This shot was taken in Denver Colorado
at a bar called the Skylark. I was friends with the owner and he let me
shoot there on a Wednesday when it was slow. It was about 8 at night and
we were just setting up getting ready to shoot. Malcolm, an actor at
heart was trying to get into character, (which was a down trodden
business man). To make things more believable I ordered him a drink. Now
Malcolm was not much of a drinker, so while waiting for him I ordered
myself one as well.
While we were
sitting there discussing why Malcolm's characters girlfriend had left
him. A man walked in the front door. Normally I wouldn't have paid him
much attention, but when he walked in he had the look and feel of
someone who had or was about to do something bad. I instinctively
reached for my camera case to make sure he wouldn't just dash with it.
Everybody in the bar was watching this guy, he looked that suspicious.
He walked straight in the front door and made a direct line around the
bar to the back door. As he reached the back door a young woman came in
the front door. Her clothes were ripped and a looked a shaky and scared.
She scanned the bar and saw the man leaving out the back door. With one
arm holding up her bra and torn shirt she pointed with her other at the
man. Then she yelled, "STOP THAT BASTARD HE TRIED TO RAPE ME!" Malcolm
and I without a second thought jumped off our stools and raced after the
man, who, upon hearing the girl was now running. I caught up to the guy
in the parking lot of the bar. I grabbed the guy by the collar of his
shirt, which was made of polyester so it didn't tear even after the
struggle that he put up. After a few attempts of trying to get away. The
guy changed tactics and tried to convince us of his innocence, claiming
the "bitch was lying". I still held on to his shirt. Malcolm was there
standing by, if the guy decided to run.
out the back door of the bar. As she was approaching she was holding
something low and shaking it vigorously. The man was still claiming his
innocence loudly to anyone that would listen. When all of a sudden the
girl was upon him still shaking the mystery object. To late did I figure
out it was mace. She started to spray the man in the face, with me
still holding on, all the while still shaking the mace. He started to
try and get away which pulled me into the expanding cloud of burning
gas. With me still holding on to this guys collar and him trying to get
away we started to spin around in a circle. By this time a crowd of
people had surrounded us, we must of looked a little like a strange
dance duo performing. As were spinning, I'm coughing trying to use my
jacket as a filter to get a clean breath of air. I can see through
watery eyes that there is a group of people surrounding us and that this
guy isn't going anywhere. I let go and move to the perimeter of the
cloud. This guy is writhing in pain but is still trying to profess his
innocence, all the time the girl is yelling back at him his guilt. A few
choice word were exchanged and things start to calm down.
Someone
says they've called the police. Upon hearing this the guy makes a run
for it. Breaking through the ring of people, he makes an Olympic sprint
for freedom. Everyone is chasing him but he is pulling away. He runs
out the gate of the lot which is surrounded by an eight foot chain-link
fence. He is out, and making a mad dash for freedom. Malcolm is running
to head the guy off but the problem is that there is a chain-link fence
between the two. This doesn't seem to concern Malcolm. Malcolm reaches
the fence, and without breaking his stride is on top of the fence in two
"steps". From the top Malcolm pulls a signature wrestler move, jumps,
landing on top of the guy, tackling him to the ground. Malcolm pins the
guy to the pavement by putting his knee in the back of the guys neck and
holding his arm behind his back. And that is where the guy stayed,
until the police showed up and arrested him. After things calmed down, and everybody left, Malcolm and I went back
into the bar and finished our photo shoot. Except he was no longer in
the character of downtrodden businessman, so I shot him in his new
one... a bad ass.
