The Blotter: Grab Your Guns 

Go Ahead, Take It Police responded to a home in northwest Charlotte last week after a man caught another man in the act of breaking into his car, but decided not to confront him about it. The victim, a 25-year-old man, told officers that he witnessed someone rummaging through his car, but knowing what was inside, he stayed at a safe distance instead of yelling for the suspect to stop. That was smart, because eventually the suspect found the Stevens 320 shotgun in the backseat and ran off with it.

Oh Well A 29-year-old man filed a police report last week after his own stupidity led to a firearm being literally on the streets of west Charlotte last week. The man told police that he left his home near the airport at around 5 p.m. one afternoon and simply forgot about the fact that he had left his Taurus PT-111 handgun in its holster on the roof of the car as he got inside. When he realized it, he tried to retrace his route, but the gun was gone.

Sucker Punch A 30-year-old man filed a police report after realizing one of his party guests had made off with his protection. The man said he threw a party to watch the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight on August 29, but realized a few days later that one of the partygoers had taken both of his guns home with them. The man and his wife reported that they were missing two handguns, a .40-caliber Taurus and .380 Ruger, and that they had seen them in their cases before the fight party. That's why you always keep the strap on you during a house party. (Just kidding, it sounded cool, though. Don't party armed, just buy a safe.)

Failed Test A 21-year-old woman called police after her driving instructor became far too aggressive in expressing their displeasure with her skill. The woman told police that she took a driving lesson near her home between 9:45 and 11:20 a.m., and during that time, the instructor struck her three times.

Come Back When We're Busy Police responded to an armed robbery call in east Charlotte last week after two men robbed a 7-Eleven on Eastway Drive. Employees told police that the men came in at about 2:30 a.m. and held them at gunpoint as they took all the money from the cash register before fleeing in a dark-colored car. The only problem for these suspects was their timing, as the cash register only had $8 in it at the time, meaning just four bucks for each.

Lack of Progress A police report recently surfaced in which the principal of Berryhill School in west Charlotte reported that a check-up on the school's construction in the lead-up to the beginning of the school year led her to discover that things were actually being taken, and not built up. The principal told officers that she visited the construction site to check up on the construction and repair of some mobile classrooms there and found that someone else had been checking out the site before her, and taking what they wanted. She reported that a "Smart Board" projection unit worth $24,000 had been disassembled and the "main piece of the unit" had been stolen.

Bright Idea A 22-year-old man called police last after he and his friend were playing with a flare gun and ... well, you know what happened next. Officers found the man in the hospital being treated for non-life threatening injuries (luckily) and he told them the story. He said that he and his friend were playing with the gun but not planning to shoot it when suddenly it went off and he was struck square in the forehead with a flare.

La La Land Police responded to a Kangaroo Express on E. W.T. Harris Boulevard last week after a drunk man made a fool of himself in the gas station's parking lot. Officers found the suspect injured outside of the store at about 9 p.m., and witnesses soon informed them that the man had been wandering drunkenly around the gas pumps attempting to open car doors to see if they were locked. The man must not have been paying attention, because people were still inside multiple cars that he tried to enter, and that's when they called police. Before they arrived, an employee told the man he had to leave, but on his way off the property he got into a fight with a customer in the parking lot. That was another bad idea, because according to the report, only the suspect "sustained an injury to his face and head," but no one else was injured. When police confronted the man, they searched him and found a bag of cocaine in his pocket.

Catch Me If You Can Officers working a case in the University area were soon introduced to yet another case, but it was open-and-shut. Police were on Arklow Drive in northeast Charlotte bringing a suspect in an unrelated case in front of a witness to be identified, when they saw a car driving recklessly close by. An officer attempted to flag down the car, and the driver stopped. However, when the officer asked the man for his license, he yelled, "Fuck you!" and sped off. Both officers on the scene saw the man's license plate, and he was also in a suburban area where all his neighbors knew him, so he was quickly identified and warrants were taken out for his arrest.