1 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:05,520 Speaker 1: So I decided to become a cop, something I've always 2 00:00:05,519 --> 00:00:09,000 Speaker 1: wanted to do, and applied with the Atlanta Police Department 3 00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 1: in nineteen ninety four, went through the police academy the 4 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:17,160 Speaker 1: latter part of ninety five into ninety six, and we 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,640 Speaker 1: graduated just in time for the Olympics. We were considered 6 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 1: the Olympic class, so they were trying to rush classes 7 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: through because they wanted to get as many police officers 8 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:27,120 Speaker 1: on the street during that time as possible. 9 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:31,440 Speaker 2: Vince Velasquez was a twenty nine year old rookie cop 10 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 2: during the tumultuous nineteen ninety six Atlanta Olympics. You heard 11 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 2: part of Historian episode one, but there's a lot more 12 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:42,880 Speaker 2: to it. Sure he was a rookie cop that summer, 13 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 2: but just the year before he had also become a dad. 14 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 2: Vince's personal experience of the bombings was something we felt 15 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 2: compelled to share with you in full. 16 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 3: Be quite honest with you. 17 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: I just thought it was the coolest job, and then 18 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: in the later years realized that that, you know, this 19 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 1: is one not as easy as I thought it would be, two, 20 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 1: way more dangerous than I ever thought it could or 21 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 1: would be, and then, most importantly, more impactful than ever 22 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: thought it would be. So I had just got out 23 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 1: of field training and I fell into this cadence of 24 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 1: the entire department working in the Olympics, fourteen hour shifts, 25 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:30,679 Speaker 1: six days a week, one. 26 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 3: Day off of a week. 27 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:34,759 Speaker 1: We were providing security along with the FBI and federal 28 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,479 Speaker 1: agencies and state agencies. So it is policing, but it's 29 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:41,279 Speaker 1: not in a true sense of policing. You're assigned a post, 30 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:43,800 Speaker 1: you have very strict instructions of what to do with 31 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:46,960 Speaker 1: that post, Like your job is sit here, stand here, 32 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 1: don't let cars through unless they have this proper identification, 33 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:54,000 Speaker 1: be alert, report what you see. I started on a 34 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: fixed post and that was the controlled section. General traffic 35 00:01:58,480 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: was not allowed on that street. So that was my 36 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 1: point that particular day in July of nineteen ninety six. 37 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 1: I don't recall how far we were into the Olympics, 38 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:10,680 Speaker 1: but it seemed to me a ways because I remember 39 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:15,360 Speaker 1: being worn out for the long days and I was relieved. 40 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 1: They're like, you have like four hours. I'm like, okay, 41 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:20,080 Speaker 1: I could just walk around do what I want. They're like, yeah, 42 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 1: remember I'm a Brookie cop. I don't know shit about shit, right, 43 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 1: I'm like, yes, sir, I'm out. 44 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:25,399 Speaker 3: You know. 45 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: So I had purchased a brick for my son. When 46 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:33,919 Speaker 1: they were pre construction of OLYMPS Nintennia Olympic Park in 47 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:36,799 Speaker 1: preparation for the Olympics, they had a campaign where you 48 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 1: can purchase a brick, help fund the park, and you 49 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:41,360 Speaker 1: can have an inscription on a brick. 50 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:44,160 Speaker 4: For just thirty five dollars, you can adopt an inscribed 51 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 4: your brick to be placed in Atlanta's new Centennial Olympic Park. 52 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 4: Do it for yourself, well for a friend. To adopt 53 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 4: your Olympic brick, stop by the home depot or call 54 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 4: one eight six Brick. You know, this could be the 55 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:56,959 Speaker 4: best thing. 56 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:00,560 Speaker 1: So I bought one fifty bucks. My son was born 57 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 1: March first, nineteen ninety five, so I bought a brick 58 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: and I inscribed it with my son's name is Jonathan 59 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:10,240 Speaker 1: Taylor Velasquez. I call him JT T JT from Dad 60 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: with love his birthday three to one ninety five. I 61 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:17,080 Speaker 1: don't know why I thought, in the middle of the Olympics, 62 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:21,040 Speaker 1: with this four hour break, with literally thousands of people 63 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 1: walking around Centennial Park, I was gonna find his brick 64 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:26,920 Speaker 1: I'm in uniform. I've got a orange traffic vest on 65 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: because that's what we required to wear. They wanted you 66 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: to stand out and want people to know that you 67 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: were police. And here I am. I'm walking down Centennial 68 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 1: Park thousands of people. It was hot, it's July. I 69 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 1: remember that, and you know we bulletproof vests under your 70 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm just sweating bullets with a towel on 71 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 1: my neck. I remember getting near Lucky Street and I 72 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 1: was going to turn right. There's where the main entrance 73 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 1: for law enforcement to come through, and it was not 74 00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: far from the sound stage. And I recall as I'm 75 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 1: walking and I start to turn right, I probably took 76 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 1: four five steps into the park and the bomb went off. 77 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 1: And the pressure from the bomb knocked me on my ass, 78 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:19,280 Speaker 1: like literally pushed me backwards. It's like it rattles your brain. 79 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:22,800 Speaker 1: But I'm the cops. I'm supposed to know what's going on. 80 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 1: But I felt for a moment helpless, like what happened? 81 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 3: Like what was that? 82 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 1: Until I smelled what smelled to me like a million 83 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: matches burning. And if you've ever smelled the matches, the sulfur, 84 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:41,240 Speaker 1: Now I don't know if that was the ingredient of 85 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 1: the bomb, but it smelled like that to me, and 86 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:45,279 Speaker 1: I realized, I'm like, that was not good. 87 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:47,280 Speaker 3: That was a bomb. Something that's happened. 88 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:51,800 Speaker 1: But what was interesting The bomb went off and it 89 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 1: was silence. It seemed like forever, but it couldn't have 90 00:04:55,839 --> 00:04:59,720 Speaker 1: been long. And then I hear screaming and people just 91 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: screaming and running. So I run into the park because 92 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:07,640 Speaker 1: I'm figuring that's what I have to do. I'm a cop, 93 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:10,840 Speaker 1: try to figure out what's going on. Georgia State Patrol 94 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:14,680 Speaker 1: I believe was the heavy police presence from my recollection 95 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:18,840 Speaker 1: at that checkpoint. I remember seeing a lot of them 96 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 1: because they wear light blue shirts running around. I saw 97 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 1: people running into the park, I saw people running out 98 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:29,040 Speaker 1: of the park, and then when I looked to my left, 99 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:32,719 Speaker 1: I recall a grassy hill just as I walked into 100 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: the park to the left, and I saw a few 101 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:38,679 Speaker 1: people laid out on that hill, and I thought, wow, okay, 102 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:41,200 Speaker 1: those are victims. But then I later found out that 103 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:43,040 Speaker 1: I think one of them may have been someone who 104 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: had some shrapnel. But what I found out later was 105 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:51,279 Speaker 1: journalists cameramen who were rushing into the park were trying 106 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 1: to capture this footage, and Georgia State Patrol was telling 107 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:59,719 Speaker 1: them to get out. And if my recollection serves me 108 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:03,480 Speaker 1: from what I was told from a very reliable source, 109 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:06,360 Speaker 1: that at least to the people on that hill were 110 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 1: cameramen who got knocked out by George's stay control because 111 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:12,040 Speaker 1: they wouldn't listen to him. And I do recall seeing 112 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:14,080 Speaker 1: some camera equipment next to him, and I was like, okay, 113 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:26,039 Speaker 1: that makes sense. Right away, I understood that there was 114 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:29,839 Speaker 1: mass casualties. I think over one hundred people got injured 115 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 1: in that bombing. I wasn't aware right away that someone 116 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: had died. I think I found out an hour or 117 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:39,280 Speaker 1: so later. And so basically, you know, at this point, 118 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:41,599 Speaker 1: I can't even get on my radio. A lot of 119 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:44,320 Speaker 1: us are on the same frequency, and you can only 120 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 1: imagine the radio traffic was just all over the place. 121 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:49,480 Speaker 1: So I found it best for me to stay off 122 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:52,400 Speaker 1: the radio. There's really nothing for me to contribute at 123 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:55,719 Speaker 1: this point. So I just helped where I could, pushing 124 00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 1: people out towards the ambulances and things. I had the requis, 125 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:03,200 Speaker 1: the training to at least help people. You know, I 126 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:05,839 Speaker 1: may not know how to write a hell of a report, 127 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: but I know what to do when people are injured, 128 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 1: and I found myself just doing that. I mean, when 129 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:15,840 Speaker 1: I tell you, the chaos was indescribable. 130 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 3: It was literally. 131 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 1: I couldn't tell who was who, although I knew my 132 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: gut told me something bad happened, something intentional happened. It's 133 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,360 Speaker 1: a bad person. I don't know who that bad person is. 134 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: I don't know why they did it, but it happened. 135 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:37,240 Speaker 1: So now I'm in defense mode and I'm thinking, well, shit, 136 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:39,040 Speaker 1: could it be one of these people running out of 137 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:42,200 Speaker 1: the park. But there's thousands of people running. It made 138 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:43,920 Speaker 1: no sense for me to try to figure that out. 139 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 1: So I'm literally going through these and just an analytical person. 140 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 1: So I'm thinking, you know, not domestic terrorism. I'm thinking, 141 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 1: you know, this is international terrorism, because what better place 142 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:58,760 Speaker 1: to do it than the world stage of the Olympics. 143 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 3: So I didn't know what to expect. 144 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:04,240 Speaker 1: This is probably a foreign government or a foreign entity 145 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:07,880 Speaker 1: who are making a statement. Going through these steps in 146 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:09,600 Speaker 1: my mind and I'm like, Okay, the only thing I 147 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:12,240 Speaker 1: can do right now is help people who are injured. 148 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:14,720 Speaker 1: That's it, and let the powers that be try to 149 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:17,480 Speaker 1: figure this out. So I stayed for about an hour 150 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:20,080 Speaker 1: and I just went back to my post. But I 151 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: have a newspaper article. I saw it later. 152 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 3: They took a. 153 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:25,920 Speaker 1: Photo from inside the park, out towards the entrance, and 154 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:28,400 Speaker 1: it's me with my back turn. I can see my 155 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: orange vest. I think my hands are on my hips, 156 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 1: like I'm probably thinking, like, what the fuck is going 157 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,320 Speaker 1: on here? You know, this is crazy? And then you 158 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:39,800 Speaker 1: know we're just everybody's in lockdown. So back to my posts. 159 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:41,560 Speaker 1: You know, we weren't sure if the Olympics were going 160 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:44,839 Speaker 1: to continue, and we soon found out that yes, they 161 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:47,160 Speaker 1: are going to continue, and we're going to press on 162 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:50,080 Speaker 1: with a regular schedule. I think I ended up working 163 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:52,960 Speaker 1: about eighteen nineteen hours that night before I was relieved 164 00:08:53,200 --> 00:09:00,120 Speaker 1: and I had to be right back the next day. 165 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:04,000 Speaker 2: If you've heard episode one, you know how the rest 166 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:07,520 Speaker 2: of the story goes. In less than twenty four hours, 167 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 2: the Olympics would pick back up, racing to the finish 168 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:18,040 Speaker 2: line without any further issues. Unfortunately, the following January, the 169 00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 2: bomber would also pick things back up, carrying out his 170 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:22,200 Speaker 2: own demented game. 171 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:28,199 Speaker 1: So now fast forward. I was living in Sandy Springs, 172 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:32,560 Speaker 1: my son was born March of ninety five. His mother 173 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:34,800 Speaker 1: and I were not married at the time, so anytime 174 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:38,360 Speaker 1: I was not working, i'd go pick him up. He'd 175 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:41,640 Speaker 1: spend three or four nights with me, and I picked 176 00:09:41,679 --> 00:09:43,719 Speaker 1: them up the night before you know I'm going to 177 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:45,319 Speaker 1: wake up. I got all day with him before I 178 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:48,000 Speaker 1: got to go back to work. At this point, my 179 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:50,960 Speaker 1: son is almost two years old, so that particular morning 180 00:09:51,559 --> 00:09:55,679 Speaker 1: I had woken up early. He's fussy six or seven am. 181 00:09:55,840 --> 00:09:58,000 Speaker 1: I laid back on my bed with him, just to 182 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:01,200 Speaker 1: calm him down. He finally falls back asleep, and then 183 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 1: out of nowhere, it felt like the windows in my. 184 00:10:05,679 --> 00:10:08,319 Speaker 3: Bedroom were about to break. Like it was. 185 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:12,880 Speaker 1: I can't even describe how loud this felt. It just 186 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:16,600 Speaker 1: like my whole apartment shook. In fact, I had a 187 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 1: clock on the wall that fell off the wall. And 188 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 1: then my first thought was down, we had an earthquake. 189 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: We don't have earthquakes in Georgia. I don't think you know, 190 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:27,079 Speaker 1: I don't know what that was. It wasn't a boom 191 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:30,920 Speaker 1: I heard. It was just my entire building just shook, 192 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:33,880 Speaker 1: and my instinct was to jump on top of my son, 193 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:37,120 Speaker 1: so I literally just flipped over got ontipe my son 194 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:38,599 Speaker 1: to shield him. I'm thinking the roof is going to 195 00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:42,920 Speaker 1: fall in, and everything just kind of settles down. Well, 196 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:46,800 Speaker 1: of course, I turned on the news and I couldn't 197 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:48,600 Speaker 1: believe what I'm seeing. It was like, Okay, there's a 198 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:55,160 Speaker 1: bombing right down the street at an abortion clinic. And 199 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:57,120 Speaker 1: I'm like, well, damn, that's right down the street. And 200 00:10:57,120 --> 00:11:00,600 Speaker 1: in fact, that's where my attorney, that's her office right there. 201 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:02,840 Speaker 1: So I called her. 202 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:05,120 Speaker 3: I couldn't get her on the phone. 203 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:08,679 Speaker 2: If you remember Rob Stadler from episode two, Vince is 204 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:11,880 Speaker 2: talking about Rob's wife's law firm, the same law firm 205 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:14,840 Speaker 2: where Rob picked up his twin girls, the one housed 206 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:17,680 Speaker 2: two stories above the abortion clinic in the Sandy Springs 207 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 2: Professional Building. 208 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:24,040 Speaker 1: And again I'm watching the news. So later in the afternoon, 209 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:26,640 Speaker 1: I decided to go to work earlier. I took my 210 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:30,560 Speaker 1: son to daycare earlier, and then I'm at the precinct 211 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:32,800 Speaker 1: because I don't know why, I felt I just needed 212 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:36,600 Speaker 1: to go in earlier, and we're watching the news, and 213 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:39,959 Speaker 1: I had no idea at the time that a second 214 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:43,760 Speaker 1: device went off. Now, to be honest with you, I 215 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 1: don't know if the first or the second device that 216 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:50,880 Speaker 1: went off is what caused my apartment to shake. I 217 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: obviously missed one of them. 218 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:55,720 Speaker 3: I'm thinking gas line. I don't know. 219 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:58,120 Speaker 1: But then we're talking about secondary device. I'm like, all right, 220 00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:01,280 Speaker 1: here we go again. This is not natural. It's not 221 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:05,360 Speaker 1: gas this is bad. It's not us. It's a bad guy. 222 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:08,559 Speaker 1: But I'm still not putting those two things together. It's 223 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:12,120 Speaker 1: a rundown office building and the Olympics. That doesn't make 224 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:14,560 Speaker 1: sense to me at this time. Remember, we don't know 225 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,600 Speaker 1: who did the Olympic Park bombing. I'm already in the 226 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:20,680 Speaker 1: mindset that the Olympic Park bombing is a terrorist attack. 227 00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:24,520 Speaker 1: Why would a terrorists want to blow up an office building? 228 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:28,240 Speaker 1: Makes no sense. Those two lines didn't converge in my mind. 229 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:31,880 Speaker 1: It's like, Okay, it's unfortunate that this happened. It wasn't 230 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:34,880 Speaker 1: even an exercise of me trying to disprove why they're 231 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:37,880 Speaker 1: not connected. The thought never even entered my mind, Like 232 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:41,480 Speaker 1: I never even had that thought process like these two 233 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:45,160 Speaker 1: things could be related because they were so different. I 234 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:48,440 Speaker 1: didn't connect the dots at first with the Olympic bombing 235 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:52,160 Speaker 1: and the abortion clinic until the other side lounge was bombed. 236 00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:58,440 Speaker 1: So when that bomb happened, I start connecting the office 237 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:02,520 Speaker 1: bombing with the other side lounge bombing. But then I 238 00:13:02,559 --> 00:13:06,320 Speaker 1: start thinking this is just two coincidental to have three 239 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:11,120 Speaker 1: bombings in a city, right, They're all intentional. 240 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:14,960 Speaker 3: Then I'm thinking, well, shit, these have to be related, you. 241 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:18,720 Speaker 1: Know, cause I'm thinking a gay lounge is bomb unabortion 242 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:22,280 Speaker 1: clinic is bombed, the Olympics are bombed. These three things 243 00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:26,040 Speaker 1: have to be related. This is beyond coincidental. And then 244 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:30,160 Speaker 1: the Alabama abortion clinic bombing happens, and as we know, 245 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:33,800 Speaker 1: a police officer is killed. So we really are paying 246 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:36,560 Speaker 1: attention to this. Now, who is this guy is he's 247 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:40,480 Speaker 1: targeting police officers. Obviously he's got a problem with abortion. 248 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:44,800 Speaker 1: It's two abortion clinics if it is connected with the Olympics. 249 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:47,839 Speaker 1: Now we have three deaths, and who knows how many 250 00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:50,800 Speaker 1: other people were like permanently injured in the Olympic bombing. 251 00:13:51,559 --> 00:13:55,720 Speaker 1: So I started really looking at you know, I'm talking 252 00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:56,760 Speaker 1: this is. 253 00:13:56,760 --> 00:13:59,560 Speaker 3: Like AOL days, right, like dial up. 254 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:03,360 Speaker 1: Internet, and I'm just like reading and at the same time, 255 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:07,840 Speaker 1: I'm like Richard Jewel, like this makes no fucking sense, right, 256 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:13,080 Speaker 1: So I'm amateur sleuthing this whole thing, right, and not 257 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:16,840 Speaker 1: that I have great investigative skills in nineteen ninety seven, 258 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:21,040 Speaker 1: but this doesn't make sense to me. On one hand, 259 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:25,880 Speaker 1: I'm like, this is all connected. It's not Richard Jewel, right, 260 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:29,920 Speaker 1: Alabama three in Atlanta. This guy's got a problem with abortion, 261 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:33,080 Speaker 1: this guy's got a problem with gay people. And whoever 262 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:36,120 Speaker 1: knows what his statement was for the Olympics. But this 263 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:39,920 Speaker 1: is political. This is someone who has some ideological problem 264 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:42,920 Speaker 1: with certain groups of people and he's trying to make 265 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:46,000 Speaker 1: a statement and people are dying, and it's not Richard Jewel. 266 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,720 Speaker 1: And remember I'm talking to you now from someone who's 267 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:52,920 Speaker 1: spent twenty two years as a cop, seventeen years in homicide. 268 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 3: It's easier for me to digest this. 269 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:58,120 Speaker 1: And my perception now is they made a ton of 270 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:01,920 Speaker 1: mistakes looking back at it, you know, hindsight being twenty twenty, 271 00:15:02,520 --> 00:15:06,080 Speaker 1: the FBI, the ATF, and APDE, it seemed to be 272 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:10,920 Speaker 1: a strained relationship federal agencies. The ATF taking control because 273 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:14,120 Speaker 1: it isn't bombing, the FBI having a terrorism aspect of 274 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:17,800 Speaker 1: this thing if it indeed is not domestic, and then 275 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:19,640 Speaker 1: APD it's in our city. So at the end of 276 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 1: the day, this is a homicide. This goes on the 277 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:23,760 Speaker 1: books in the city of Atlanta as a homicide. Two 278 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:27,800 Speaker 1: homicides to be exact Alice Hawthorne and the journalists, which 279 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:30,360 Speaker 1: means a homicide detective gets a sign that case. 280 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:32,160 Speaker 3: I didn't know all that then I know that now. 281 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:35,240 Speaker 3: So while a. 282 00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:39,040 Speaker 1: Detective is working that case, he or she has to 283 00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:42,120 Speaker 1: work with whatever federal agency is now taking charge of 284 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:45,400 Speaker 1: this because of the nature of how it happened, it 285 00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:48,720 Speaker 1: was all fucked up. Nobody knew what the other agency 286 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:51,000 Speaker 1: was doing, and that's always problematic. 287 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:01,720 Speaker 3: The Richard Jewel stories is sad. 288 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:06,920 Speaker 1: It's it's a sad testimony to not you know, this 289 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:08,440 Speaker 1: is a guy that really tried to do the right thing. 290 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:12,360 Speaker 1: But it's a testimony like some shitty police work. That's 291 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:15,240 Speaker 1: some bullshit what they put this guy through. And I 292 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:19,720 Speaker 1: can tell you as a detective, it's easy when you 293 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:21,840 Speaker 1: have a piece of information that comes your way, it 294 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:26,000 Speaker 1: lands in your lap and it helps you right. The 295 00:16:26,080 --> 00:16:29,840 Speaker 1: problem is when you have another piece of information that 296 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 1: contradicts that, it completely throws you off. It doesn't fit 297 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:38,000 Speaker 1: with what's going on in the way you want things 298 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:40,040 Speaker 1: to go because this guy has to be it because 299 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:43,240 Speaker 1: everything's lining up. And the truth of the matter is, 300 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:46,160 Speaker 1: it doesn't matter. The truth is the truth. It's like 301 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:48,040 Speaker 1: a compass, no matter how you turn it, it's always 302 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:48,760 Speaker 1: going to point north. 303 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:50,600 Speaker 3: That's the truth, period. 304 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:53,000 Speaker 1: And when I look back at this case, to me, 305 00:16:53,280 --> 00:16:57,640 Speaker 1: it seems like they had laser vision on Richard Jewel. 306 00:16:57,880 --> 00:16:59,800 Speaker 1: And the sad part is when you have laser vision, 307 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:05,359 Speaker 1: something you miss so much else that it's probably evidence 308 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:08,800 Speaker 1: that you need to be collecting or looking at, because 309 00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:11,560 Speaker 1: that's what tunnel vision is. You can't see past these blinders. 310 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:15,080 Speaker 1: Not criticizing the FBI, I don't really know. I wasn't 311 00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:18,000 Speaker 1: in the know. I don't know the particulars, but it 312 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:22,119 Speaker 1: just we know he wasn't the guy, but he was 313 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:24,399 Speaker 1: the guy for a while. If you look back at 314 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:28,040 Speaker 1: these news clippings, you look at history, you know, in 315 00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:32,240 Speaker 1: a civil jury decided y'all made him the guy because 316 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:34,560 Speaker 1: they awarded him a shitload of money for that. I mean, 317 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:37,040 Speaker 1: they ruined this guy's reputation. He'd a point. 318 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:38,600 Speaker 3: Guy died. I think he died of a heart attack. 319 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:43,240 Speaker 2: The intersectional moments in our lives when things are scary 320 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:47,280 Speaker 2: or difficult, or unjust or overwhelming. They mark us in 321 00:17:47,359 --> 00:17:53,920 Speaker 2: ways that surface unexpectedly. Sometimes it's a slow burn, other 322 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:58,840 Speaker 2: times we become prisoners to the trauma. Vince's story represents 323 00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:02,880 Speaker 2: the struggle well. So I asked him, out of all 324 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:07,040 Speaker 2: your memories surrounding these bombings, what sticks with you the most. 325 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:09,159 Speaker 1: The moment I had to jump on top of my 326 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:12,919 Speaker 1: son instinctfully, like just knowing that I have to just 327 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:15,639 Speaker 1: cover him. I don't know what's coming next, you know, 328 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:18,880 Speaker 1: put me to the point of thinking that I literally 329 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,880 Speaker 1: was close to this guy that killed people, Like here 330 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:23,679 Speaker 1: we are again. You know you almost got me in 331 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:27,240 Speaker 1: ninety six, and now you almost got me and my son. 332 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:29,119 Speaker 1: I mean, if I could feel my windows shaken and 333 00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:33,440 Speaker 1: I'm thinking the roof is coming down that moment, I mean. 334 00:18:33,359 --> 00:18:36,760 Speaker 3: It was it was fight or flight, right, So I 335 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:37,720 Speaker 3: couldn't go anywhere. 336 00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:40,719 Speaker 1: I had to discover my son and hold hope that 337 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:43,760 Speaker 1: nothing happened. So that was a wake up call for me, 338 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:47,000 Speaker 1: like this shit is real, Like this guy's really trying 339 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,399 Speaker 1: to hurt people, you know. I mean, thankfully I was 340 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:51,560 Speaker 1: far enough away from it that we weren't injured, but 341 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:54,640 Speaker 1: it did put into perspective like I could have been. 342 00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:58,119 Speaker 1: I could have had an appointment that morning with Christine, 343 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:00,800 Speaker 1: Like Christine could have been an off. I could have 344 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:02,679 Speaker 1: been like, I'm on my way to daycare, let me 345 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:05,159 Speaker 1: just pop in with my son, and we could have 346 00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:10,080 Speaker 1: been sitting in her office right where that ceiling caved in, 347 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:12,120 Speaker 1: and I wouldn't be talking to you right now. 348 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:16,800 Speaker 2: You're a natural storyteller, so all these questions I had 349 00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:18,640 Speaker 2: laid out, you were hitting on your own. 350 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:22,000 Speaker 3: Oh cool, Thank you, love cool, glad I could help man. 351 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:28,600 Speaker 2: Flashpoint releases new episodes every Thursday, but for early access 352 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:30,840 Speaker 2: and ad free listening, head to the link in your 353 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:35,120 Speaker 2: show notes and subscribe to Tenderfoot Plus. 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