Y2W28 Day 2

I and my wife Miriam are your neighbors living on 14th street.  We are currently training for the Army Ten Miler and jog a couple of times a week through the Douglas Park neighborhood and surrounding areas.   We are out there jogging between 4:15 am  and 5:15 am. This morning as we were on George Mason drive between 4 mile run and Columbia pike we had a scary incident occur.

There was a Hispanic man standing in the median of George Mason Drive leaning against a tree.  As we approached Doctor’s Run park he yelled out, “here come two joggers, get them! get them!”    a voice in the darkness of the park responded with “How many?”  and the other guy acting as a spotter replied again “two joggers”  I tensed up knowing there was at least on threat on our right hand side within the park as well as the guy acting as the spotter.  We picked up the pace some and I scanned the darkness of the park looking for movement near the playground equipment and trees.  we cleared the park and headed straight to the 7-11 that is a few hundred feet away.

We encouraged the clerk to call the police but he wanted to go out side and look around. Once the three of us were outside I pointed out the spotter in the white t-shirt leaning against the tree in the median. He saw us looking at him and he walked in to the park and disappeared. Since the clerk did not call the police we headed home and I called the non-emergency number and reported the incident.  The Police said they would send someone over to check it out.

I don’t know what prevented us from being jumped.  We would not be likely mugging targets as we were jogging and had nothing valuable on us.  Also I am a big guy at 6 foot tall and 265lbs, not an easy target.  The spotter did not appear to move towards us as he directed the other guy(s) to “get us”.  I don’t know if this was gang activity and the guy or guys in the park were supposed to attack us to become a member or something to that effect.

I thought about this all day today and some things were interesting.  The spotter never directly threatened me or my wife.  He directed the other guy(s) to attack us.   I only heard one voice in the park but that does not mean there was only one person there.  That person in the park never directly threatened us verbally or came at us that I was able to see.   I don’t know legally what  the police could have done even if they caught up with the guys since nothing actually happened.  It was all indirect threats of action.   I also don’t know what would have happened if instead of us jogging past the park a lone woman or smaller in stature man walked by there to go to the bus stop with a wallet/purse/briefcase etc.   That park area is a bad place at night.  there is no lighting within the park and there are multiple escape routes for bad guys to use to get away.  They could hop the fence to go to the apartments right there, they could follow the trail up to the school or they could take the trail to south Randolf street and get to 16th street.

We had a good scare and nothing more.  We will be changing our jogging routes now but will still be out there.

Everyone please be careful since Arlington has been seeing a lot of violent actions lately.  Pay extra attention to your surroundings, look for people that are out of place like the guy acting as a spotter in the center median on George Mason drive.  There was no traffic coming so he could have and should have been crossing the street, not hanging out.  I missed that initially and did not think anything of it.  Please don’t make the same mistake.  Also don’t think because you are out mid-day you can let your guard down.  Things are happening all times of the day in busy traffic areas.  It only take a few seconds for your life to be turned upside down.