A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to Happy Hour

On June 1, the happy-hour crowd at Moctezuma’s, a popular Mexican-food spot on McKinney, got something extra with their margaritas and nachos: a hostage crisis.

Police and a tactical squad set up a command post on the fifth floor of the apartment complex across from the restaurant. Heavily armed officers positioned themselves along the terrace pool. Couples nudged other couples out of their way in pursuit of the perfect perch, while a steady stream of family types wheeled up in their Wagoneers and ambled about hoping to get a glimpse of a rare Dallas happening.

But the hours dragged by while the bar tabs mounted. As the sun set, the onlookers were losing hope and interest. Some announced that they would be moving on shortly unless, of course, something really big broke soon. Finally the police issued a report.

Peter Carroll, forty-five, held his forty-four-year-old ex-girlfriend and one of her friends at gunpoint for nearly four hours. Police forced their way into the luxurious apartment in The Residences, located in the 3200 block of McKinney Avenue, just before midnight. How? The hostage came to the door to accept a six-pack of imported beer (of undetermined brand) that SWAT negotiators had offered the gunman.

And so it goes.