"I Could Hear a Woman Screaming!"

Dear E. Jean:

I was at the end of my daily walk and it had gotten dark. I normally don't walk at dusk for all the obvious reasons, but I had been sitting at my desk all day and needed to move. I was almost home—ready to turn into the rear entrance to my apartment complex when I saw a maroon-colored Honda SUV parked in the middle of the opposite side of the street. It wasn't moving but its headlights were on. As I got closer I could hear a woman screaming and the sound of something hitting the windows of the car. The car was also rocking from side to side.

My apartment complex is across the street from a business center that is completely empty at this time of night, and the street itself is very poorly lit. The headlights of the car were shining in my eyes as I approached, so I couldn't see who was in the car.  

As soon as I heard the screaming I pulled out my phone and dialed 911. The driver must have seen me because they started driving again, passing me, then turning into the parking lot of the business center down the road.

When I got the operator on the phone, I told her I thought a woman was being raped or attacked. She asked me why I thought that and I explained what I had seen and heard. She asked for the address, which I gave her but then she wanted to know if the people were black or white. Then she asked for the license plate of the car. By then I was getting a little upset because someone was being attacked.

Why wasn't she sending a police officer immediately? 

Then she asked if I could still see the car. Could I get a closer look? I told her I had seen the car turn into the parking lot but wasn't sure where it had gone after that. Again she asked if I could see it so I crossed the street and walked a little further (in retrospect this was stupid I know). That's when I saw the car again and heard the woman scream "Help! Someone help me!" If you have ever heard someone in real pain and distress then you know there is no faking it. This woman was terrified.

I told the operator what I was seeing and hearing but that I wasn't willing to go any closer. She then said,