He couldn't remember jumping off the bench or darting past an oncoming car that put on the brakes in time to prevent him from getting hit.
As a matter of fact, all Steve could hear were Joe's frantic cries in the background, reminding him that the man he was approaching had been following him all day, possible linked to a case that was quickly taking on a life of its own.
Perhaps Mike's bad premonition had been right all along and Warren Thompson had hired somebody else to do the deed and kill Joe. It would make a lot of sense when it came to their suspect's advanced age and location. And what better thing to do to give himself an air-tight alibi than to hire a contract killer?
The shoe certainly seemed to fit when the other man noticed that he'd been recognized, his eyes widening as he darted down the sidewalk, carelessly pushing people off to the side, making them fall and spill their bags of groceries.
African American heritage, slim built, approx. 170-180lbs, 6ft with a lengthy stride.
Steve filed the information away as he crossed into the southbound lanes, eyes fixated on his fleeing suspect, seeing him toss over a produce stand, hoping to shake off his follower.
"Hold it! Police!", the young Inspector yelled, following due procedure as he ran in front of a stopped bus, briefly losing sight of their suspect.
Moving into the right-hand lane, he sought out a gap between a parked mustang and a delivery van, an easy route to take to reach the crowded sidewalk.
The screeching of tires pulled him out of his intense focus and Steve looked over to the right, seeing a grey shadow approaching before he felt his legs taken out from underneath him in a violent thrust.
The frightening noise was followed by frantic gasps from the sidewalk, as Steve was lifted into the air before tumbling over the roof of a car, the metal thud from below coinciding with a stabbing pain in his elbow.
A tense stillness followed that threatened to dull his senses before he crashed hard onto the asphalt, the bones in his spine cracking and aching upon impact. The force sent him rolling several feet before Steve finally came to a halt, heart racing, adrenaline spiking, blood coming from a nasty gash on his left hand he refused to acknowledge.
Severely dazed, he carefully got on his knees and elbows, waiting for the deafening rushing in his ears to subside as he tried to take in his surroundings.
People were circling in on him, some of them talking, their words not making it past the roar that seemed to drown out his thoughts.
Eventually, it was the pain in his right leg that helped the rest of his senses to return to normal and Steve shook his head, clearing the fog caused by the accident, as he slowly tried to get up.
The initial dullness from the crash vanished almost immediately, sending streams of pain throughout his battered body, making it hard to focus on the cause thereof, and his still fleeing suspect.
Somebody nearby must have noticed his knee continuing to give out, and bent over to lend a hand, the strong arm wrapped around his elbow doing wonders to help him onto his feet.
Once there, the world began to spin all over again, threatening to send him to the ground if it hadn't been for the helper by his side.
"Are you ok, officer?", somebody else in the crowd asked and he nodded matter-of-factly, trying to gather his bearing to resume the chase.
"Yes. Thank you", he finally managed to stammer and broke free from the grasp, completely ignoring the driver of the offending vehicle pleading his case alongside him, ensuring that everybody knew he hadn't seen that man cross the street until it was too late and hadn't had a chance to stop in time; and worse yet, his car was now damaged.
Instead, Steve continued his limp toward the sidewalk, disappointed when his blurry vision showed no sign of his suspect.
Muttering a curse under his breath and hissing at the searing pain coming from his right knee, he continued northbound, not expecting a good outcome to the chase when a completely different sight stopped him in his tracks.
Half a block down the road, his suspect was walking toward him, his expression unreadable.
The person next to him was none other than Mike, one hand behind the other man's back to guide his handcuffed arms, lips pursed, eyes set straight ahead, not the least bit amused.
Sighing in relief, Steve waited for the duo to approach, never even realizing that Joe had stopped next to him until he felt an arm around his shoulders, followed by questions about his injuries he chose to ignore for the time being.
The moments seemed to pass like cold molasses as more people gathered around, attracted by the commotion of the accident, and the daunting sight of a visibly upset lieutenant approaching.
"Are you okay?", Mike asked once he arrived, straight to the point as usual, his eyes scanning him head to toe, stopping on his hand where blood was dripping onto the concrete sidewalk.
"I am…not sure.", Steve replied sheepishly and looked down at his suit that would be a complete loss, not to mention the expensive leather boots, "But I think so."
The words did little to wipe the grim expression off his partner's face and Mike stayed quiet for an agonizing few moments, seemingly settling his temper, before his mouth slowly opened again.
"Are you sure?", the unspoken concern beneath the seemingly benign question was followed by a stern glare toward the silver car that sat parked in the right-hand lane, emergency blinkers flashing wildly while the driver relayed his side of the story to every bystander who was willing to listen.
"I think so.", Steve replied once again, meeting those worried blue eyes stoically, while ignoring the sticky feeling on his right knee where it had collided with the windshield.
"You don't need an ambulance ride to be checked out?"
"No. I think I will be fine. Just…battered and bruised."
With a distraught sigh that conveyed a lot more than dissatisfaction; Mike yanked on their suspect's arm once more, heading toward the Hall of Justice Building when he stopped in his tracks, his eyes travelling over to a shaken Joe Joplin.
"Steve's going to be in your care until I have this gentleman checked in. A patrol unit is on its way, give them your statements and then…see to it that my partner makes it back to the office in one piece."