True Crime Tuesday: Reality Check Edition

Today’s True Crime Tuesday takes a peek behind the police reports to reveal the difference between criminal fiction and reality.

First up, let us consider a very real car chase set off by a fellow by the name of Korrin Harmon.

In the movie version our criminal would be driving a stolen sports car, or at least a juiced Honda Civic. In reality, however, he drives a station wagon.

From PhoenixNewTimes.com:

According to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, Coolidge police initially tried to pull over 34-year-old Korrin Harmon for speeding in his station wagon around 8:20 p.m. on Saturday.

Harmon pulled over at a place called “Bob’s Service Station,” and an officer went to talk to Harmon about the speeding, but Harmon took off, and started driving through a field, according to information provided by PCSO.

“Bob’s Service Station”? I wouldn’t have believed it if I’d seen it on the big screen. Creatively, it’s barely one rung above dialing a 555 number.

At least, as far as car chases go, Harmon was courteous to his passengers.

Eventually, Harmon pulled over again and let out his three passengers. The officer who first tried to pull over Harmon detained the three passengers, while Harmon sped off again.

Several Coolidge cops started getting close to Harmon a short time later, and Harmon turned off, hitting a residential gas meter, and got lodged in a six-foot chain-link fence.

Even after this, Harmon tried to keep going, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

This, of course, is the time when our hero, Officer Broadchin, should step in and undertake an amazing maneuver/act of bravery – right?

At that time, one of the Coolidge officers tried to shoot out one of Harmon’s tires to keep him from continuing the chase, and his bullet rebounded off the metal rim, and hit another officer in the cheek.

Realizing the next ricochet might have his name on it, Korrin quickly surrendered.

So: If we can’t have a film worthy high-speed showdown, perhaps we can turn to a properly dramatic crime of passion?

As MiamiNewTimes.com reports:

Schumann, 51 of Vero Beach, and her 42-year-old husband had been going through a divorce. She hadn’t been living in their formerly shared apartment for months, but showed up late at night on December 21. [She] found her estranged hubby in bed with his new 33-year-old girlfriend and did not react well.

Schumann barged into the bedroom with a rifle and pointed it at the girlfriend while calling her a whore. She also allegedly said, “I’ll fucking kill you both.”

Now that’s a scene worthy of a Meryl Streep performance.

The husband was able to wrestle the gun away from Schumann, but during the fracas she kicked the girlfriend twice in the stomach.

A surprising turn! Spurned romance! Brutality! Streep would take an Oscar for this one – or, possibly some sort of fetish award. Whatever the case, no one can argue that she didn’t give a shit.

After being disarmed, Schumann peed on the carpet and defecated on the kitchen floor.

Having marked her territory, she dug deep to get in touch with her hate for the holiday season.

She then found yet another rifle in a downstairs closet, and went on a rampage while destroying several Christmas decorations.

Fortunately, no one (except perhaps whoever had to clean the carpets) was hurt.