Mr ANGRY! Who is this man! Incident Sunday 13 June 2010-10-13
Regular sellers at MABE will know that the main entrance is also the main exit it gets very busy at times particularly when a lot of sellers and buyers decide to leave the field at the same time.
There is the obvious flow of traffic on the MABE to Longdowns roads and as we expected to be busy I opened a second parking field to the right of the selling field.
On Sunday 13th June the sellers were parked into their selling spaces and setting up their stalls, the buyers were arriving in a steady stream indeed I estimated that we would have up to 4000 visits to the popular Sunday afternoon Car Boot Sale at MABE!
Following the accident two days ago at Falmouth Rugby Club I decided to increase our team to 13 to assist with the smooth running of today’s sale.
A look at the weather forecast before I left home predicted a dry sunny day buyers and sellers were dressed for the summer sunshine, or so they thought!!
I sounded the horn at 1.30 and the sale started for 20 minutes then without warning the skies clouded into a grey mass and the heavens opened pouring torrential rain onto buyers and sellers who ran in all directions to avoid the heavy and persistent rain.
Sellers stocks were soaked as they threw everything into their cars.
I was surprised how people panicked as their only thought was to pack the car get home and put some dry clothes on, buyers just wanted to get out of the field!
The trouble was that over 1100 cars were trying to get out at the same time and as I arrived to supervise there were 7 lanes of traffic heading for the main gate causing the ground to look like a mud-slide. Cars were skidding, tempers were fraying!
John and I started directing traffic taking up position outside the gates and had got a reasonable system going when a black 4×4 drove across the entrance gates blocking any movement.
I asked the driver what he wanted and he said ‘I want to get in there’ I said it was not possible as there were 6-8 lanes of cars and I would not allow any incoming traffic but to go to the next gate down and he may be able to pick up whoever.
He again said ‘I am going in this field’ by this time his language was offensive and threatening!
Irritable drivers who could see the problem started tooting their horns and I eventually convinced the driver to go to the second field.
John & I had a brief comment about ‘Mr ANGRY’ and accepted that he would return.
A few minutes later he came back to the gates screeched his brakes on calling John and myself effing everything!
He refused again to move his car which was now blocking up to 800 cars. I told him to move away from the gates in fairness to the queues, he eventually pulled forward to the left of the gates blocking the views of the road for all exiting traffic.
He was constantly shouting in the car and I assumed he was on his mobile phone.
Again I asked him to move but his refusal was accompanied by foul mouthed comments about the morons and mentality of the people who come to Car Boot Sales and that they all deserved to stay and rot in the field!
He then started to demand to ‘see the boss of the Car Boots to complain about me’ I told him ‘I was the boss’ and his rages continued denying my position.
I decided to call Arlin on the mobile as this idiot was causing major disruption to any flow of traffic with his threats of violence towards me and John.
I shouted to him “If you have any common sense you would move that effing car and not obstruct driver’s views for their exits” I probably said more but basically this man was causing serious delays for my customers!
The man started shouting in the car and then he gets out of the car with “I am going to fucking rip your fucking head off” walks towards me and I had time to say to John “Take a picture of this man I think he is going to hit me”
John just got the picture taken when the man grappled with him to get the mobile and Arlin arrived and convinced the man to go back to his car!
The weather is still ‘pissing down’ I could see the effects and fury of our soaked buyers and sellers trying to depart the scene! We are drenched!
Arlin’s job was to get the man to move his car whilst John & I attended to the exiting traffic accompanied by complaints about the delays.
Back at the car the man repeated threats against me but to our total surprise he opened the back of the car door shouting at me “Now look what you have fucking done” as he dragged a little boy of about 3 years old from the back of the car and slammed him onto his feet screaming and crying”
His shouting and cursing in the car was obviously what distressed this small child.
Eventually, Arlin threatened to call the Police and the man sped off to the lay-by 120 yards away.
We got the last car to exit at 3.45 pm the field was a sea of mud risen through the green grass pounded by skidding tyres!
This man was a complete ignoramus who certainly intimidated me and my staff by his grossly offensive outbursts about us and our customers, his threats of physical violence only stopped when he realized we had a picture of him, his conduct in front of his small boy was unacceptable.
This was anti-social-behaviour that well deserves an ASBO order and I would happily ask for such an order!
I have included internal emails from John & Arlin which covers their views on this serious delay and inconvenience to our business.
Geoff
” It was going to be another busy sunday at Mabe carboot, there were many lines of sellers and the number of buyers was high. So high in fact that both car parking fields was opened.
Until a few minutes before the sellers were allowed to set an unpredicted shower descended causing a mad dash of cars (both buyers and sellers) heading towards the gate entrance at the top of the field. As always we, the staff at Carboots Cornwall, tried to bring order to the developing chaos and organised an effective system to safely direct cars out of the field onto the main road despite the heavy drenching rain.
However one certain individual had a different idea – he was going to try and drive into the field at Mabe to collect and elderly relative who had got caught out in the rain despite the bottlekneck developing at the entrance inside the field.
It was suggested to him by a member of staff that he should try the quieter field entrance a few meters down the road however common sense did seem to escape the individual in question and he soon earned the title – “Angry man”.
His rapid and largely unprovoked descent into verbal abuse, threats and foul language towards the staff (and Geoff) was disgusting and certainly uncalled for especially as the staff where to trying to find a solution to his dilema.
At one point Angry man yelled out to Geoff that he wanted to see the guy in charge of the boot sale in which geoff easily said – ” iam the boss, the man , the CEO. Your looking at him !”.
Several foul words later and he was still in the same situation and for the safety of the staff a photo was taken of him which lead him to attempt an assault on the man with the camera. After more exchanges he left shouting he was going to report us to Penzance police ! ! (FOR WHAT !?!?)
It was another sad case of a selfish individual failing to release people was trying to helping but what is more tragic was that his small son (who was very upset by the end of the incident) witnessed his fathers disgusting behaviour ! ”
John
Hi geof ,
Basically when you called me up i could see how it was causing problems since it was blocking everyones view of the traffic coming towards them.
When i went over to him he angrily said he was not going to move until the person he was waiting for came to the car.
I explained that would have been fine if he wasnt in the position he was that was bascially an obstruction, he was not listening and simply threatening you more saying he was going to hit you, to which i said he wouldnt and if he did theres a lot of us who would be on his tail if he tried.
I then tried to reason with him saying that the quicker the traffic gets out of the field the quicker he would be able to find the person he was looking for so if he moved, things would move a lot quicker.
Then explained as a last resort if he didnt move the car the police would be called.To which he sped off and that was the last i saw of him.
As for being under the influence of something it was hard to say as it was just excessive anger I could see but who knows.
cheers,
arlin
