“Any unit in the vicinity, fire department is requesting a backup!” The radio announced that firefighters were dealing with a violent patient and needed police assistance. My partner and I weaved through rush hour traffic, lights and sirens, to get to the firefighters.

We arrived at the firefighters’ location–a 24-hour pharmacy. There was an ambulance parked outside. No sign of a struggle. We rushed inside. Six firemen stood in a semicircle. They didn’t look like they needed help. A group of onlookers stood behind them, hypnotized by whatever happened before we got there.

One of the firefighters pointed at a 90-something-year-old Korean woman. She stood five-feet tall and weighed about 80 pounds. “Her?” asked my partner, Elaine.

“Yea,” replied one of the firefighters.

Elaine and I looked at each other. We asked the old woman to stand up and turn around. I reached for my hooks. Elaine grabbed the old lady’s wrist. “Watch yourself,” warned a smiling fireman. “She’s got a mean karate kick.”

As soon as I cuffed her right wrist, the old woman spun around, spat in Elaine’s face, and kicked air. My partner and I strapped her to a gurney. The old lady went down kicking and screaming. A firefighter put a spit sock over her head.

The firefighters told us they were going to place the old woman on a psychiatric hold. “Hey partner, do you want to take her to jail?” I asked Elaine. Jail takes precedence over psychiatric holds. Even crazy people need to be held accountable for their actions.

“No.” I figured as much. Elaine has a soft spot for crazy old people.

“She’s lucky she spit on you then,” I said.

We joked with our fire department colleagues. Then we continued patrol. “Can you believe these firefighters?” asked Elaine. “They’re in better shape than most of us, and they request backup on an old lady.”

And that’s why most Gomorrah City coppers take their time when responding to GCFD backups. But I didn’t mind hauling ass to protect firefighters from great grandma. Seeing that mean karate kick made it all worthwhile.

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