Armed and Looking For A Ride: A young woman was getting into her car at an apartment complex when a man brandishing a gun suddenly appeared and climbed into the passenger seat. The man ordered the woman to drive to an adjacent apartment building, where he took several items belonging to the woman, including her purse and backpack. In a similar incident at another apartment complex, a man was parking his car when an armed gunman jumped inside the car, put the gun to the driver's head, and robbed him of $200.

Vacation Cancelled: A woman was swindled after she paid nearly $2,000 to a man claiming to be a representative for a travel agency in exchange for what turned out to be a bogus airline ticket. Although the travel agency the man claimed to represent does exist, when the woman arrived at the airport and produced her ticket, she was informed that it was a fake.

When Parties Go Bad: A scuffle broke out at a private residence during a party, during which time the homeowner's entertainment center was damaged. The two feuding parties eventually went outside, and once again started fighting. During the melee, one of the angry young men picked up a brick and hurled it through the window of a car belonging to another partygoer.

Respect Your Elders: While sitting in her bedroom, an elderly woman was shocked when she heard someone kick in the back door of her home. As the woman started for the front of her house, she spied an unknown man taking her purse from a living room table. The woman began yelling at the intruder, and he fled the house and drove away in what she described as a dark colored car.

Singing A New Tune: A convenience store worker watched two young men in the music department as they stuffed DVDs and CDs into a backpack. As the young men attempted to leave the store, the concealed goods set off an alarm, and after a short chase, the would-be shoplifters were caught.

Blotter items are chosen from the files of the Charlotte Police Department.