Two uniformed police officers with arrest warrants arrive at the home of Lester Rainwater. He’s wanted for murder, plus four cases of aggravated assault. All of these cases resulted from bar fights.

Rainwater doesn’t answer the door. Instead, he tosses an ashtray through the front window. The policemen serving the warrants call for backup.

Now a crowd is gathering in front of the Rainwater house. The home telephone goes unanswered. A police lieutenant tries using a bull horn:

"You in the house — open the front door and throw out your weapons." There’s no response. The lieutenant is discussing the situation on his cell-phone with the assistant chief when a neighbor walks up.

The stranger says, "I live in this neighborhood and know all the Rainwaters, and they all know me. Maybe I can talk Lester into coming out peaceable."

The lieutenant doesn’t like the idea of a civilian acting as a police negotiator, but the situation is desperate. The lieutenant decides to risk it, and hands the bull horn over to the neighbor.

The neighbor calls out, "Lester Rainwater, this is the police! Throw out your weapons and come out with your hands up. Otherwise, bad things will happen to you, and we don’t want that."

The neighbor continues his plea, but there’s no movement at the front door. Finally, the neighbor yells into the bull horn: "If you don’t come out in 30 seconds — we’re gonna start shootin’!"

The lieutenant grabs the bull horn. "What do you think you’re doing? You have no authority to say that. Now get out of here before I lock you up."

The neighbor scurries away through the crowd.

Moments later, another neighbor, an elderly woman, walks up to the lieutenant. "Why are you calling for Mr. Rainwater to come out? He was right there talking with you — you even gave him your loudspeaker."