One Tough Night
By Rad Mawhinney
I was the field sergeant assigned to the PM Watch when I received the call no cop wants to here. I was informed of an officer down on South Railroad who was struck by a hit and run driver. I knew the units were working a traffic accident there and listened intently for a description of the suspect vehicle and direction of travel.
Mark and I just happened to be at the intersection of Alvin and Broadway when we heard the news that the suspect vehicle was actually heading right toward us. The description was perfect and Mark spotted the vehicle first and we immediately pulled it over.
The got the driver out of the vehicle and yes, he was drunk. In fact, I knew the driver from my old baseball days. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes and said, Rad, I f**d up.
Sgt. Mike Cordero came by about that time and asked if I had been down to the scene. After telling him no, he started to leave when I asked him who got hit. Mike looked at me tearfully and said it was Bobby Cain.
I remember I started running towards the scene 5 blocks away as Bobby was my old partner in the Felony Unit. Fortunately, I did not have to run the whole distance, Cordero drove up and gave me a ride.
Bobby never fully recovered from his injuries that night. If it wasn’t for the sharp eyes of Mark, we may not have ever caught our suspect. I love you Mark. Rad