Close call !

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MusclesMcGee

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CRAP !!!! ... sorry, had to get that out.

I'll spare you the exposition on "why I don't conceal carry", but something strange just went down thirty minutes ago (part of the reason I'm writing this down is in case the police DO question me). So far I'm not in trouble.

So, I was coming home from a friends oscar party, I'm 2 blocks from my house, turning onto my cross street. A mexican guy in a tinted lowered honda pulls up next to me. I'm turning left, he's headed straight. It was a pretty long light, I'm looking in his direction, and I can't help but notice that the guys staring straight at me. I glanced at him, whatever, noticed that the light turned green, and proceeded to go left. He goes through the intersection, slams on his brakes and flips a 180. He then races through the light and pulls up right behind me. Oh **** ! I look in the miror, the guys small, thats good, don't know what the F**K his problem is but something is definitley up. He follows me through the next light and as I turn onto my street. I slow down, he slows down. I don't want the guy to know where I live, So I slam on the brakes while hitting the gas and get sideways. The position of my car is giving me cover with an escape route in case he does fire on me. Nothing happens, he's still stopped. I am EXTREMELY pissed at this point, and rush his car screaming obscenities. He then, finally takes off and I pull into my garage. Keep in mind, this is L.A. and I've had guns pulled on me before in similar instances.

Now this is what's really freaking me out. I go up to my apartment, sit down, and what do I hear outside ? Thats right you guessed it, the chirp of a police siren. There was three police cars outside my building within five to ten minutes. They were trying to get my manager. I put my guns in the safe and went up to the roof to get a better look without drawing attention to my window. They stood out there for about 20 minutes talking and then left. Fortunately they couldn't get ahold of my manager. Whew !

Now, it is possible they got my plates and will try and track me down. Should I be concerned ? Or am I blowing this out of proportion ? Normally Hollywood pd have better things to do than investigate small stuff like this, ...but you never know. Any advice ? Or should I just lay low and forget about it ?
 
Hmmm, he could have been a 'banger looking to hit you, and when you screwed up his attack, he decided to get back at you by calling the cops on you and saying you had threatened him.
Then again, he could have just been a regular guy that happened to be staring at you, and you over-reacted.
Let us know if anything more comes of this.

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Shoot straight regards, Richard at The Shottist's Center http://forums.delphi.com/m/main.asp?sigdir=45acp45lc
 
I wouldn't volunteer squat to the police. If it goes into a report or any supplemental to a existing report, it is accessible to your amigo in the tinted Honda. All he has to do is pay the fee for a copy of the report.

Better to have someone else fish around, get the case number and a copy of the report. Via the report if made by amigo in the tinted Honda as a complaining party, you can learn who amigo is.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I am EXTREMELY pissed at this point, and rush his car screaming obscenities. He then, finally takes off and I pull into my garage. Keep in mind, this is L.A. and I've had guns pulled on me before in similar instances.
[/quote]

Did you lose control, or was this an act to scare the guy? It seems to me that the previous incidents in which you've had guns pointed at you would have discouraged such behavior.
 
Mr. McGee...

Have you considered the idea that you may have run into either an undercover cop or a police informant?

Gangbangers typically do not call in the law.
 
MusclesMcGee,

Am I missing something here? It sounds to me like you were more of a threat to him than he was to you: <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I am EXTREMELY pissed at this point, and rush his car screaming obscenities. He then, finally takes off and I pull into my garage.[/quote]

Did I miss how he was more threatening than just following you? Could you have just pulled over under a street light and waited him out? Did you have a cell phone?

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John/az

"The middle of the road between the extremes of good and evil, is evil. When freedom is at stake, your silence is not golden, it's yellow..." RKBA!

[This message has been edited by John/az2 (edited March 27, 2000).]
 
You need to take Greg Hamilton's Street and Vehicle Tactics course to learn how to deal with such and get a grip.

Two things: You say the guy is small and
that's good. I'm probably smaller than you
and could probably shoot you dead with my small little hands.

You run at his car, screaming obscenities?

I will be harsh here - you are a fool to do this.

If you did carry, you would be an embarrassment to law abiding folks who do carry.

Really think about this and consider your responses and get some serious instruction in deadly force.

Last sharing this on the Internet is easily discoverable and in future instances is evidence of your nature.
 
Muscles-

I, too, am troubled by your rushing him, screaming obscenities. You've stopped illegally in the street ("So I slam on the brakes while hitting the gas and get sideways."), an jump out to rush this guy whose actions, up to this point are:<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>He looked at you at an intersection.<LI>He turned around and followed you. <LI>He followed you to your house.

Also, however, <LI>He was Latino, and <LI>He was driving a lowered Honda.</UL>

You were worried that this guy might know where you live. Hey, good idea, if he has any reason in the world to target you specifically. If you've given us the whole story, then this guy had no reason to come back and hound you. After all, this whole thing is random, right? You didn't harrass this guy? You didn't do anything to this guy at all? Then he's not coming back. Get in your house and pick up a shotgun and face the door.

My suspicion would be that a neighbor saw some sort of commotion and called the cops. After all, a car came screeching sideways in the street with the first driver advancing on the second in a menacing manner, cursing.... see how it looks?

If the guy's smaller than you (how the heck can you tell that looking through your rearview mirror at a head and shoulders of a guy sitting down in a vehicle with a tinted rear window?), and he's acting aggressive toward you, he's obviously either (a) armed, or (b) nuts. Neither of these are the type of people that you want to advance upon, unarmed!

I'm sorry that things are the way they are in So. Cal, and I do hope that you'll continue to be vigilant for your safety, but I hope you'll act more appropriately in the future.


Finally, why won't you arm yourself? What's wrong with a shotgun in the car?
 
Sounds like he might have reported you for road rage. I gotta go with the others on this one. If you are bigger than him and you approached him in a hostile manner (ie rush his car screaming obscenities) he might consider it an assault. Had he pulled a gun to defend himself against a larger assailant and you tried to pull yours a gun fight could have erupted. If you both survived, you would have been in the street and he would have been in his car, who would the police believe. When you carry you have an obligation to avoid trouble, not go on the offensive and assault someone in their car.
 
FWIW, I think you may have made a slight mistake as well. If I ever think I'm being followed, I'll be making my way to the local police precinct with the guy in tow. He's either going to stop with me right there, where there are plenty of armed witnesses, or he's going to keep moving. Either way, I'll be rid of him and no shots will be fired.

However, if it goes beyond that, I would also be ready and equipped to defend myself. But it isn't "defensive" unless the other guy takes or threatens action against you. I don't have your experience of having a gun shoved in my face, which may well alter my feelings, but law-abiding gun owners MUST take the high road, always.
 
Let me Clarify,

I screeched to a halt, got out and ducked behind my car. He was definitely following me. I stood there behind the car for about ten seconds while he just stared. He looked scared, and started to slowly drive. I rushed his car from behind right as he was passing, there would have been little if no chance of him getting off a shot. I had my eyes on him the whole time. And yes I was pissed, in hindsight the guy might of just been gay and out cruising late on a sunday night. Like I said, I didn't provoke this situation in any way.

Ultimately one thing did ring true. When I was ducked behind my car, I did want a gun. However, if I had pulled it, (which I probably would have) those cops wouldn't have left and I probably would be in jail right now. I can honestly say I don't have the self control for that type of situation, and it would be very difficult for me to "exhaust all my options" before brandishing the weapon. Even so, its illegal here in CA, and I follow the letter of the law to a T. So no CCW for me.

By the way, I have EVERY F'n right to swear as damned loud at any motherf*cker who follows me to my house ! A fool for doing that ? No, I would be a fool NOT to attract as much attention to the situation. I am unarmed and being followed, ultimately, that was what scared the guy off, and I did it in such a way so that I was covered.

How would you feel if you had a 240 lb dude running up behind your car ? What if HE was armed ? Could you get a shot off turning around in your seat or would you just take off ? The way I approached put him in a vulnerable postion (I had a clear head shot a 15 yards, with the back of his head to me.), and from previous experiences in these situations, the guy coming from behind always has the advantage. Don't chastise my actions saying it was stupid. Did I break the law ? No. Am I dead ? No. I knew exactly what I was doing.

It was the police that bothered me the most. If I had used a weapon, I would be in jail and would have lost my right to own firearms yadayadayada.... its so strange how quickly you can go from buying a slurpee at 7 eleven too having your whole life royally screwed.
 
I think that means the building manager, Futo. Probably the landlord.

Muscles, I don't want to attack you, but if the guy was already driving away then you have even less reason to charge at him. Put simply, YOU attacked HIM in the eyes of any reasonable observer. It was not necessary and it put both of you in a great deal of danger, as did "getting sideways" with that oversteer move in the middle of the street.

And I admit that part of the reason I'm so concerned is that this behavior seems to be a pattern for you. I remember you posting the story of why you wanted your Kimber--another road rage incident where you got out and advanced on someone's car. Now you say that it's been "several" times that you've been in similar situations and had guns pulled on you. Well, you're lucky to be alive. You'd be lucky to survive one such encounter and learn from it, but if you keep repeating it without learning the lesson your luck will run out. Please don't let this happen. The lesson is this:

Self-defense is anything necessary to stop an attack. Self defense is NEVER a response to provocation, only attack. On very rare occasions self-defense might be a pre-emptive attack, when you're certain you're about to be attacked. But what you described for us was an incident where you felt you were provoked and thus justified in rushing the car. Again, provocation has nothing to do with self-defense.
 
"Little chance of getting off a shot" sounds
like famous last words.

Again, you approached a possible danger.
If you had serious knowledge of such things,
you would know that the appropriate thing to scream is : "Help, Call the Police"

You are reacting to what is constructive criticism. Since you want to insist you are correct - I would like to know what literature or trainer would support your actions.

You don't run towards a fight you can avoid,
period. You don't know what you are doing.
You weren't covered.

Read some of the literature on these issues,
get some serious training. For your own sake.
 
Gwinny, thanks for your sincere concern.

With that in mind, please don't respond to any more of my posts and don't send me emails. You've already done so much I just don't know how much more of your insight and genius I can err..uh tolerate.

Thanks again.
 
To be frank, I agree with some of the concerns above about your own behavior.

Let me offer an unusual suggestion - consider a physical, including a quick blood test for thryroid problems. You sound like you may have a pretty short fuse, and if so, sometimes that can have physical origins. Just a thought.

Your car is the biggest weapon you have. Rushing someone else's car is a very dangerous policy, both from a physical safety standpoint as well as a legal perspective. You didn't see it that way at the time, but I think witnesses would perceive you as the aggressor.

Glad to hear everyone is OK.

Regards from AZ
 
Fine Glenn, your right, it was stupid. Needless to say I was seriously pissed and realized the threat was downgraded.

What would you do if some freak followed YOU home. Would you be calm and civil about it ?
 
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