The Accidental Getaway Driver

May 3, 2017 12:17 PM

After escaping from the Orange County Jail, three violent criminals needed transportation, so they called a taxi and took the driver hostage for six days. Predictably, they went back to prison. But that wasn't the end of the story for the driver.
posted by kevinbelt (9 comments total)

Such a strange tender story.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 1:02 PM on May 3, 2017

It's an interesting story.

One thing that really bothers me about the way that it's written is that the phrasing in parts implies that the kidnappers were prisoners on remand rather than convicted criminals, but the writer never spells it out. When their appearance on television is described, it's as They were riveted as the broadcasters ran through the litany of alleged crimes that had put them in jail—murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, and torture, and every further mention is of "alleged" criminality.

I think for "innocent until proven guilty" to apply, it's important to differentiate between people who have been charged with crimes and people who have been convicted, and blurring the lines between remand prisoners and convicts is a very bad thing.
posted by Azara at 1:18 PM on May 3, 2017 [8 favorites]

This was a surprising and beautiful story. I hope things go okay for Ma and Duong. The latter's implied mental illness and social marginalization are things that will require more support than a single person on their own can provide. Still, that people can make these kinds of connections in these sorts of circumstances is strangely life-affirming.
posted by byanyothername at 2:14 PM on May 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Quite a story. Well written, too.
posted by jonmc at 2:21 PM on May 3, 2017

What a haunting story. I feel pretty devastated for Ma not getting any sort of compensation even though he was the starting point for them all getting caught. Poor guy just had to go back to his lonely existence with only a new troubled friend in tow.
posted by joan_holloway at 3:19 PM on May 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

He returned to his boarding room in Garden Grove. No one had even reported him missing.

Shattering.
posted by teleri025 at 3:22 PM on May 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

Wow, that was surprisingly poignant. I hope Ma and Duong both continue to benefit from this friendship, however strange its origins.

Thanks for posting this, kevinbelt. It was thought provoking, touching, and tragic, although not tragic in the ways I would have predicted.
posted by litera scripta manet at 9:28 PM on May 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Being human is a condition like no other. Redemption among the ruins, making a home in nowhere, is perhaps the most sublime human ability.
posted by Oyéah at 9:42 PM on May 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

I'm glad you liked it. I read it at work yesterday, and I just stared at the screen in disbelief for a while after I finished. I actually shared it on Facebook, too, which I rarely do. That's how moving I found it.
posted by kevinbelt at 6:56 AM on May 4, 2017 [1 favorite]