What would you do in this situation?

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I agree with the lord. You did say that the gun never made its way from being pointed at the ground so obviously there wasn't an immediate threat. I would think that if his intentions were bad that he would have had more than a single shot bird gun in his hand so maybe he needed some kind of help. I know for sure that i wouldn't be walking at night in the amazon unarmed. He may have asked if you were armed thinking you could be a threat to him so that makes sense as well. Now i personally would have asked him why he wanted me to step out of the vehicle but thats just me. You obviously made it home safe or we wouldn't be reading about it so if you had run him over then that would make you a murderer. Let me take a wild guess and say that he was the chicken farmer and someone or something was disturbing his livestock and he was trying to resolve the situation??
 
I cant really answer the question truthfully as I would have not been unarmed. I NEVER leave my home without keys, phone, sidearm, and a knife or leatherman. That being said, I would not have gotten that close to the man. As mentioned above, stop short and ask questions. Run him down? Really? I hope none of you are my neighbors. Swerve around him and duck sounds like a better option all around. Now if he had fired, maybe, but probably not. AVOID CONFRONTATION if at all possible. There being no situation to begin with is the best resolve.
 
LordTio; I hear you and I'm not on board with running him over, but from how AmazonShooter's telling it, I would not have cooperated with this person. Gun in hand, asks me if I'm armed and then demands I get out of my vehicle before telling me what's going on?! No way am I going along with it. He could be a highwayman, and I would assume he was. If he was just some guy in desperate need of help, why not inform the person you're asking for help what the deal is? Here's an idea...put your gun down before you flag me down. I'd be more inclined to stop.
Amazon; can you please conclude this story? People are getting irritated.
 
Based on what you posted, I'd go with Clint Smith's advice: "Either drive or shoot..NOT BOTH!" I think I'd floor the gas while ducking down as best as I could.
 
I would have ducked low and floored it.Having been stationed in Honduras during the 80's the general rule was never stop at night,whether in the city or countryside.But we had at least as even a playing field as the locals,we never left the basecamps unless we were well armed.
 
LordTio; I hear you and I'm not on board with running him over, but from how AmazonShooter's telling it, I would not have cooperated with this person. Gun in hand, asks me if I'm armed and then demands I get out of my vehicle before telling me what's going on?! No way am I going along with it. He could be a highwayman, and I would assume he was. If he was just some guy in desperate need of help, why not inform the person you're asking for help what the deal is? Here's an idea...put your gun down before you flag me down. I'd be more inclined to stop.
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I agree completely.

If you've decided that you are going to engage this person and see what he wants, your best bet is to stop about 50 or 100 feet short, roll down your window and yell, "What's going on? Do you need help?" If he levels his weapon you put your head down and shift into reverse, but you've got distance on your side. Even if he starts to come toward the car, you can yell, "Hey, I'd appreciate it if you'd put that weapon down or stay where you are."

Personally, there are some of my weapons I wouldn't want to put in the dirt, but I am also never without a holster or a good sling on a long gun. A slung rifle is much less threatening than one at low ready.

I agree, we need to know what happened. I think it's universally accepted that it was a bad idea to let this guy get you out of your vehicle, pat you down, and order you around.

Sure, Don't argue with a man that has a gun... but don't blindly enter into a situation with one, JUST to have to follow his every order, SIMPLY because he has a gun. Too many tactical blunders to count in this one, on both sides.

~LT
 
Wow, there's an awful lot of chest-thumping going on here. Guy with a rifle in the wilderness in South America, outside of what could presumably be his farm... and there's a whole demographic that would Run Him Down No Questions Asked? Come on. You aren't impressing anyone here.
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I don't feel like its chest thumping at all. There is not a ton of pride or Bad-A points to be gained by running someone down with a car. Its just putting your safety over some random person's problems. You try to swerve around and duck, thats common sense, but I would NOT slow down or stop. Then you go from a fast moving clay pigeon, to a slow moving or stopped clay pigeon. And either way, I have never heard of a sane person jumping in front of a vehicle that they could not hail.
 
I would not have stopped.....

.............folks wanting help don't need a loaded shotgun to do it.


I'm going to duck down and floor it. If he fires at me as I flee, I can only assume he was going to kill me anyway, so no sense in making it easy for him. If it was completely different and he needed help, then it's too bad he didn't know how to ask nicely.
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Especially that last part.
 
I don't feel like its chest thumping at all. There is not a ton of pride or Bad-A points to be gained by running someone down with a car. Its just putting your safety over some random person's problems. You try to swerve around and duck, thats common sense, but I would NOT slow down or stop. Then you go from a fast moving clay pigeon, to a slow moving or stopped clay pigeon. And either way, I have never heard of a sane person jumping in front of a vehicle that they could not hail.
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Yah... trying to avoid him is one thing. But somehow I don't think the following shares the "avoidance" sentiment.

I dont know your state or laws but in NJ he clearly put you in imminent danger( does not matter if he pointed it at you or not) there fore you were justified to run his *** over. If I was 100% positive it was 16ga single shot I would have made the call to not stop and aim for him centered on the hood
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THAT'S Murder.

~LT
 
Some of the replies here are quite disturbing. Run the guy over because he is standing by the road with a shotgun in a non-threatening position? REALLY? Good luck with the jury on that one. His car could have broken down, his hunting buddy is injured and they need help...there are plenty of reasonable reasons why he would do this.

The fact that he is standing next to the road waving at you, with a gun pointed at the ground, is NOT going to hold up as a justifiable reason to run him down in any US court. I don't know how it would fly in Brazil.

You may not be obligated to stop, but you have no justifiable cause to run him over.
 
THAT'S Murder.
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Absolute freaking bunk. When a man with a gun steps in front of your car on a lonely road in the middle of no where, one would, I should think, have a reasonable fear. Go around, if you can, but keep going.

Being required to stop and find out what his intentions are and stay alive only if he wishes it, is an incredible positiion to take. Unfortunately, there's no way to really find out what's happening without stopping and putting your life in danger. Flagging a car is one thing. Stepping out with a gun is another.

There are always posters on this board who are very quick to condemn one for taking necessary life saving action if the perpetrator is killed or injured.

I'll take my chances with his one shot being bird shot or buck. Neither likely to penetrate the cab.
 
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I've been picturing an open back vehicle

I am definately asking him why as I first mentioned. At that point I am not hitting him with a door and getting off that easy. I am there and there is no changing that at this point. If I did choose to not stop I am not wasting time trying to go around someone who in my mind is going to be shooting at me. Chances are I'll swerve into him as he moves. If I floor it and go straight forward(going by OP's original story), there is no reason why he can't move out of the way of my vehicle. He'll see pretty quick I am not stopping as he had hoped upon standing in the road with his hand up holding a shotgun(seems like he wouldn't be surprised). I think the best advice I have heard is the stopping immediately upon seeing the stranger from a distance. I didn't think of this originally. I am definately edgy and suspicious at this time of night, seeing a firearm, not knowing this person, and being in a foreign country.

-really would appreciate an end of the story or how it played out...hopefully after all ended well(I am guessing) you told this guy that its not cool to start making demands without explaining himself. You aren't a mindreader, and you shouldn't have to wait patiently for this guy to 'ease your mind' on his snail mail schedule.
 
Some of the replies here are quite disturbing. Run the guy over because he is standing by the road with a shotgun in a non-threatening position.....
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Not BY the road.

IN the middle of the road, blocking it, with a gun in his hand at night. That's a non-threatening position to you? Yes, maybe he means you no harm, but maybe it's a prelude to robbery or worse. When the only way to find out is to stop, well..........your call, I guess.:cool:
 
Sure wish the OP would finish his story.
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That's right. Hey, Amazon Shooter, get your butt back here and finish the story. I'll bet he was looking for stolen chickens----right?:cool:

You said pizza. Are you sure it was BBQ chicken you had?:D
 
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IN the middle of the road, blocking it, with a gun in his hand at night. That's a non-threatening position to you? Yes, maybe he means you no harm, but maybe it's a prelude to robbery or worse. When the only way to find out is to stop, well..........your call, I guess.
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Yes, it is uncertain what his intentions are. The criticisms made are toward the people who have said simply to INTENTIONALLY RUN HIM DOWN without: 1- seeing if he IS a threat or 2- intentionally trying to avoid him.

Yes avoid him. Surely there's another way to get where you're going that doesn't involve getting ANY CLOSER to the strange man with the gun. Back up, do a 3 point turn, and go the other way.

If you DO decide to see what he wants, your best bet is to stop very short at about yelling distance and ask him nicely why he's in the middle of the road; and to keep his distance as long as he has that weapon.

To intentionally run him down without gaining any more information than what was gained by staying in the car, you've just murdered someone. It would be like going to the shooting range, being muzzle-swept by an inconsiderate and careless person, and instead of seeing whether or not they really meant to put you at gun-point, just going ahead and shooting them dead on the spot.

"Well he had a GUN! What was I supposed to do? Talk to him?!" Yes. If you were choosing to maintain the encounter, the next responsible thing to do would be to talk to him. Your other option is to back away and terminate the encounter by leaving the area. To force him to dodge your oncoming car would be like shoving the person to the ground and leaving.

If it matters to you, stop short and yell. If you're feeling squirrely and juvenile, then give him a "bluff charge". Chances are that's against the law, but whatever. But you don't just kill someone because they have a gun and you're not 100% certain of their intentions.

~LT
 
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