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Once upon a time, a woman brilliantly called 911 to pretend to order a pizza. She was, in fact, calling to alert authorities of a domestic violence incident.

It worked. And though Reddit user Crux1836, later identified as former police dispatcher Keith Weisinger, doesn’t know what happened to the woman in the end, the tactic was clever and probably saved her life.

His story about the call he got while working a graveyard shift ten years ago has only recently gone viral, although he posted it to Reddit five months ago.

Here’s how that call went:

“911, where is you emergency?”

“123 Main St.”

“Ok, what’s going on there?”

“I’d like to order a pizza for delivery.” (oh great, another prank call).

“Ma’am, you’ve reached 911″

“Yeah, I know. Can I have a large with half pepperoni, half mushroom and peppers?”

“Ummm…. I’m sorry, you know you’ve called 911 right?”

“Yeah, do you know how long it will be?”

“Ok, Ma’am, is everything ok over there? do you have an emergency?”

“Yes, I do.”

“..And you can’t talk about it because there’s someone in the room with you?” (moment of realization)

“Yes, that’s correct. Do you know how long it will be?”

“I have an officer about a mile from your location. Are there any weapons in your house?”

“Nope.”

“Can you stay on the phone with me?”

“Nope. See you soon, thanks”

He continued:

As we dispatch the call, I check the history at the address, and see there are multiple previous domestic violence calls. The officer arrives and finds a couple, female was kind of banged up, and boyfriend was drunk. Officer arrests him after she explains that the boyfriend had been beating her for a while. I thought she was pretty clever to use that trick. Definitely one of the most memorable calls.

According to Buzzfeed, Weisinger praised the woman for her bravery and smart thinking.

Weisinger said the woman – who he believed was in her 30s – was calm at first, but gave short, hurried responses. “I remember feeling relieved we had an officer close by who could respond quickly,” he added.

Weisinger said he never found out what happened to the woman after she called.

“This is a part of the job most 911 dispatchers find frustrating. Beyond the immediate resolution – arrest, hospitalisation, etc – we rarely hear what happens to the people who call.”

We hope that whatever happened in the long run, she got a happy ending.

For more information on domestic violence or to help someone experiencing domestic violence, call the DV helpline at 1-800-799-7233.

SOURCE: Reddit, Buzzfeed | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty