topic Re: Take This True Crime Backstory Creativity Challenge in Community Chat

Take This True Crime Backstory Creativity Challenge

PickyPicky3 — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 16:02:07 GMT

On Monday night (4/17/23) at 11:20 pm a woman was sitting in her car in the Cherry Hill, NJ Walmart parking lot. The store had closed at 11:00 pm.

Three young teens (ages 13, 14 and 15) approached the car and opened the driver's door. One demanded she get out and give them the car and flashed a gun in his waistband.

The woman refused, drove off and called 911. When the police arrived, the teens were still hanging around and were arrested. A police dog located the gun in the parking lot.

What circumstances brought these people together? I'm thinking the woman ran out of toilet paper and thought the Walmart closed at midnight. She recognized one of the teens and felt confident he wouldn't shoot her for her car, so she felt safe just driving away. The teens had sneaked out of their houses (it was a school night), had no way to get home and made a foolish choice. I haven't yet come up with why one was armed.

What possible backstories can you come up with?

Re: Take This True Crime Backstory Creativity Challenge

Kachina624 — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 16:20:05 GMT

I feel certain the woman had planned an assignation with her lover and was waiting for him. He works the 3 to 11pm shift and was just getting off work from his nearby job.

When the boys approached her and flashed the gun, they were so close that she easily recognized the weapon as being a plastic fake (it was hot pink) so she laughed as she drove away.

The boys were taking part in a Tik Tok Challenge. They realized they'd made a big mistake and ran all the way home.

Re: Take This True Crime Backstory Creativity Challenge

tends2dogs — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 16:53:10 GMT

@Kachina624 Why are you wasting your time on this forum? You have a hidden talent and a goldmine waiting to be discovered.

Re: Take This True Crime Backstory Creativity Challenge

Kachina624 — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 18:08:05 GMT

@tends2dogs Thanks, but just having fun.

Re: Take This True Crime Backstory Creativity Challenge

Citrine1 — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 18:19:04 GMT

Well, let's see. She's sitting in her car at 11:20 p.m. in the parking lot of a store that closed 20 minutes prior. Clearly, she's not shopping. She probably was waiting to meet someone to buy drugs.

Punk a** teenagers were hanging around the parking lot. Their parents neither knew nor cared where they were. They were bored and saw the opportunity to steal a car and go for a joy ride. One pulled out a gun that he found under his older brothers bed.

They approached her car but couldn't get in because the doors were locked. She was safe on the inside and looked danger (the kids gun) in the face as she drove off. She wasn't afraid of those kids; she was just annoyed that she didn't get her "fix".

She passed a police car, flagged him down and told him what happened, laughing to herself at the thought of these kids getting in trouble.

When the police arrived, the kids were still there because they were too stupid to leave or because they know nothing would happen to them anyway.

Just another night in Cherry Hill or Anywhere, USA.

Re: Take This True Crime Backstory Creativity Challenge

lgfan — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 18:23:07 GMT

She was going to meet her lover but suddenly he/she texted saying that he/she couldn't make it because his/her spouse came home earlier than expected. The woman was angry she wasted her time and gas in driving to Walmart. When the teen-age boys approached her she couldn't care less what happened so she left the parking lot and approached the police.

Re: Take This True Crime Backstory Creativity Challenge

PickyPicky3 — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 19:27:31 GMT

What if the teens decided to give carjacking a try and thought a Walmart at closing time would offer the best possibility.

At 11:00 the last shoppers and employees streamed out, but nobody had a car they liked or maybe they just got nervous. By 11:15 they were left alone in an empty parking lot asking themselves what should we do now.

The woman pulled in at 11:20, the teens thought this is it, and then failed at their first attempt.

So at 11:25 they were still in the parking lot, once again asking themselves what should we do now, and the police arrived to answer their question.

Re: Take This True Crime Backstory Creativity Challenge

Othereeeen — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 20:19:14 GMT

"......The woman refused, drove off and called 911. When the police arrived, the teens were still hanging around and were arrested. A police dog located the gun in the parking lot..."

Actually, there are TWO possible yet plausible endings.

Wording taken from police report of three young people who menaced a woman with a gun to hijack her car:

1) the police return to the parking lot, and the three young lads are still there, hanging around and laughing at thier failed attempt at criminality....the police know one of them-his dad is some minor township official...they are taken to the station, thier Moms called, and released on thier own recognizance....just boys being boys after all! The gun is found,is retained til one of the Dad's can come and get it...he has a permit, so it's OK..let it slide this time....

2) The police return to the parking lot, see three hoods trespassing and loitering after Walmart is closed....upon approaching, one of the teens reaches under his hoody and pulls out....well, we know NOW that it was his phone, but the three are dead in the parking lot, gunned down in a hail of 145 bullets.

The officer "felt threatened" and acted first, asked questions later. After all, what were three thugs doing out this late on a school night trying to hijack a car from a defenseless woman?

1) White teens.

2) Black teens.

Eye of the beholder.

Re: Take This True Crime Backstory Creativity Challenge

Mz iMac — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 20:18:52 GMT

@Othereeeen Spot on!

Re: Take This True Crime Backstory Creativity Challenge

Desertdi — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 20:31:06 GMT

The woman is the wife of a judge. She was really ticked off at the young thugs, and floored the gas pedal.

The cops arrived, arrested the juveniles....who were later tried as adults, and sentenced to 10 years for carjacking by the husband-judge.

Re: Take This True Crime Backstory Creativity Challenge

Citrine1 — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 23:09:38 GMT

@Othereeeen I guess I'm not surprised that someone would have to bring race into this discussion. I find both of your scenarios to be greatly exaggerated.

Re: Take This True Crime Backstory Creativity Challenge

Othereeeen — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 23:39:51 GMT

@Citrine1

I didn't see rules posted, and, I'll make up any durn story I want thank you., unless I have to ask you first, which does not appear to be a requirement to create ANY scenario.

YOU make up something to go with the OP's suggestion.

What you see is MY story and I'm sticking to it.

Re: Take This True Crime Backstory Creativity Challenge

Greeneyedlady21 — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 01:17:27 GMT

The woman lied about the whole thing. She was crying in her car because she was fired from her job that day. The teens saw her alone and crying and wanted to check on her.

Her fear and paranoia made her believe/assume they were out to kill her. She took out her gun and shot at them. Fortunately she missed and she took off, throwing the gun out of her car window in the parking lot.

She called 911 and made up the whole story to cover her almost deadly mistake.

Just another night in Everytown USA

Re: Take This True Crime Backstory Creativity Challenge

Citrine1 — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 00:44:00 GMT

@Othereeeen Why would you have to ask me first? Why so defiant? I simply stated my opinion of your "story".

Re: Take This True Crime Backstory Creativity Challenge

PickyPicky3 — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 01:43:19 GMT

This simple little news story reminds me of the old Rorschach inkblot psychological test. Readers can project whatever they want to on to it.

It's a local story and hasn't been published much, but where it has there's a lot of comments attached.

Re: Take This True Crime Backstory Creativity Challenge

VanSleepy — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 02:07:47 GMT

@Greeneyedlady21 wrote:
The woman lied about the whole thing. She was crying in her car because she was fired from her job that day. The teens saw her alone and crying and wanted to check on her.

Her fear and paranoia made her believe/assume they were out to kill her. She took out her gun and shot at them. Fortunately she missed and she took off, throwing the gun out of her car window in the parking lot.

She called 911 and made up the whole story to cover her almost deadly mistake.

Just another night in Everytown USA

I was totally believing this when I read the first paragraph.