Around 7:30 Friday night, a man approached the Allen County courthouse and broke out the glass on the front doors using a sledgehammer. The man entered the courthouse and broke out the glass on several other doors before running away. The sheriff’s department estimates that damage is between $15,000-$20,000, possibly higher. - WANE-15 news story
Subsequent news reports indicate a "person of interest" is in custody. The security cameras at the courthouse captured his image very nicely. Please note that this man is, at least, complying with Federal and State OSHA requirements for gloves, hi-visibility vest, and safety glasses. If nothing, this guy knows the safety rules.
While we all might take comfort in knowing that this gentleman was operating with approved safety gear, it can't be overlooked that this Ernest T Bass moment didn't happen at 3am.
This took place at 7:30pm when downtown is filled with happy people enjoying the improved downtown area, where $400,000 condos and $85 steaks are just around the corner and down the block.
Can you imagine the terror those people must have felt, discovering that a sledgehammer-wielding kook was busting out all the glass doors of the courthouse?
This glass-breaking scofflaw didn't use a rock or shoe. No, this brazen individual used a sledgehammer, also known to law enforcement insiders as an ASSAULT HAMMER.
According to FBI homicide statistics, between 2015 and 2019, 315 people were killed by guns each year. However, the same statistics say that during the same period, 446 people were killed by hammers, including ASSAULT HAMMERS.
Something must be done to stop the carnage.
Fort Wayne City Council should immediately pass a package of ordinances for the licensing and registration of all hammers, especially the notorious Assault Hammer, also known as the sledgehammer. In addition, City Council can enhance citizen safety by instituting background checks and waiting periods for all hammer purchases.
Our city is not safe, as long as sledgehammer-wielding kooks can roam the downtown area freely and unmolested.
Nobody asked me, but that's my opinion.
