Posted on 11/08/2002 3:35:41 PM PST by wardaddy
This happened to me today. It rattled me, I'm not going to lie. I used to think I didn't rattle too easy but I found myself in a percieved hairy situation today and would like to know how other FReepers would have handled this.
This morning about 11 AM, I was on my way to visit my wife and our newborn son(#2) who was born last night at the hospital in midtown Nashville.
I decided to stop at a 7-11 style store near the hospital to pick up some drinks and stuff for my wife. Upon entering my parking lot, I chose to park my Suburban next to a Dark Green Yukon with "pimped-out" rims and whatnot. I didn't think a lot about it at the time except to think it was either bangers or a pro-athlete except that the car was backed in rather than the usual parking of nose first. As I got out of my car right next to the Yukon, I noticed 3 large "baggy urban clothed" young black males in the car with tinted windows in the back. It set off some mild alarms but not too much. I deal with bangers in my businesses frequently.
Anyhow, as I turned to close my door, I happen to look down right into the driver's lap where in one hand was a cell phone and the other hand cradled an open-bolt Mac-10 style machine pistol....the bolt was open and I could see by the brass that it was indeed loaded. I turned away by then very very alarmed and my thoughts racing...as I did , I noticed the passenger in front had a Sig or Glock cradled in his hand as well. I did my very best to appear that I had not noticed since I was to be sure in easy fire range thru the open window. I wasn't sure whther the Mac was selective fire or semi-auto.
I immediately made the decision to go ahead and enter the store not sure whether they were planning to hit the place or what in the hell but I sure did not want to spook them. A Yukon full of bangers sitting back asswards in front of an urban convenience store with guns in their laps in broad daylight was sort of overwhelming.....kind of like Neil Young's Powderfinger "it sure don't look like they are here to deliver the mail"....
I got in the store and immediately told the store clerk (an Indian of course who could barely understand a damn thing I said).....he stammered about a bit and I yelled at him to lock the "GD" door now damn it!...he complied and I took his phone to call the cops. I asked him if he had a gun to which he expressed befuddlement. I damn sure wished I had had one about then. I called 9-11 and told them what I'd seen. The dispatcher was quite nice and asked for a description and a tag #. I complied.
As we were waiting for the cops, another young black man in a red hooded sweatshirt came up and spoke to the driver and the driver got out with his gun under his coat and the new guy took over driving and the original driver got in and they pulled off about 10 seconds before the cops arrived. When the cops arrived, I ran out into the lot and told the cop which direction they headed and he thanked me and radioed the other units and told me he was on it and screeched off. I went back inside to try to chill out the clerk who by then had called his relatives and was sort of freaked out by me as much as anything I suppose.
Now, I've lived all over the damn world, been shot accidentally, been shot at on purpose and done a fair amount of living. The danger I immediately felt by the circumstances made me feel quite vulnerable. I simply was not sure what was going down but it sure didn't feel too good. I mean ....how many folks sit in front of 7-11s brandishing fairly serious handweapons in public in a parked car in the middle of the day?
I knew I was not about to walk past those guys again to get back in my car with the driver's window open and me a perfect target if I had spooked them if they thought I'd made them.
What kind of idiot's show their guns in public in that manner? I don't think these were CCW fellows.....
Anyhow. That's my story. Glancing down at that Cobray style pistol rattled me a bit.....It was damned surreal. I thought for a second that after all these years and rebuilding my life, I might just get clipped in some crossfire by some chickensh!t gangbangers over some bad dope deal or grudge.....it didn't seem fair. Does it ever?
The cops were pretty prompt to their credit.
I don't like calling the cops over anything to do with guns or RKBA but this situation just had a real bad feeling to it.
Any fellow FReepers care to lecture me on the right way to have handled it or just maybe I should have minded my own business ...feel free to fire away.
Seeing the vehicle initially made you suspicious even though you may not have been exactly conscious of it. This is probably why glanced into the vehicle when most people would have ignored it. In the half second you glanced into the vehicle you were able to not only identify the types of weapons but their firing condition. Adrenaline is an amazing thing.
Up to this point all was instinctive and required no real decisions. But now you are suddenly faced with a potentially life or death decision. Do I run? Get back in the car? What if I……no time…play it cool. You confidently walked right into the store.
You initially noticed them and then decided to have a further look while exiting your vehicle. I suspect that they also had a second look at you and did not like what they saw and decided to drive off.
You would be amazed how many people would have existed their vehicle, gone in the store, come out with a big-gulp and driven off and never even looked up.
Great job. This country would be much safer if more citizens would simply pay attention.
Well, let's see...........I'm a 47-year-old father of seven, Air Force Academy grad (Class of '77), former SAC aircraft commander, now with a rather decent position in a Fortune 10 corporation, and plenty of life experience, thank you very much.
Like I said.....and will say again: Bullshit, son. You've watched too many bad movies.
First of all, thanks for the ping, FP. Very interesting indeed! (The above quote says it all, don't you think?)
Wardaddy: kudos to you on your quick thinking. The mere fact that you are here to tell us this story and that your children still have a Daddy, speaks volumes for your decision.
I am rather dumbstruck by the fact that a few here have alluded to having CCWs while rendering an answer. Would that have made a difference? I don't think so. Both .45MAN and I have CCWs and had he or I been armed and in the same situation, we both agree that you handled it perfectly and we would not have done anything differently.
God Bless you and your family.
That goes double for us! We have that tactical defense course on Sunday (10 hours!). Will give you a full run-down when it's over.
{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}
I think you handled the situation perfectly. I can't think of anything that I would have done differently, and you should feel good about the fact that you probably prevented an armed robbery. The guy who walked up to the vehicle right before they took off was probably the lookout, and when he saw the cops, he told his buddies and they boogied.
Great work!
As far as I'm concerned let them do it. It's come to the point where they, for practical purposes, have a legal right to do so and if I interfere up to the point where they draw their weapons and threaten me, or have killed or injured someone else, I'll be the one prosecuted, not them. Once they cross that line, they belong to me and they're dead.
10-4 on what you have said, as edited. I'm not about to take on two guys heavily armed who have made no move toward me.
I doubt the 7-11 was the target since someone met them and they left.
The first rule is avoid confrontation if you can, which is exactly what you did. Don't second-guess yourself any longer. Congratulations on the new baby!
I have to disagree. By continuing on, Wardaddy appeared oblivious to the situation and thus not a threat. Doing anything other than what is expected of a customer walking into the store would have attracted their attention; even doing something like feigning a forgotten wallet.
Also, read some of Wardaddy's responses on this thread. Passing that pimpmobile's open window was the last thing he wanted to do. I don't blame him.
Congrats on the "fresh" baby.
Eaker
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