EMMO
Special to The Lampoon
A local self-proclaimed vigilante, armed with a black painted airsoft gun, illegally detained a Fredonia student (whose name has not been revealed) last Thursday for standing underneath the clock tower near Thompson Hall. The student raised suspicion with Dunkirk “vigilante” Tracy McAdams who says that the student “really took his time” walking underneath the tower and appeared to be “contemplating something.”
The news about 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed who was arrested in Texas for bringing a homemade clock into school quickly spread. According to USA TODAY, officials at MacArthur High School suspended Mohamed and then called the police after determining the clock looked like a bomb. The police questioned, handcuffed and detained him, then let him go.
This event was fresh in McAdams’ mind, according to him, as he spotted something on campus that “didn’t seem right.”
According to McAdams, who was detained and questioned by local authorities, he was driving around in his used white Chevrolet Express when he spotted the student walking underneath the clock tower. At first, he says he didn’t think too much of it, but as he went around the circle he noticed that something looked a little off.
I was able to get some explanation from the perpetrator at the holding center in Dunkirk, who seemed very eager to tell his story.
“I couldn’t see his face until I was almost on the other side of the tower. He was a little darker skinned and had a scruffy looking beard. Not being racist or anything, but he kind of looked muslim-ish. That’s not important, though.
“What caught me was his eyes,” McAdams continued. “I can’t explain it, but I just knew he was up to something – something terribly wrong. I knew I had to act quickly.”
Just then McAdams pulled over and got out of his vehicle. He began sprinting toward the student who, according to him, “seemed uneasy.”
“I pulled out my gun and pointed at him, shouting at him to remain calm. He threw up his hands and begged me not to shoot. I knew by the sheer panic on his face that he was guilty,” said McAdams. “Why would he be so scared if he didn’t do anything?
“So I asked him why he slowed down. His response? ‘I don’t know. Maybe I was ‘thinking.’ I don’t deal with maybes. He knew why he was there. There was something going on with that clock tower. I knew it.
“I had no time to think. My mind immediately made the connection between clocks and bombs. The clock tower looked just like a movie bomb!”
McAdams says he then “slapped cuffs” on the student and threw him over his shoulder and made a run for his van.
Someone had notified local authorities, however. Several Dunkirk police officers surrounded the van, and at gun point de-escalated the situation swiftly. Officers questioned both of them, detained McAdams and removed the plastic handcuffs from the student.
“I know I’m going to look like the villain here — I’m smart enough to see that — but I know I did the right thing. If it’s politically incorrect to save lives, then go ahead and call me a bigot,” McAdams said.
I tried to contact the victim, but have not received a response yet. Dunkirk police officers say that he is “very shaken up” by the event.
Dunkirk Police Chief David C. Ortolano had this to say about the incident:
“It is currently under heavy investigation. Mr. MacArthur has committed a felony and will face severe punishment. There will be justice.”
There is no more information currently on the investigation.