OFFICER DANIEL COLE: "Possession of a controlled substance. Resisting an officer. Assaulting a police officer if I decide that's what happened here."
ADAM REED: "You can decide what to write. You can't decide what actually happened."
OFFICER DANIEL COLE: "You think anyone is going to take your word over mine?"
Adam remained silent.
Daniel interpreted the silence as uncertainty and pressed his advantage.
OFFICER DANIEL COLE: "People like you always make the same mistake. You think being confident makes you untouchable. You think you can argue your way out of anything."
ADAM REED: "And people like you think nobody will ever check your work."
For a moment, the only sound was the distant hum of traffic.
Daniel's face hardened into an expression Adam had seen before in people who had run out of reasonable arguments. It was the look of someone who no longer wanted to persuade another person, only to make him stop speaking.
Daniel dropped the bag into a pocket of his uniform and raised his hands.
OFFICER DANIEL COLE: "Let's finish this."
Adam shifted his stance.
ADAM REED: "You can still stop."
Daniel attacked.
He threw a rapid combination of punches, forcing Adam to cover his face and upper body. Adam blocked the first strike, moved away from the second, and returned a controlled counter that drove Daniel backward.
The officer immediately retaliated with another kick.
Adam blocked it, stepped around him, and delivered a short sequence of punches that forced Daniel to defend rather than attack. Their arms collided in quick succession, each movement accompanied by a sharp rustle of clothing and the dull thud of contact.
Daniel tried to grab Adam's sleeve.
Adam pulled free.
Daniel swung again.
Adam ducked and countered.
The fight surged along the side of the sedan, then shifted toward the rear quarter panel. Their movements were quick and forceful, with no pause long enough for either man to claim control.
Daniel attempted to pin Adam against the car once more. Adam turned his shoulder, slipped out of the pressure, and pushed the officer away. Daniel stumbled across the wet pavement, caught himself, and spun around with a furious expression.
OFFICER DANIEL COLE: "Hold still!"
ADAM REED: "Stop trying to hit me!"
OFFICER DANIEL COLE: "You're resisting arrest!"
ADAM REED: "You haven't told me what I'm being arrested for!"
OFFICER DANIEL COLE: "I don't have to explain myself to you!"
ADAM REED: "Actually, you do."
Daniel lunged forward, attempting to seize Adam by both shoulders.
Adam blocked the approach and forced him back. Daniel answered with a swing toward Adam's upper body, but Adam leaned away and countered with a short punch that struck the front of Daniel's uniform.
The officer grunted and retreated a step.
Adam could have continued pressing the advantage, but he did not pursue him immediately. Instead, he maintained his distance and watched Daniel's hands.
The difference between them was becoming increasingly clear.
Daniel was fighting to punish a man who had challenged him.
Adam was fighting to protect himself and prevent the situation from deteriorating further.
That distinction mattered, even if Daniel refused to acknowledge it.
The officer glanced toward the road again.
A car was approaching from a distant intersection. Its headlights swept across the street, briefly illuminating the two men and the black sedan. Daniel immediately straightened, trying to restore the appearance of a police officer carrying out his duties.
He took a step away from Adam and raised his voice.
OFFICER DANIEL COLE: "Get on the ground! Now!"
The approaching vehicle slowed slightly.
Adam noticed the change in Daniel's behavior. The officer had been aggressive and visibly angry only seconds earlier. Now, with a potential witness approaching, he was trying to make the encounter look like a legitimate arrest.
ADAM REED: "You want an audience now?"
OFFICER DANIEL COLE: "Get down!"
ADAM REED: "Tell them what you did."
Daniel pointed toward the pavement.
OFFICER DANIEL COLE: "I said get down!"
Adam remained standing, his hands visible and his posture guarded.
ADAM REED: "I will not attack you. But I'm not going to help you invent a story."
Daniel moved toward him, attempting to force him down by grabbing his arm. Adam resisted the pressure, turned his body, and broke the grip.
The officer swung again.
Adam blocked the strike and pushed him away.
The approaching car continued past the intersection. Its headlights briefly illuminated the sedan before moving on, leaving the two men once again beneath the amber streetlight.
Daniel looked after the vehicle with visible frustration.