The two beat cops both stared in amazement as the tall, well-dressed but still appearing disheveled man grabbed the equally well-dressed woman by her right arm and started to pull her towards a large, expensive coupe parked near the curb.
The woman frantically pushed at the man trying to break free from his grasp, an obvious look of fear on her face.
Instinctively both officers ran towards the altercation, the larger of the two shouting towards the man and woman in a loud, authoritarian voice, "Stop where you are and take your hands off that woman!"
The man froze in his tracks and did exactly as the officer instructed, releasing his grip on the woman's arm and then turning to the now slowed-to-a-fast-walk officers.
In a clipped almost impetuous tone and with a very distinct accent, the man stated calmly if not coldly, "Officers, I can appreciate your interest in what you may perceive to be a domestic disturbance, but I assure you it is not. I am a citizen of D'shanistan and if you do not turn and walk away I will demand to see my representative at the D'shanistan embassy."
"Sir," the shorter of the two officers replied with what appeared to be a suppressed smile, "as a visitor to the United States you are required to comply with and follow the laws just like everybody else. I'm going to need to see your identification."
The man pulled at the sides of his suit jacket as if to make himself look more prominent. "Officer, you are obviously not fully aware of the protocols regarding how the staff of a foreign consulate are to be treated. I demand to speak with your superior at once!"
As the man was talking to the officers the woman he had grabbed was slowly backing away from the curb and maneuvering herself so that the two police officers were between her and the man.
The two officers looked at the man for a moment, then the smaller of the two asked, "Are you a diplomat sir? Or are you an employee of the embassy of D'shanistan?" In either case, we will need to see your identification."
The man stood quietly while staring at the officers. he glanced toward the woman who now stood at least 15 feet behind them, near the entrance to the hotel that she and the man had just left.
"As a citizen of D'shanistan I am not required to show you anything. I am demanding that you either allow me to leave with that woman or else call your superior immediately." The man's face began to redden slightly as he spoke.
"Excuse me for one moment" the smaller of the two officers said. He then turned and walked back to the patrol car parked fifty feet away.
Opening the door he reached inside the car and picked up the console mounted radio, then requested to be patched through to the Captain on duty at the station.
The Captain, a man with twenty-four years on the force, was on the radio quicker than the officer expected. "What's the situation Kincaid, are you in need of assistance?"
Officer Kincaid quickly filled the Captain in on the situation. With a small laugh he added, "This is just like one of those old movies about American tourists in Europe getting in trouble and demanding to be taken to the U.S. embassy, except in reverse. Kinda funny."
The Captain replied without hesitation, "Well, it's not funny if that guy is actually a diplomat. I'm going to call the D'shanistan embassy and see if I can get someone to clarify if one of their people is staying at that hotel. Stall the guy for a few minutes longer."
Officer Kincaid walked back slowly to his partner and the man, staring into a small flip book as if he was reading something pertinent to the situation.
"Sir, I have contacted my superior and he has directed me to ascertain your identity, so I am going to have to request to see your identification once again."
The man stewed. He turned to look behind him at the large, expensive coupe and then turned back towards the officers and slowly spoke to them as if they were school children. "You do not know who I am, so what good would showing you my identification be? You do not realise who you are insulting at this very moment."
"Sir" the larger of the two officers stated with more contempt than civility, "If it is important to you that we know who you are than showing us your identification will go a long way toward resolving that issue."
As he spoke the radio on his partners belt began to crackle. Officer Kincaid turned and walked out of hearing of the man in order to take the call.
"Kincaid," the Captain spoke. "I was able to contact the embassy. They accounted for all of their embassy personnel and do not know who the man you have made contact with is. If you and Thompson witnessed him physically manhandling a woman, I suggest you bring him in".
"Roger that Captain. We'll see you in about 15 minutes. Maybe he'll tell you who he is".
Kincaid silently signaled to Thompson to initiate arrest procedure.
Thompson, took his handcuffs out and asked the man to turn around and place his hands on the roof of the large, expensive coupe. The man appeared stunned and momentarily looked as if he was going to fight the officer, but just as quickly became compliant and turned toward the car.
Thompson took one of the man's wrist and encircled it with one of the steel cuffs, then repeated the process with the other wrist, all the while reciting the Miranda rights to him.
The woman who had just minutes ago was being dragged towards the car looked on at the scene of the arrest.
And she smiled.
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