A trio of Tartan Army footsoldiers were left stunned when they thought they were about to have a run-in with the law – only for a Boston cop to offer them a lift home instead. West of Scotland Tartan Army members Andrew Wilson, 61, Kevin McEwan, 71, and Kevin’s son David, 34, were making their way back from a night out in Providence, Rhode Island.
Suddenly a police cruiser pulled up beside them. The Scots had been enjoying a few drinks at Providence G Pub, a popular gathering spot for Scotland supporters during the World Cup. While checking directions back to their accommodation, instead of being questioned by the officer, they were invited into the cop car and chauffeured home.
Andrew said: “I pulled my phone out to check and all of a sudden I heard this voice asking, ‘Do you know where you’re going?’. I looked up and it was a cop in a big police cruiser. We told him where we were staying and he just whipped the door open and said, ‘Get in’.
“We were thinking, ‘this can’t be real’. He was such a great laugh though. I even pretended he was going to cuff me when I approached him. I jumped in the front seat and Kevin and David were in the cells in the back. He gave us a lift up the road as we sat there thinking, ‘What the f**k is going on man, this is mental’.
“People often think something is up when you see the police pulling up but this cop was a bang on guy. He was on a double shift after working the fanzone that day and loved the Scotland fans. The only bad thing about it was that I never got his name. Hopefully we have no more run-ins with the police, unless their giving us a lift up the road.”
Andrew admitted many supporters had travelled to the United States with preconceived ideas about what policing might be like. Instead, he says Scotland fans have been blown away by the warmth and friendliness shown by officers throughout the tournament. Local officers have regularly been spotted celebrating alongside supporters, wearing Scotland jerseys and even showing off their football skills by doing keepy-uppies with fans.
He said: “The police in general have been utterly fantastic. Most fans had a perception of the American police before coming here, especially about how strict they would be with policing open cans of beer in public. However, they have been amazing.”
For Andrew, the police lift was only one chapter in what has already been a remarkable trip. Just days earlier he went viral after swapping shirts with a Haiti supporter before Scotland’s 1-0 victory over Haiti in Boston on Saturday night local time. The heartwarming exchange took place during a packed tailgate. Andrew continued: “It was packed with Scotland fans, Americans of Scottish descent and Haitians. We were all having a good laugh together.
“This Haitian man even asked me to swap shirts with him. I just said, ‘aye’. All of a sudden we were surrounded by Haitians all celebrating and singing. It was amazing how football brings people together.”
The moment was later picked up by major news outlets in America and racked up hundreds of thousands of views online. Andrew added: “I ended up watching the game with a Haiti top and a kilt. It was great fun in what has been a trip of a lifetime. Hopefully we can keep building great memories leading into and after the Morocco game on Friday.”
