All this week I have been getting these email about a crazy story that happened last Friday night (1/16/09). I will post the original story below, and some updates that I have gotten. The story is pretty lengthy and pretty gruesome, and I have no idea why the media has not yet picked up on it. I will let you read it below. But first…

As you probably already know, Birmingham is the 8th most dangerous city in the U.S. (according to CQ Press)Now, with this being said, I will be the first to say that I feel extremely safe on UAB’s campus and on the “Southside” of Birmingham. You have to remember that this report spans then entirety of the city,  including the rough and tumble “bad side of town”. However, even though the crime rate in Southside is lower than that of other areas of the city, it is very important to be aware of your surroundings and very cautious (especially at night). The story that you are about to read is crazy, it tells of a situation that you would never imagine yourself in. I do not know the people who were involved and I don’t know that %100 of the story is true, but I think it is considering who all has been emailing this around (UAB “higher ups”).

And I quote from email #1:

Hey guys, ok so I just wanted to let you know some crazy stuff that happened to my friends this past weekend.  Friday night my friend Stewart and John were out in Five Points, and I was there as well. Well, after they left, three guys came up to them and held them at gun point and made get into John’s car.  They couldn’t figure out how to drive it for some reason so they made John drive them to an ATM so they could get cash out.  While they were driving to the bank, they kept telling John that if he didn’t do what they said they were going to shoot Stewart in the head.  So he drove them to an ATM and could only get $200 out and they got really angry.  The guys started talking about taking them to some house and basically torture them before they killed them.  Well, John decided he had to do something so he wrecked the car on purpose.  Before the car hit the dumpster he jumped out.  After they wrecked, the three robbers got out and took off after John.  Stewart got out of the car after this and ran in the opposite direction and was actually shot in the left arm.  He fell to the ground and they shot at him again but missed luckily.  He got up and continued running and found a police station a couple blocks away and was taken to the hospital.  John however kept running and they were around Carraway Blvd so he got to an overpass and didn’t have anywhere else to go so he jumped off.  He messed himself up really bad but he is alive thank God.  He is having surgery on his spine right now because there were several fractures.  He also shattered both his ankles and his wrist.  The kid is really lucky to be alive.  Sadly, they haven’t caught these dudes yet but one of them left their license in John’s car so hopefully they will get them soon enough. This could have turned out much worse for these guys, and it could happen to almost anyone so I am asking that everyone be a little more aware of what’s going on when you are out late at night.  I know I am now. I love you guys and wouldn’t send you this if I didn’t care about your safety.  Please keep these kids in your thoughts and prayers and hopefully they will catch the dudes soon.

This was the first email I got, I showed it to a few people who got interested in this incident and they investigated further. Their investigation lead to this next email being forwarded to me involving even more details.

My friend Liesl sent this to me…  PLEASE be careful out there!

Some of you may or may not have heard this story already.  This happened last Friday night in Five Points South.  I can’t count the many times I have walked alone to my car in that area.  My friends Alison Landers and Nathan and Salina Peek are all friends with John and Stewart and have given me the facts as they know them.  Please be careful and aware of your surroundings at all times.  I love you all!
-Liesl

John Brooks and Stewart were leaving Bell Bottoms in Birmingham Friday night (1/16/09)
and were held at gun point by 3 males. They stole their wallets,
phones, money, etc. They were trying to steal John Brooks’s car, but when
they got to the car and realized it was a stick shift and they didnt know
how to drive a stick shift, they forced John Brooks and Stewart into the
car. One of the guys held a gun to JB’s head while he was driving, and the
other guy made Stewart sit in the back seat with his head between his legs,
and he held a gun to the back of his head.

They told JB to drive to Fairfield (Finley Avenue I think…) and go to an
ATM and empty out his bank account. After JB did that, he begged for the 2
guys to let them go. They said “no, we are going to torture y’all. Then we are
going to kill y’all.”

JB decided to wreck his car and try to make a run for it. He sharply turned the wheel  and jumped out of his car
going 30 miles an hour. That is where he broke his wrist. Stewart then
jumped out of the car, and they ran their separate ways. And then the two
guys jumped out.

They began shooting at JB and Stewart. Stewart was shot in the arm, but is
okay. He was discharged from UAB.

John Brooks, in an attempt to dodge bullets, jumped off a 40 foot overpass.
His shoes flew off when he jumped so he landed on the ground with nothing
between the ground and his feet. This is when he shattered his ankles,
mangled his legs, suffered from severe spinal injuries, broke his ribs, and
broke his pelvis. Needless to say, he could not move.

In the mean time, Stewart had made is way in and out of consciousness to the
nearest police station. He told them that John Brooks had been with him, but
he didnt know where he was, or even if he was dead or alive.

It took the police 4 hours to find John Brooks. When they found him, his
body temperature was 92 degrees. He was suffering from severe hypothermia.

John Brooks is now in the intensive care unit at UAB. He is sedated and is
on a vent. He had surgery yesterday on his ankles, and a 5 hour surgery
today on his spine.

The family has stated there was no point at this time to
visit him- they have him sedated for the surgeries, and there is nothing the
family needs at this time, considering they are still all in complete shock
that this has happened to him.

His mom says that they are all very worried that the guys will come back
after JB and Stewart, considering that they have all their information.

His mom also said, the best thing we all can do- whether we know JB well or
not- is to send him a message on www.facebook.com or post a message on
www.caringbridge.org. His website/password on there is johnbbrooks (all lowercase.) His mom will be placing daily updates on the page so everyone
can keep up with his surgeries. He is facing at least 4 surgeries- just on
his ankle- and multiple surgeries on his spine. He is going to need to know
that everyone is thinking about him, praying for him, and loves him very
much. His mom said that when he is awake, he likes to read what people have
sent. So please, send your love and support his way. He has a very long,
tough road ahead of him- it will be months and months before he can even
think about walking again.

One of these guys, as you have read, is seriously injured. You can get updates on his status on the sites listed in the email. I really hope he fully recovers. That guy was forced to makes some choices that are hard to make, but it looks like the decisions he made saved him and his friends lives.

If any of you know any more details about this, or find a news post with further information. Let me know email: astoneuab [at] gmail [dot] com or leave a comment below.

-Stone

Sources on Bham crime rates: CQ Press

More mention of this story at Al.com in the comments section of this story. HERE

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