I find this rather amusing, so I thought I would share it:
I ride my bike daily or try to anyway. I have a route that is 10 miles or 20 depending on how I go. The first and last leg take me through the neighborhood.
I was riding today and was returning home. I was in the neighborhood about 2 blocks from home. I noticed that up ahead near the stop sign there were two young men. I'd guess that they were around 18 or so. For some reason, it struck me as odd because one was on a bike on the sidewalk and the other did not have a bike and had just stepped off of the curb into the street. My radar went off for some reason. I literally thought "this guy is gonna try to take my bike." I'm still about 30 yards or so away, it just doesn't feel right, but I continue on. I have a fairly expensive (about $1800) full suspension bike, but I'm sure he couldn't tell from where he was. Anyway as I get closer I can see him almost inperceptively edging into the street - he had to wait for a couple of cars to go through the stop signs. I decided that I was gonna blow through the stop sign (it's a 4 way) because something still seemed odd. I began pedaling and when I was about 50 feet away, I noticed that the skinny kid was locked onto me and as a approached, he began jogging backward and out into the street toward me. It became obvious pretty quickly that his intent was to intercept me. He closed the distance and when he got about 6 feet away, he happened to notice the 1911 on my side and the fact that I had my hand around the grip. I was thinking "this kid can't be that stupid." It was comical, when he noticed the gun, he did the Vaudeville shuffle minus the cane back over toward his friend. I kept my eyes on him the whole time, his friend busted out laughing and I said loud enough for him to hear "that's a good way to get yourself shot, bro."
I didn't turn into my place, because it was within sight and I didn't want them to see me. Instead, I went to the shopping center across the street and stopped. For a brief moment I thought about pulling out my cell phone and calling the police but didn't. I turned around, went back to the street and the kids were gone, so I rode home.
It was really strange, but I am certain of his intent. Just thought I'd share the experience. Also, please don't try to lecture me about brandishing. This was not a case of brandishing since I clearly felt threatened. Brandishing involves using a gun to threaten or intimidate when you are not threatened.
I ride my bike daily or try to anyway. I have a route that is 10 miles or 20 depending on how I go. The first and last leg take me through the neighborhood.
I was riding today and was returning home. I was in the neighborhood about 2 blocks from home. I noticed that up ahead near the stop sign there were two young men. I'd guess that they were around 18 or so. For some reason, it struck me as odd because one was on a bike on the sidewalk and the other did not have a bike and had just stepped off of the curb into the street. My radar went off for some reason. I literally thought "this guy is gonna try to take my bike." I'm still about 30 yards or so away, it just doesn't feel right, but I continue on. I have a fairly expensive (about $1800) full suspension bike, but I'm sure he couldn't tell from where he was. Anyway as I get closer I can see him almost inperceptively edging into the street - he had to wait for a couple of cars to go through the stop signs. I decided that I was gonna blow through the stop sign (it's a 4 way) because something still seemed odd. I began pedaling and when I was about 50 feet away, I noticed that the skinny kid was locked onto me and as a approached, he began jogging backward and out into the street toward me. It became obvious pretty quickly that his intent was to intercept me. He closed the distance and when he got about 6 feet away, he happened to notice the 1911 on my side and the fact that I had my hand around the grip. I was thinking "this kid can't be that stupid." It was comical, when he noticed the gun, he did the Vaudeville shuffle minus the cane back over toward his friend. I kept my eyes on him the whole time, his friend busted out laughing and I said loud enough for him to hear "that's a good way to get yourself shot, bro."
I didn't turn into my place, because it was within sight and I didn't want them to see me. Instead, I went to the shopping center across the street and stopped. For a brief moment I thought about pulling out my cell phone and calling the police but didn't. I turned around, went back to the street and the kids were gone, so I rode home.
It was really strange, but I am certain of his intent. Just thought I'd share the experience. Also, please don't try to lecture me about brandishing. This was not a case of brandishing since I clearly felt threatened. Brandishing involves using a gun to threaten or intimidate when you are not threatened.
