This document is part of a series about Randall "Duke" Cunningham's attempted murder / suicide on November 25th, 2005
Home page for "Cunningham's Last Battle" web site / Contact the author / victim / witness Russell 'Ace' Hoffman
On 12/14/05, Bob wrote:
Russ,
You were awesomely cool in the split seconds before the anticipated crash.
That makes you Top Gun, Russ.
Bob
On 12/14/05, Russell D. Hoffman < rhoffman@animatedsoftware.com> wrote:Yep, I mean Randy "Duke" Cunningham! The next Monday, he resigned.
And I wouldn't exactly call it "awesomely bad", seeing as we are (all three) alive. That part's really good!
And, it is also comforting to "know" (insofar as, *I* believe it was him) that even a "decorated jet fighter ace" couldn't beat me. I outwitted him, outwaited him, and outdrove him.
Yours,
Russell Hoffman
Carlsbad, CA
At 03:53 PM 12/14/2005 -0800, Bob wrote:
Russ,
Damn! Awesomely bad thing to happen. Do you mean Cunningham the Congress dude who is crooked?
Bob
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December 14th, 2005
Hi Bob,
I'm losing all faith that the police will investigate this rather simple and straight-forward case of hit-and-run without prodding. Can you help? Here's the story:
On Friday, November 25th, 2005 at about 8:35 pm, Sharon and I were in a near-fatal, near-head-on auto collision. The other driver was trying to commit suicide by crashing into the next oncoming car he found, randomly, at as high a rate of speed as he could obtain after wildly negotiating an "S" curve in the road well ahead of us (about 600 to 800 feet away). This occurred in San Marcos, CA, on Mission Road.
It was not a "game" of "chicken," this was plain old suicide. And we were to be-- randomly, I must stress, over and over if need be -- his victims along with himself.
But in the end, he was coming at us TOO FAST to mimic my final swerve to my LEFT and I avoided death -- for all three of us, probably -- by inches. He swerved TOWARDS US after he saw which way I had cut, but couldn't match my move. Barely.
Sharon and I are both absolutely positive that his intent was murder/suicide and he was probably very surprised when it failed. As far as I can tell, everyone I've told this story to in it's exact details (you've just gotten a quick preview), doubts they would have figured out how to get out of it.
He had matched my every defensive move with more speed and continually aiming at us. Yet in the end, I avoided him!
My 911 call testifies to how WE feel about his intent, and that the perpetrator was driving a type of car that we later identified exactly as a Chevy Tracker.
I saw the driver in the last moment before he hit our tail. It was fast, but he had just tried to kill us. I really, REALLY wanted to see his face. Sharon did not happen to have the presence of mind to look, but I sure did, although on the 911 tape, I don't say that I had "seen" the driver. It takes a little while to know what you've seen. I could have said "white, older than me" but I didn't. However, after reflection on what I HAD SEEN, by Monday I was ready to tell the police I could pick the guy out of a line-up if they could find him based on the car part's identifying sticker.
Then, I saw the face on television. It matched uncannily. Methinks the guy who hit us was Cunningham.
I've told three reporters so far. The last one is someone that knows me but the previous two were shots in the dark. The first two were not interested in checking this out much at all. The third might be, but I still think it's about time to start telling my Internet friends, if not do a whole newsletter about it. I want to let the last reporter have a chance to chew on it for a day or so more, but I think after that, it's time to go public.
Before going public with this, however, I want to release my tritium article, which is all finished except incorporating the (mild) suggestions of Marion Fulk (who helped all along, of course). It's really far more important, and should not have to sit in the shadow of "the Cunningham affair." I'll try to do that later today.
I've said that every day for a week, but it's hard to concentrate when I keep having to think about my "dogfight" with Cunningham!
I think the state should have to make an official denial, if they have proven to themselves it's NOT him. The "rumors" MUST start some time, and become persistent enough to require an official denial. But I have no idea of how we might make that happen. I do have this car part, though. It has a date -- 10/15/05. They haven't made Chevy Trackers since '04, so this is from a recent repair.
It even has some sort of customer number which is probably the repair shop that did the body work on the car in the past month or two. So this really should be a "no-brainer" for the police to track down if they want to.
If you want, I can email you a photo of the sticker I'm describing, and the report I sent to the police and to the DMV. Whoever it was should be taken off the road, or at least given his "hit and run" ticket, but I really think it was Cunningham and will go to my grave believing it, if the "real" perpetrator doesn't show up and look an awful lot LIKE Cunningham!
Sincerely yours,
Russell Hoffman
Carlsbad, CA