To call the police on this family?

[catofdoom]

I live on a dirt road. It's single track and very windy. This particular part has a sheer drop off to the ocean.

Driving home with ds yesterday afternoon and out of nowhere two kids (between 10 and 12 I think) jump out at me and start pelting my car with water balloons. Trying to get them through the driver's window. (Luckily they didn't.)

They are my next door neighbours. They're only here for a month in the summer though.

It scared the absolute shit out of me. How I didn't crash in to a tree or go off the road I don't know.

I stopped and told them what a horrible thing to do it was and how dangerous it could have been. They laughed at me and ran off.

I drove home, turned around and drove back to go and speak to their parents (I'd seen the car home.)

Coming back they did it again!

I carried on past their house to go and sit further up the road and have a think. DH then came home and they did it to him too! He got out of the car and they ran off, their Mother was outside, dh told her what they'd been doing and she walked off and slammed the door in his face.

Turns out they did it to my brother in law the day before. They've been sat by the road with a big bucket of water balloons for a couple of days. Their Mother must have know, the only windows of the house and the porch look down at the road.

Anyway, so since we've had no apology. If it were my son I'd have marched him round there furious to apologise.

I want to lodge a complaint with the police (I've already spoken to the local policeman but he's not on duty until tomorrow night.) DH thinks we shouldn't stir things up. I think they could do with a talking to, I'm annoyed their parents clearly don't give a shit. Plus, if it happens again they could cause a nasty accident.

So I guess it's more of a - what would you do?

Also, we're in the States in an extremely low crime area (one burglary in 10 years) so I won't be wasting police time, they'd actually be thrilled to have something to do rather than sit on the side of the road trying to catch speeders.

Definitely call the police. Do you or your DH have dashcam footage of them in action?

@HulksPurplePanties - that's awful, how does your cousin cope with the guilt ?

Yes, report to the police before there is a really nasty accident. Those parents are irresponsible.

Not sure what would wind me up more, the continued behaviour of the children or the attitude and rudeness of the mother. Obviously neither realise the potential implications and see what they're doing as kids just being kids. Someone needs to educate them. Why wouldn't you ask the Police to have a word.

When I lived in the US the local police were very helpful, I would definitely report it as any unruly behaviour was immediately dealt with.

YANBU

Are there parts of America where, after receiving a report of children throwing water balloons, the police would go round to their house and shoot them?
Genuine question.

I'd report.

It doesn't matter whether you live in the UK, or the US... what they're doing is dangerous and could lead to someone being seriously injured. A few summers ago my son was riding his bike, when he got pelted by water balloons by a neighbouring family (they'd been doing it all day apparently, soaking/frightening the younger kids coming home from nursery/primary school), and he not only came off his bike it startled him that much... he put his teeth through his lip. Pretty minor given the previous posters anecdotes about what could happen... but an accident caused by water-balloon-throwing-stupidity nonetheless. Unfortunately for the boys who caused my son's accident - I'm friends with their mother. And yes; I raised holy hell, so did she (she was at work at the time and knew nothing about it - my son was riding his bike alongside their younger sister, so she could just as easily have been hurt, too). My son ended up with an apology... and they were told that they could be arrested for assault and end up in front of a court, if I'd a mind to call the police and report them (I didn't, but only because I knew they'd been made to understand how serious their idiocy actually was). Every summer, I wait to see if they're going to repeat it... and so far? They haven't.

Those boys need a shock. So do their parents. Otherwise they'll end up seriously hurting/possibly even killing someone, or a family. Which I'm sure they don't want, they're just "having fun"...

Report them.

Yes absolutely call. In fact your husband and BIL should report individually as well. The police will come out and have a chat with them which will hopefully motivate the parents to...parent.

SoyDora

No there is no area like that 90% of the US is super safe and quiet. The police are friendly and approachable.

A handful of areas (such as New Orleans, Chicago, Washington DC, New York) are violent and are the basis for the US police stereotype.

@Jocasta2018 I have quite a dark sense of humour but even that was a bit much for me, you can’t really get the tone online and it’s just a bit weird.

OP, I would definitely report them to the police.

YANBU. Definitely report it to the Police. Potentially incredibly dangerous.

I think you have to report this to the police- this could cause a fatal accident. You've tried to manage this diplomatically but the parents refused to engage.

Good call by the previous poster about the unmarked police car.

The children- and the parents- need to understand that actions like this are not harmless japes, the consequences are potentially devastating.

Report it

Yes as you've already spoken with them including the mother, with no result. I would call the police.

God yes report them

If you crashed and seriously hurt yourself or even them, there would be more trouble

Report it. They could cause an accident.

Good luck OP, MN hates Americans, just as much as dogs and Tory’s

Although I would argue there are very good reasons to hate the Tory’s.
But I take your point about the American bashing, maybe that’s why Meghan gets such an awful time on here 🤷🏻‍♀️

Anyway OP aside from the annoying neighbours your house sounds idyllic. I would definitely be reporting. You are right the consequences could be tragic, for them just as much as the driver

I'm live in a rural area in the U.S and our sheriffs department love stuff like this. It would make the papers here.

We had our mailboxes vandalized a few years ago and they put their best guy on the job. Once our ATV was missing from in the field we parked it a few nights before and the deputy investigating found it - someone had rode it up the hill because they were to lay to walk it apparently.

I love our cops.

Our policeman is a sweetheart. He's very even handed with kids. When dh, dsil amd others were caught underage drinking on the beach he'd just take all their car keys away.

He's also the fire chief, head of the ambulance service (and main driver) and animal control officer.

He's possibly the least likely person I know to shoot anyone. He goes in to the school and does these 'please don't let your parents tell you I'm the bad guy and to be scared of me, I'm the good guy you should always feel you can come to' type talks.

He's not working today though, an off island deputy is and he's pretty scary (still not very shooty though).

I've since found out they've done it to two others too.

@AmeriAnn someone illegally dumped a deer carcass a couple of years ago and they took tyre tracks and found who'd done it.

That's why there's no crime here, everyone knows they'll go all CID and forensic (as he's so bored) and there's no hope of getting with ANYTHING.

If the family is black and in America then the question 'will the police shoot them?' is not an irrelevant question

Not it is not for fucks sake. When you are not not reading the Root look up some actual FBI crime stats.

Lots of people just come here for a week or month in the summer. We go from 500 year round to about 3000 in the summer!

Our policeman went on a black lives matter march last year. He's Native American. And I know other policemen from the area. All lovely people and not in the least racist. America's a big bloody place and mostly full of good, kind people.

Yes there are racists but Britain is hardly covering itself in glory right now either.

Yes there are racists but Britain is hardly covering itself in glory right now either

Spot on OP 👍🏻