Y'all have brought up something else I want to address.
DJ and the guy with the black tshirt and dreads both stated in their recounting of their version of events...
That no cops were called on them for stealing the cigars. They were pretty adamant about that...and we do know that the store in fact DID NOT CALL! It was a female customer that called.
People have then stated that MB walking in the street with the stolen cigars makes him arrogant, and shows a lack of common sense, etc. That is shows a blatant disregard for authority when he came face to face with a police officer.
My gut feeling here (and that is all it is, IMO and nothing else) is that this store was known to be a place where they didn't call the cops on petty thefts like this...even if pushed.
So in MB and DJ's mind...the cop was in fact just yelling at them to get off the street...and did not in fact know anything about the theft, if he in fact did (which of course is debatable based on reports). MB wasn't being blatantly disrespectful with stolen items in his hands because in his mind, the cop couldn't have known they were stolen!
I hope that makes sense...I feel like I have to put so many caveats and explanations into things...LOL!
If you are responding to my post...where did I say it was ok for them to be stealing? If I thought it was OK, I wouldn't have called it stealing.
I stated that they knew the cops weren't called by the store. And in fact, we know that to be true!
THAT, IMO, goes to show their state of mind when approached by a police officer.
It would not surprise me to learn that MB thought the store owner was too cowed to report the assault and robbery. We have seen and discussed other things that suggest that stores fear recrimination for "snitching."
However, a few other things were involved here -
1. DJ wasn't so cocky. He put his box back on the counter.
2. There were other people in the store, and obviously, they didn't fear calling it in. Perhaps because they were anonymous to MB.
Even if MB trusted that he had the owner cowed, I think it would be cocky of him to assume everyone watching was.
3. The walking down the street with loot in hand in broad daylight wasn't the only sign of hubris. It was one of many in the series.
So, while he might have not thought he was caught when they first saw a cop approaching, it still looks cocky to me to tell the cop "no". And then the whole scene at the car... I think there's a pattern of cockiness.
I would have probably passed out right there in the street as soon as I saw a cop heading my way. If all he did was ask me to get on the sidewalk, I would have run over to it, dropped to my knees in thanks and sworn to God that I'd henceforth live a life of purity.
(Not to say I expect that much of them... Well maybe DJ wanted to. Lol
Seriously, wouldn't you all love to know the conversation between him and MB on that ten minute walk in the street?
)
