Joe and I could hear movement outside and knew that at least one of the subjects was walking around the residence. The detective on the phone then advised me that the subject Cannonier was walking up to the front of the house. I carefully stole a peek at the front plate glass window and observed Donut looking inside. I saw him, but he couldnt see me! Donut eventually walked away from the front of the residence, back towards the street. Several more minutes passed and then I heard a weird clicking sound on the phone. After several seconds of this clicking the phone suddenly went dead and I could no longer communicate with the detective at the bureau. Almost immediately I observed and heard one subject running from the N.W. corner of the residence. This was where the phone lines to the residence were located. The subject ran eastward along the houses north side towards the beach and as he passed by the glass jalousie door, which led from the kitchen to the outside, I observed his form go by. I immediately realized that the subjects had cut the phone lines to the residence and this meant that they would be coming soon! I motioned to Sergeant Gerwens and with hand gestures I advised him that the phone line had just been cut. He silently nodded his head indicating that he understood. He also made his weapon ready as he clicked the safety off so the shotgun would be ready to fire.

Ive always been amazed, and even amused too, by some of the totally absurd and irrelevant thoughts that dance through a mans mind just before he is about to do battle, and maybe even face death head-on. Tonight, as I hid there in Ms. Hands kitchen, clutching my 9mm automatic in my right hand, my thoughts reverted back to my early childhood in Oakland. My mom and dad divorced when I was just a baby and although it was sometimes very difficult for her she did the best she could to provide me with a stable and safe home. But, she was still a young and attractive woman and every now and then she would go out at night and leave me all alone in our apartment. Im not really sure how old I was, but I think I was probably about ten. My mom always asked me if I was going to be all right alone and the macho cockiness that is inside of almost every young boy always confidently assured her that I would be.

Sometimes I would be okay; other times I wouldnt be! More than once I laid there on the living room couch, watching television, and I imagined that there was a big bad nasty monster in the kitchen waiting for me. I couldnt see the kitchen from the living room couch, but I was sure that monster was there just the same. Unfortunately, if I needed to go to the bathroom I had to pass by the kitchen to get there. More than once I felt like my bladder would explode as I prayed that my mom would get home soon so I could go to the bathroom. Sometimes I made it; sometimes I didnt! But, as far as I can recall, I never was brave enough to get up from that couch and confront that monster in the kitchen face-to-face. A young boys imagination can be a wonderful, yet a very terrible thing. Now, all these years later, I was the one hiding in the kitchen, waiting for a different kind of two-legged monster that was about to invade Ms. Hands home!

At about 8:40 p.m. Sergeant Gerwens slowly peeked around the hallway wall towards the family room and the south side door. As Joe later recounted, I noticed movement in the family room by the rear door and observed two subjects standing inside the house approx. 12 feet from the rear door. Both subjects were wearing dark clothing and had dark masks covering their heads and face. Joe also noticed that both of these individuals were wearing dark colored gloves. And, the subject to Joes right, that appeared to be our bad guy Perkins, also carried a briefcase in one hand and a large automatic pistol in the other.

Sgt. Gerwens felt that he had to act immediately and he didnt think he had the time to alert me to the subjects presence inside of the residence. If he had tried to do this the subjects may have seen him first and tried to flee, or they may have even started shooting. So, Joe jumped to his feet and he yelled Freeze, police! He also pointed his shotgun at the two suspects as he began to move forward towards them.