakkasn@Yahoo.com), September 14, 1999.

When someone offers to kill himself, he should be taken up on it.

-- Ranger (OneRanger@OneRiot.net), September 14, 1999.

Heading for the "California desert?" For Y2K?

Now THAT's plain crazy!

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), September 14, 1999.

Millenium Madness strikes again. Did he work for NASA?

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), September 14, 1999.

A guy whose bug-out plan is the California desert? A family of three whose survival preps fit in a car? Poster boy for GI's? I hardly think so. More like poster boy for the state mental hospital. Speaking of which, I sure wouldn't want to be anywhere near one of those at rollover.

-- RUOK (RUOK@yesiam.com), September 14, 1999.

POSTER BOY FOR THE POLLYANNAS



Don't worry, be happy!

-- @ (@@@.@), September 14, 1999.

Rodney "I get no respect" Dangerfield would make a better poster boy I believe.

-- (snowleopard6@webtv.net), September 14, 1999.

pray for the poor guy, you never know when it,s your turn.GOD has a way of making wise-guy,s eat there words.

-- i like amazing-grace. (dogs@zianet.com), September 14, 1999.

And yet the Doomers still think they do no harm with all their doom & gloom.

-- you miss (the@point.com), September 14, 1999.

You Miss, I think you miss the point yourself. Nobody here told this man to go cut his throat or forced him to believe anything.

I know your ententions are good, but really, trying to shield the public from bad news because a few mental patients might do themselves or others harm is ludicrous.

-- Chris (#$%^&@pond.com), September 14, 1999.

This hardly compares to the millions that will die because of the Pollys.

-- (its@coming.soon), September 14, 1999.

...well, that's one less Tinfoil the rest of us will have to worry about for a while. The key phrase was "they had liquidated all their assets to get ready for Y2K"

How many other 'Foils have done the same?

-- Y2K Pro (y2kpro1@hotmail.com), September 14, 1999.

I have liquidated my assets and I'm going to Hurricane Alley for rollover...

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWayne@aol.com), September 14, 1999.

First the cave man, fearing chunks from a comet, wasn't it, now this. Always something to worry about. Always been a few crazies out there. Always will be. <:)=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), September 14, 1999.

Always been a few crazies out there.

Not just out there.

-- (look@in.the.mirror), September 15, 1999.

And flying in an airplane on 010100 is not crazy... give me a break...

Koskinism - There will be no significant problems during the rollover, I promise...

Yeah, and what if there are? Can I come stomp your ass for lying to me????

This example pointed out by abc.com (reporter wanna be?) is like saying the Islamic Jihad is a self-help group...

growlin' at the narrow mind...

The Dog

-- Dog (Desert Dog@-sand.com), September 15, 1999.

you miss--I never knew we had such power over people. Don't lay that guilt trip crap on anyone here. There's crazy people everywhere and I think you are one of them.

-- sniffer (sniffer@snifferrr.com), September 15, 1999.

I'm doom and gloom because I choose to be. Who do you blame the Heaven's Gate suicides on? Astronomers? Government? Kool-aid? Pepsi? Nike? Computers? Why do we always have to blame someone for anything? I suppose it's easier to blame others than to take responsibility for our own actions.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), September 15, 1999.

If they had liquidated all their assets and it all fit into one car, they didn't have very much to begin with. This person clearly needed mental help before Y2K talk ever began, and would have been sent over the edge by something or other sooner or later. He reminds me of the people with whom I worked in a mental hospital as a well-trained volunteer. I'm very sorry for the three persons involved, but it has nothing to do with the cautions of persons contributing to this forum, who are not slashing themselves, etc.

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), September 15, 1999.

Preparations are difficult, we all know that. Still, we all need to be mentally prepared for the catastrophe that will befall us when TSHTF. This guy wasn't and look what happened. Understand that this can happen to your Polly neighbors or friends if it gets bad enough. Even doomers who think it's just going to be a few months of hardship may end up like this. Don't let yourself be a victim just because they weren't mentally prepared.

-- (its@coming.soon), September 15, 1999.

A quick question: who's to blame for the crazies jumping out of the tall buildings when the market collapsed in '29? "Oh nO! The Roaring 20s are oVER!"

I think our society today is even less prepared mentally and emotionally to withstand potentially hard times. We don't even have the strong family ties we used to have and the strong earth-bond with independent farming as a way of life. (I'm talking proportionately, of course).

One thing about human nature, though. I'm always amazed. Sometimes because of the good I see and sometimes because of the bad.

-- eubie (eubie@gonnajump.com), September 15, 1999.