Motel Door Knock - Close Encounter?

K

KS.45

New member
The wife and I are checked in and settled in the room. Door opens to the parking area, (we hate hauling bags).

It's about 11:30 and a HBO movie is about over. What we hear is more of a slapping sound at the door, with a female voice, "Help Help! They are looking for me and I need to get in somewhere fast! .. Please Help!"

I tell the wife to get up and go near the bathroom door while I get my Glock out of the overnight bag (I was not CC at the time.). The only light is near the room door and I am across the room by the window. From the corner I can see out past the drapery enough to confirm there is a small woman outside our door, looking over her shoulder.

There has been little traffic at the motel that I've noticed, which means we may still be the only guests on our side of the place. The lot looks pretty empty from what I see.

I step to the door, (not casting a shadow on the drape, due to the lights position) and open it as she is slapping it for the third time.

I tell her to come in, shut the door and call the police.

She looks at me with the Glock pointed at the floor, then at my wife, who is on the phone trying to get the outside line to go 911.

The woman says, "Are you going to shoot me?"

I say, "No, but shut the damn door now, You can stay til the cops get here or leave, but shut the damn door now please!"

She just steps out of the door and is gone. I scan across as I get to the door and slam it in about a second. I didn't see her or anyone else outside.

We were in a corner room, she must have went around that corner. The wife was never able to get either 911 or even the office on the phone. After five minutes the office did answer and I reported what happened and they said that they would have security in the lot as soon as possible.

When I saw the security outside, I explained the situation to him. He said he was on the opposite side of the property and saw and heard nothing. He said he would notify the police of the problem.

Never heard another thing the rest of the night.

I think it could easily have been a setup for robbery or worse. Then again I will always have this little doubt about whether I might have scared that woman off when she needed help. But I don't lose sleep over it.
 
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Wow, that's a tough one. Like you said possible the Glock scared her off (wouldn't you be?) or might've been a ploy.

Motels make me nervous...
 
From what you said I don't think I could have done any better. She didn't want in once she saw the gun. She may have feared you as an attacker, or may have made you as a non-victim.

Either way she wanted out and you did not stop her. When she wanted in you stuck your neck out for her. She could have been armed.

Hope she turned out okay, but you did more than you had to. In my book you did right.
 
Whatever happened to her, at least you gave her a choice. The decision was hers from there, not sure what you could have done differently.

The way she acted bothered me, took me a little bit to figure out what exactly didn't seem right:

1. When she came in, she was immediately concerned with what was inside. Apparently she got over her worries about what was outside--and way too quickly to my way of thinking.

2. When she came in, she wasn't worried about getting the door closed. Same deal as one, she got over her worries about what was outside way too quickly.

3. The way you tell the story, it almost sounds like she ran when you mentioned the cops. Also not a good sign.

FWIW, I would have complained long and loudly to the management about not being able to call 911 from the room.
 
I did speak to the manager when checking out. She said 911 should be working .. it was a recently built place and maybe they didn't have the bugs out of the phone system.

I tried it too and 911 didn't work. And the office phone was not being answered well at all.

My wife has always said she thought it was some sort of setup. I agree with her, and then as now I never travel without the G36. I have related the events to others and got the same reaction, likely set-up. My attitude could have been a little softer I suppose, but the adrenaline pump kicked in when I unlocked that door and the came gal in.

Motels can indeed be spooky places, but I still stay in the ones where you park at the room and walk in. No real problem since .. except the time I saw crime scene tape in the outside trash container in DesMoines :).
 
You were definately right to be armed. I agree, I think it was a set-up. Pounding on the door as she was, she must have been in a lot of fear, and yet she turned around and left without a second thought when she saw your gun. I find it hard to believe that someone who would open the door for her with a gun is more scary than whatever she was running from....in other words, she wasn't running from anything. I hope I would be as calm as you if I ever faced that situation:)
 
"and then as now I never travel without the G36."

I'm with you there. I always carry something with me wherever I stay, even if it's just a .22. Nobody knows what it is when it's just hanging from your hand, but they know it's a gun.

You probably did everything as well as you could. It's a shame that the 911 call wouldn't go through. Would a cell phone have helped? I always carry one of those, too.
 
KS - I think you did it right.

If she really had been in serious trouble, seeing you with a gun would have been something she needed at that time. Also, it seems to me that while a woman in trouble might be apprehensive about jumping into a room with a man, if he has another woman in the room that worry should diminish greatly.

FWIW, I would have complained long and loudly to the management about not being able to call 911 from the room.
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+100
As I recall, most states have laws requiring you to be able to dial 911 directly (without assistance), even if you have to dial 9 first. And dialing directions are supposed to be posted on the phone or where obvious. I'd be ripping the manager a new one and demanding a partial refund for risking my life (had it been a real urgent emergency).
 
This same thing happened to a fraternity friend of mine in school. He was at his apartment when a girl was yelling for help at the door. He answered the door and there was the girl, but sure enough, she darted away and two men rushed into the apartment and robbed him at gunpoint with an AK-47 and a huge revolver. They clocked him in the face with the AK stock and took off. That was the event that inspired my entrance into the world of gun ownership.
 
Watch the movie "Vacancy" and you'll understand why I haven't stayed in a motel with outside doors for a long time. They're just creeeepy :eek::o

When I travel I'm at a Hampton Inn or Country Inn getting a good night's rest :cool: though it's not really my choice since it's my parent's paying for the place :p

No way in hell I'd stay in a motel and not be armed with at least one of my 9mms.

Glad you're ok :)
 
She was no doubt setting you up for a scam of some kind. Most likely it was going to be a beg for help and get you to give her some money for her drug habit. It could have been more serious when she had her boyfriend come out of the lot and hold you at gunpoint for a robbery.

When she saw you were not going to harm her but could protect yourself she was in a position of safety and a normal person would be happy awaiting the police. She no doubt had a record and warrants and didn't want to see the cops.

In nearly every case when a stranger approaches you, it is going to be some kind of a scam.
 
I am a pretty cheap guy, but I think with hotels it isn't a bad idea at all to spend just a little bit extra to stay at a nicer hotel where everybody has to go through the front lobby to get to the rooms. It is a little bit more of an inconvenience to carry your luggage through the hotel, but I have never had a problem at all in a hotel like this. Besides, if you make reservations ahead of time, you can get good hotels for really cheap (I just booked a Hyatt on a weekend for $70/night).
 
:INSERT X-FILES MUSIC HERE: ;)


Actually, I think you handled the situation well. You were up front about your intentions, you were honest. It was her choice to take it however she wished.

I find it strange she was not seen or heard from again.

Do you live in that area? Check the local papers for the next couple days to see if you find a story about a rape, murder or missing person with the victim matching her description.
 
We were in a corner room, she must have went around that corner.
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I wouldn't like that room at all. Someone could have been waiting around that corner.

If she was actually in trouble, why didn't she go to the front desk? Why didn't you see anyone pursuing her? Why didn't she report someone had a gun in the hotel?
 
First of all, I'm glad nothing happened to you and your wife. I have to agree that it was a set up as well. The lady's failure to close the door immediately and quick departure when she saw the gun is a dead give away. Since the place was recently built and there were few guests staying there, it was more opportunistic than robbing a busy place.

I always carry when I travel as well. More and more states offer reciprocity for states that accept their carry permits. packing.org is no longer around, but Handgunlaws.us is a pretty good site.

I have had to travel through several states that prohibit the carrying of firearms including South Carolina, New York, and Washington D.C.. Before entering those states, I unloaded my gun, stored the ammunition seperately and placed the gun (disassembled) in my suitcase inside the trunk. I understand that it was illegal and that it was a risk if I was stopped and searched, but then again, I would not give the police any reason to search my vehicle. Regardless, I would do the same if I had to.
 
I think you handled it well. Sounds like a definite setup. Strange that the police didn't come by to get a description and file an incident report of some kind. I wonder if the security officer really called them at all. It's quite possible that he was on the other side of the property because he was in on the scam.
 
The above happened to us nearly 20 years ago. For the most part, I travel alone now. My idea now is if someone kicks in the door, I go to the floor in a squat on other side of the bed and grab the gun, then paint the laser through the doorway and speed dial 911 on my cell. The above problem was years ago before cell phones were common.

I still use the Motel 6 often, because of an O2 concentrator and tank refill unit I use at night. It is a real bear to roll it any distance, especially on carpet. The lighter models don't have a refill system. I still rarely use O2 during the day.

And I seem to breathe very well when scared. :D

Hey OSUCowboy! The incident happened in OKC been back a lot of times since and had no problem. Keep wearin' the Orange. :D
 
Sounds like to me that, once she determined the coast was clear she would have robbed you or let an accomplice in. Well Done.
 
She was no doubt setting you up for a scam of some kind. Most likely it was going to be a beg for help and get you to give her some money for her drug habit. It could have been more serious when she had her boyfriend come out of the lot and hold you at gunpoint for a robbery.

When she saw you were not going to harm her but could protect yourself she was in a position of safety and a normal person would be happy awaiting the police. She no doubt had a record and warrants and didn't want to see the cops.

In nearly every case when a stranger approaches you, it is going to be some kind of a scam.
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Excellent points..much much more likely that it was a scam than like a Sopranos episode; honestly, I don't think I would have even opened the door. I would have told her to stay right there and that I've called management and the police and that they are on their way and I'd have stayed away from the door as it would be a poor barrier should a really bad scenario ensue.
 
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