Well, I'm not exactly sure if I was punched or simply clotheslined, it was so sudden and unexpected. Here's what happened.
I was leaving work around 2:30 PM today and just walking along when someone randomly put his arm out and hit me in the face. He didn't threaten me, he didn't make any demands, and he didn't even respond at first when I yelled at him. It was so sudden I was kind of wondering whether it actually hurt or not, but by the time I came to my senses I realized that no, it didn't really hurt. So at least he didn't do much damage. My nose was bleeding slightly but it was nothing big.
I actually managed to get the guy arrested. A bystander started following him and trying to figure out what was going on, and I followed about 40 feet behind the two of them as I talked to the police. The guy just kept on walking as though nothing had happened. A few minutes later a couple of police cars showed up and they cuffed him and put him in the back of the car. The police officer told me it was a citizen's arrest (huh?) and that I had to tell him that I was placing him under arrest for assault. Okay, whatever. I did so and they left.
It was an interesting experience, that's for sure. I might actually go so far as to say I enjoyed it. I was glad to see this asshole get handcuffed and thrown in the back of the car. It made me feel powerful that I alone could have such a profound impact on the sequence of events—when this first happened, I didn't want to start a fight and I was almost ready to just keep walking. And if nothing else, it was something to make my day more exciting, and it's provided me with a good story for the coming few days. My nose is already pretty much back to normal with only a little bit of crusty dried blood on the inside (no worse than it was before, with crusty dried snot from the cold, dry air).
In fact, I probably helped this guy. There's a good chance he was homeless and a very good chance he was mentally ill, so getting him arrested will at least get him a few days to warm up and get fed. It was REALLY cold out today.
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