Back to the OP: When I was in high school my mom was supposed to be trapped inside the house during an incident. But, ...
Back in a previous life, I used to live on Ft. Leavenworth. Between the military prison, the federal prison right outside the gate, and the state pen a couple miles away, there was always the possibility of an escape. Normally, a car would be stolen and a getaway attempted.
One day we got word at school that an escape had occurred - I don't remember which prison, but it probably was the military prison. These days every school would be put on lockdown. Back then, we were simply told not to pick up hitchhikers. I got home after school and asked my mom if anything out of the ordinary had happened. She said she was out doing yard work when a helicopter flew by, slowly, at eye level. Our house sat on a hill above some railroad tracks that ran along the Missouri River. The helicopter was apparently searching the RR tracks, so it would have been eye level to our yard. She said there were some guys sitting in the doorway, with their feet hanging out. They waved at her, so she waved back. They waved again, she waved back. I asked, "Mom, did they have rifles and did they look like they were waving at you like 'Get in the house you crazy woman!!!' or did they look like they were waving at you like 'Hey, how's it going?' ". She thought about it for a minute and said, "Well, when you put it THAT way..."