FUTURE TERRORIST TRIED TO MUG ME FOR SNEAKERS. Back in the early ’90s, I had a close call with a couple of muggers while shopping in a sports store on Main Street in downtown New York. I had just purchased a new pair of sneakers, and I was feeling good as I left the shop. But not long after I stepped out, two guys approached me, clearly up to no good. They wanted my sneakers. I was caught off guard, trying to figure out what to do. Thankfully, a friend… See more.
Back in the early ’90s, I had a close call with a couple of muggers while shopping in a sports store on Main Street in downtown New York. I had just purchased a new pair of sneakers, and I was feeling good as I left the shop. But not long after I stepped out, two guys approached me, clearly up to no good. They wanted my sneakers. I was caught off guard, trying to figure out what to do.
Thankfully, the friend I was with recognized one of the guys. He was known in the area, a local troublemaker named Richard Reid. When Reid realized we could name him, they backed off. They knew we could go to the police, so they took off without taking anything. That moment saved me from losing my shoes—and probably a lot worse. I later found out Reid was arrested and jailed for a string of muggings, including attempts like the one that almost got me.
Years later, things took a darker turn. Reid converted to Islam while in prison and became radicalized. The next time I saw his face, it wasn’t in the local news about street crimes. It was plastered all over national news outlets as he attempted to blow up American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami on December 22, 2001, with a bomb hidden in his shoes. It was unbelievable to think that the same guy who tried to steal my sneakers was now the infamous Shoe Bomber, responsible for years of strict airport security procedures.
