Who is important?

I guess I'm different..........I guess its the cop in me.

I come across simular situations, those odds and someone getting hurt I would have to step in.
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The OP wasn't active duty LE, so his response of getting-the-heck-outta-Dodge was the only smart one.

For those of us in LE however, sometimes that option just doesn't present itself. Normally, when a large fight call comes in, we have the luxury of radios to coordinate a simultaneous arrival.

An old schooler once told me "Lot's of sirens and drive slow. By the time you get there, either they've split or they're too tired to fight any more". ;) :D

Sometimes though, you round the corner on "routine" patrol and unexpectedly find yourself in the thick of it. You can't simply back off and wait for backup.

Maybe I will get my A$$ kicked. Its been kicked before.
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Yep, and sometimes when you least expect it. I stumbled on such a fight one night. There was a large crowd in the street, but the actual fighters were only two women. "How hard can this be?" I thought :rolleyes:. Radioed it in and waded in to seperate them. Just as I did, one of them threw a roundhouse punch. I didn't see the keys protruding from her fist. I still have the scar below my eye, and the docs said half an inch higher, I would've lost the eye.

Those of us in LE are obligated to act, but others really need to assess the situation before trying to render aid. You can't help someone if you're lying in the street beside them.
 
After reading through this thread and seeing the comments, I will say that the fact that you were able to come away from it unscathed is a good outcome. I take it you're not a sworn police/peace officer and don't have the responsibility/priority to Protect and Serve the public, so you did your job by looking out for #1.

From what others have posted, you should take away an important lesson from this situation like having your phone/CCW more easily accessible to you in case you do need them. Also, calling 911 from a safe location is a good idea too.

@ sigcurious - what you experienced was the bystander effect.
 
BikerBill and Capt. Charlie.
You guys honor your profession.

I have a series of personal stories where I was targeted by LEO's as the instigator or BG and in actuality I was a bystander or innocently involved. But that didn't suppress the LEO from pistol whipping me or arresting me and putting me in jail at the worst possible time in my families safety. So I have a sore Urination about being trashed and booked for nada. Incidentally I have a clean record, every single charge was dropped, including the hind end pummeling of the Alaska State Trooper, which I delivered. He won't do that again.

But in all honesty I am impressed with the dedication and selflessness reflected by a very few LEO's (Present company included) This is why I asked the question. In my reflection of the event I felt the twinge again of wanting to help the injured by getting involved. However I don't believe in a second that I would choose that direction.

Lastly, I intend to take a tactical CHL course locally, with my bride and adapt my riding style to better effect my control of dangerous situations and also help her comfort level with handguns.

Edited for language filter avoidance -GEM
 
Why did you feel it was relevant to mention the race of the individuals involved?
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Having to worry about offending someone for describing a situation is getting old. Please go cry wolf somewhere else.

Knowing the details allows for a better picture of the ordeal.

Example a group of white guys beating a small handful of blacks in the south in the 60's describes in my mind a racial beating. If I had left out the races and said a group of men fighting in the street it doesn't help to explain the situation.

If race has relevance when its beneficial for the minority it certainly has relevance when it isn't.
 
Streetprowler said:
Make your weapon and a means of communication more accessible. If you are not able to access either, what is the point of carrying them?
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Good points which have been made previously and without any school yard accusations.

So you buy auto insurance to use it for parking lot scratches?

Come on man, carrying a gun is still better than not, even if it is tough to access.

I call BS on the premise of "what's the point".

I would rather have a gun somewhere in the house when it is needed, than wish my neighbors could help me.

I believe I have explained myself sufficiently and heard from some smart people who have suggested some excellent ideas, your post isn't one of them.
 
Folks, know the rules - if you are new here, study them. You don't impress us by using a dirty word with symbols to avoid the filter.

It doesn't make you seem a tough guy.

And if you do it again, you get to go bye-bye.

We run a family site, cuss elsewhere with the boys.

GEM

Also, this thread is starting to become some guys bickering. Have all the questions been answered? Otherwise, no need to contribute to such.
 
Honestly I don't think I would have stopped even in my truck. Is that wrong?
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Do the Texas two-step:

Step 1: get safely out of the area

Step 2: call 911 and give the dispatcher a good report; location, description, etc.

And when you get home, you can watch the evening news to find out what the big ruckus was all about, if you're still interested.
 
I wont break down,re post,and criticize your question like some.It's a tough call on when to intervene,Reginald Denny?a rape going on?store robbery?Use of force is to be used in a circumstance to prevent severe harm to you or others.It's a tough call to decide at which point your interaction is needed,do i step in?or just decide like most "It doesn't concern me". I myself still out of habit fall back on Protect,Defend,Assist.Caring is what separates you from the other animals.
If it were me on the bike,i would have made sure my pistol was easily accessible,rode out of harms way,and called L.E.
 
To help or not to help that is the question.

I'm torn on this because if in this situation myself I would desperately welcome the help.

That said I don't know the details on this situation. It involves a crowd much larger than one man could handle.

I would have had to drive away and phone LE.
 
Fall back and call the cops. Like them or not their job is to handle that type of situation. For all you know it was a gang initiation or possibly a turf fight.

You were out numberred with no idea of the specifics. That means it is not your fight and you could get in trouble for intervening on the wrong side. Another possible outcome is that the presence of your gun escalates things in to a running gun battle. That isn't something you are likely to win in any fashion.
 
Primary Duty

is to the safety or you and your loved ones. A service that might be rendered to others is not on that list, though it is somewhere on the overall list - but not under the circumstances you described. If your family or friends were involved that might change this evaluation, but you indicated these were all non-acquaintences. Just random gangs of dudes brawling in the street.

You can't immediately distinguish what is happening, who is on what side, doing what to whom, and your intervention is likely to either be useless or cause harm to yourself and/or to the wrong "side" in the altercation. There might not even be a "right" side. A CCW is most definitely not equivalent to an oath to protect and serve the general public, and you're not the MasterChief.

Fall back, drive through quickly, whatever to get some distance away from the melee. Call 911; but PK was right, your phone needs to be on your person and accessible. What if you fell off and couldn't get back to your saddlebags on the bike - how would you call for help while lying in a ditch with broken legs? Anyway, calling 911 is the smartest, and most likely, the only service you owe to your community at large.

ps. it might be better for the gene pool anyway to let some of these idiots kill each other off before calling the mounties...
 
Some motorcycle head sets allow cell phone integration, the goldwing has a built in sound system/intercom system a phone can be added to with a third party addition and you can talk thru the headsets in the helmut.

Or use a bluetooth setup for instant use.
 
Gang fight? Best to leave as quickly as you can. Good work not hitting any of them. You don't want them looking for you.

I use a Bluetooth headset inside my full face helmet. Since I can't manipulate the buttons on the unit with the helmet on I still have to manipulate the phone by hand to make or receive calls. I have been thinking about switching to a Bluetooth helmet but they are pricey.

Also, I have been riding with my FLIP video recorder lately behind my visor off and on lately. Set it to low resolution/quality and it can record my entire ride. I wipe the memory before each ride. Lots of guys have been saved recently in accidents/altercations because of the video they had.
 
My two cents worth. First off late night/ early morning, mountain road, dark, motorcycle, cars turning in front of you large group of people doing violence in the road!! You did an extremely good job of avoiding a crash which quite likely would have put you right into the midst of things. You avoided everyone including the guys in the road quickly and I would guess accellerated quickly away, excellent. You were in a situation you could not possibly win with no "gain" even if you stopped to "help". If you say you didn't feel safe stopping to call 911 then I will trust your judgement. So your loved ones and you are the important ones.

I am sad that you distrust all LEOs due to some bad experiences (yes they were very bad and the sort of thing that makes good cops hang their head) but most of the police in the U.S. are not there for the money or glory they are good men and women doing a tough job. Were the situation different and a large group of blacks, whites, chinese, etc. were pulling people out of cars and you happened to slip through I would hope you would take the risk of pulling over for a minute to make the 911 call.

A phone that you can easily and quickly access is much better than one you will have to spend time digging for, even if for your own safety, in the event of a motorcycle crash you might not be physically able to dig too deep for it or even be conscious long enough. All factors considered you did quie well!!
 
Like it has been stated before and is my opinion I ain't the police and there were from your discription more folks than you had ammo and also as stated who is the good and who is the bad. Best bet 911
 
I would have just made tracks for someplace else! Stopping to help out in a riot is not your department. C.Y.A. and let the cops deal with the mess.
Mace
 
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