Plot holes.  Movie mistakes.  Bad edits.  Call them what you will, but every so often a minor, misplaced plot point or character moment causes the film to stumble for a fraction of a second.  Most of the time, viewers either don’t notice or can easily overlook them.  But who looks out for the characters’ who have been slighted by these missteps?

I got your back, fictional folks.  You’re welcome.

Police report filed by the West Valley Police Department in Reseda, California after a concerned mother called to report her son was missing:

Case Number: MP 18/12/84/4153

Incident: Missing Person

Reporting Officer: Officer Al Powell  

Date of Report: 18 December 1984

At about 2117 hours on 18th December 1984, I met with Ms. Lucille LaRusso at 19223 Saticoy St., Apt. 20 in Reseda, California regarding a possible missing person.  Ms. LaRusso stated that her son was supposed to meet her for a surprise birthday party she was throwing for him that evening, but as of an hour after the agreed meeting time he had failed to show.

After I advised her that a missing person’s report can only be filed if the subject had been missing for over 72 hours unless there was evidence of violence or unusual absence, she informed me that her son had been involved in several altercations over the past few months with a group of boys who attended the same school.  When I asked if she had notified the authorities over any of these altercations, she admitted that she had not as her son had asked her not to.  She added that recently it had appeared as though the attacks had stopped thanks to the resident handiman who had befriended the young boy, but thought that another incident may have occured due to the fact that both her son and the assailants had entered a karate tournament that was scheduled for the following day.

My next stop was at the residence of this handiman referred to me by Ms. LaRusso – a Mr. Miyagi.  After having some difficulty finding his residence due to its location in Simi Valley, I was able to make contact with Mr. Miyagi.  He informed me that Mr. LaRusso had been at his home just an hour or so before but had to leave suddenly to attend the surprise birthday party thrown by his mother.  I inquired about Mr. LaRusso and the boys who had assaulted him.  Mr. Miyagi confirmed that the attacks had stopped after he stepped in and assisted the young boy, then offering to teach him karate.  I noted that Mr. Miyagi matches the description of the assailant involved in the report filed back in October by the families of several young boys who reported that they were attacked by a “crazy Chinaman” in tan work clothes.  A follow-up investigation on Mr. Miyagi may be required.

Upon returning to Ms. LaRusso’s residence with this information, I asked her if she knew of any other locations where her son might be.  She mentioned the recreational facility “Golf N’ Stuff”, a local hang-out for teens.  She added that she had taken her son and his date there just a few weeks prior.  She further added that it was there that she had her first run-in with her son’s assailants.

After taking Ms. LaRusso’s statements, I made my way over to the “Golf N’ Stuff” to see if I could find her son there.  Almost immediately upon entering the establishment, I was able to locate Mr. LaRusso.  He appeared to be in some sort of verbal dispute with three teenage females.  I finally managed to catch up to Mr. LaRusso and one of the females several minutes after trying to follow them through the arcade.  I approached the two and informed Mr. LaRusso of his mother contacting us to investigate his whereabouts, at which point I noticed the yellow, 1948 Ford convertible that Mr. LaRusso was about to get into, noting the make and model for further investigation of possible theft.  After advising Mr. LaRusso to return home, I let the couple go and returned to my vehicle.

Upon approach to my vehicle I noticed a young teenager wandering in the shadows of the establishment’s waterslide area.  He appeared to be brandishing a firearm.  Upon seeing me, he aimed the weapon at me, at which point I had no choice but to draw my own firearm on the potential threat.  

A separate police report has been filed for this incident.