Would-be Robbery Turns into Group Hugs
A Gate-Crasher's Change of HeartThe Guests Were Enjoying French Wine and Cheese on a Capitol Hill Patio. When a Gunman Burst In, the Would-Be Robbery Took an Unusual Turn.From the
Washington PostBy Allison Klein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 13, 2007; B01
A grand feast of marinated steaks and jumbo shrimp was winding down, and a group of friends was sitting on the back patio of a Capitol Hill home, sipping red wine. Suddenly, a hooded man slid in through an open gate and put the barrel of a handgun to the head of a 14-year-old guest.
"Give me your money, or I'll start shooting," he demanded, according to D.C. police and witness accounts.
The five other guests, including the girls' parents, froze -- and then one spoke.
"We were just finishing dinner," Cristina "Cha Cha" Rowan, 43, blurted out. "Why don't you have a glass of wine with us?"
The intruder took a sip of their Chateau Malescot St-Exupéry and said, "Damn, that's good wine."
The girl's father, Michael Rabdau, 51, who described the harrowing evening in an interview, told the intruder, described as being in his 20s, to take the whole glass. Rowan offered him the bottle. The would-be robber, his hood now down, took another sip and had a bite of Camembert cheese that was on the table.
Then he tucked the gun into the pocket of his nylon sweatpants.
"I think I may have come to the wrong house," he said, looking around the patio of the home in the 1300 block of Constitution Avenue NE.
"I'm sorry," he told the group. "Can I get a hug?"
Rowan, who lives in Falls Church and works part time at her children's school, stood up and wrapped her arms around him. Then it was Rabdau's turn. Then his wife's. The other two guests complied.
"That's really good wine," the man said, taking another sip. He had a final request: "Can we have a group hug?"
The five adults surrounded him, arms out.
With that, the man walked out with a crystal wine glass in hand, filled with Chateau Malescot. No one was hurt, and nothing was stolen.
The homeowner, Xavier Cervera, 45, had gone out to walk his dog at the end of the party and missed the incident, which happened about midnight June 16. Police classified the case as strange but true and said they had not located a suspect.
"We believe it is a true robbery," said Cmdr. Diane Groomes, who is in charge of patrols in the Capitol Hill area. But it's one-of-a-kind, she said, adding, "I've never heard of a robber joining a party and then walking out to the sunset."
The hug, she said, was especially unusual. "They should have squeezed him and held onto him for us," she said.
Rabdau said he hasn't been able to figure out what happened.
"I was definitely expecting there would be some kind of casualty," Rabdau said this week. "He was very aggressive at first; then it turned into a love fest. I don't know what it was."
Rabdau, a federal government worker who lives in Anne Arundel County with his family and lived on Capitol Hill with his wife in the 1980s, said that the episode lasted about 10 minutes but seemed like an hour. He believes the guests were spared because they kept a positive attitude during the exchange.
"There was this degree of disbelief and terror at the same time," Rabdau said. "Then it miraculously just changed. His whole emotional tone turned -- like, we're one big happy family now. I thought: Was it the wine? Was it the cheese?"
After the intruder left, the guests walked inside the house, locked the door and stared at each other. They didn't say a word. Rabdau dialed 911. Police arrived quickly and took a report. They also dusted for fingerprints -- so far, to no avail.
In the alley behind the home, investigators found the intruder's empty crystal wine glass on the ground, unbroken.
Crazy eh? Must have been the Camembert cheese. I heard it's quite good. Never tasted it though.
Anyone have an interesting robbery story?
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Perhaps I should comment on the awesome news article - how do you find them? A soft red wine and Camembert just works, I can see why the fugitive wanted hugs afterwards!
My parents both own rather nice cars. We're not a wealthy family, but my Dad does very well for us.
Earlier this year I purchased a 1987 Toyota pickup for $1000. It barely runs, rusted almost entirely through on all sides, and what paint there is, is covered by mud. You get the picture. Cheap.
Two weeks ago, some local kids decided they would like to steal a car to go joyriding in. They picked our house.
There were three of them. One each broke into my parent's cars, and the third went to my truck. My parent's cars were unlocked. They figure we live in a nice neighborhood, no need to lock them. I lock my truck because I usually have camera equipment in it. So the thieves got into their cars rather easily and were rummaging around through the glove-boxes looking for a spare key when the third broke the lock on my truck and flung the door open.
This set off the alarm on my $1000 pile of crap.
It scared them, woke me and my mom. My mom and I came out of the front door wielding baseball bats in time to see them sprinting around the corner. We checked through everything, and they didn't steal anything, but we were a little jarred nevertheless.
Needless to say, my parents now lock their cars, but none of us will ever forget the night a $1,000 pickup saved two $40,000 cars.
one time in the school where I used to live a robber tried to get into a teacher's house. The only way in they found was through the chimney.
But he got stuck.
So in the morning they found him there and had to break through the bricks to haul him out
True story.
Weirder than anything.
I'm afraid I got nothin'... especially compared to that. What a great story.