Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Even textbook writers can joke occasionally

From my criminal law textbook, defenses section:

An elderly woman completed her shopping and returned to her car. She found four men inside. She dropped her shopping bags, drew a handgun, yelled at them at the top of her lungs that she would use the gun unless they got out of the car. The men "didn't wait around for a second invitation, but got out and ran like mad." Our elderly hero loaded her shopping bags into the car, and got into the driver's seat. Oops. Her key would not fit the ignition. No wonder. It was not her car. Her car was identical looking, but parked four spaces down. She embarrassedly loaded her bags (this time, into her own car) and drove to the police station. There, a police sergeant broke into laughter after she reported what had happened. He pointed to the other end of the room where four men, pale faced, were reporting a carjacking by a mad elderly woman.

(Lisa Denton, Laugh Lines, Chattanooga Times, Feb. 25, 2000, at 23.)

2 comments:

Gabi said...

you know what's funny? I remember my brother telling me that case a couple of years ago. nice to know GW Law still uses the same textbooks =P

saisai said...

that case is funny enough that i'm sure it's in several different textbooks. in my head it's the granny from the tweety bird segments on loony tunes, creaky voice and all, sticking a gun into the faces of four thugs ready to wet their pants. i giggle whenever i think of it.