What would you do if you were just at work, doing your menial daily tasks to keep your lights on and feed yourself, when someone tried to break in forcefully through a window? That’s what happened to one unfortunate parking garage attendant recently, and the results were posted for all to see on TikTok.
Sherrelle Pope, an overnight parking attendant at the Whitaker Street garage in Savannah, Georgia, was working a regular shift on March 3rd when a man “slammed” open a window in the staff-only office and tried to force his way in.
Pope can be seen battling with the man, trying desperately to push him back out of the room. They tussle for what feels like minutes before the man eventually gets the upper hand. As he enters, she grabs her stuff and runs out of the room. Take a look:
She captioned the video “When work changes you forever.”
In an interview after the incident, she said:
“I just feel like you have to have tough skin to work overnight. And in Whitaker, in City Market, Ellis Square. I feel like you have to have tough skin, you have to know how to deal with them. You have to be firm and stern about certain situations.”
The man, by the way, is dressed in all white, which somehow makes the whole thing much weirder. Oh, and she had a hammer! Which she didn’t use to bash this guy’s head in — an action that would’ve changed the tone of the video significantly.
Officers eventually arrested the alleged perpetrator, Christopher Rice, and charged him with 13 counts, including interference with government property, and making terrorist threats.
Pope also shared a follow up video after the incident, where she can be seen on security camera crying and shaking.
“You can CLEARLY see after it was over how upset I was because all the what if’s just came showering down. My supervisor DID her part. It was just the ones above her who didn’t. Now they trying to harass me so coming FOR EVERYTHING. I’m a very calm person but it’s over with NOW.”
A cursory look on her page shows provides some more info on the whole thing as well. For example, someone asked why Pope turned off the comments to the video, and she provided a few new details.
She explained that the facility has bulletproof windows meant to stop firearms, and that Rice kicked it and noticed it broke and kept kicking. Pope said she tried to call 911 while this was happening.
What about the hammer?
“I thought about hitting him with it, but then I thought about the consequences about hitting him with a hammer at work on government property. All that went through my head.”
We’re glad you’re OK, Sherrelle!