This did not happen to me or anyone I know. The account is re-posted from reddit.com:
On Monday, January 24th 2011, I was on my way to work at approximately 7:30am. I was on a stretch of interstate that was 4 lanes wide, going north. If the lanes were labeled |1|2|3|4| then I was in lane 2. Directly beside me in lane 1 was a truck with a connected trailer full of lawn equipment. In the cab of the truck were 3 Mexican men. Directly beside me in lane 3 was a woman applying her makeup and singing aloud. Traffic was moving about 30 MPH. At one point, the truck in lane 1 started changing lanes into MY lane (2). I had nowhere to go because of the lady in lane 3, so I leaned on my horn in hopes of getting the driver of the truck’s attention so they wouldn’t hit me or knock me into the other lady, etc.
Thankfully, the truck’s driver did hear the horn and swerved back into his lane before squashing me. The truck was about half a car’s length ahead of me, so I must have been in a blind spot when all this happened.
Anyway, I was just relieved that the accident had been avoided. Suddenly, the Mexican fellow closest to the passenger window started staring back at me, mouthing something. Then he started flipping me the bird, gesturing wildly, and obviously shouting something (that I couldn’t hear because the windows were up). The middle passenger in the truck soon joins in. I just look at them confused and give a shrug like “what are you mad about – I was only honking to prevent an accident, which I did!”
The only way to describe how they started acting after that is “ape shit”. I tried to ignore them for what seemed like an hour, but was actually probably about a minute. Then the thing I feared most happened – traffic came to a complete stop, with this truck right still in the lane beside me, but about a full car length ahead. Sure enough, the passenger door opened and man #1 got out.
I reached in to my glove box, retrieved my Glock, and put it on the seat beside me. Man #1 started punching his fist into his other hand and took a step towards me. I’m no young man now, but when I was I was a fighter. I don’t fear an ass whooping, but I’m not going to take a beating from 3 men for absolutely no reason.
At this point, here is my thinking… if one guy comes at me and wants to fight, I’ll fight if I must. If his friends join in, I’ll send them back to their truck by drawing my pistol.
By the time man #1 took a second step, I opened my car door and got out, moving my pistol to the driver’s seat. I got out because I didn’t want to get attacked while still sitting in my car – it’s hard to defend yourself from that position. But as I got out, the middle passenger slide out onto the interstate, clearly about to head my way. I wasn’t even completely upright from getting out of the car yet, so I grabbed my pistol and put it behind my back.
At this point it was obvious to me that these 2 guys, and possibly the 3rd as well, were going to attack me so I just looked at them and said, “you don’t want to do this – get back in your truck.” Man #1 looked at man #2 and started laughing, then turned to me and said how they were gonna fuck me up so bad I’ll wish I was dead. I then said, “all I did was honk to keep you from hitting me. I haven’t done anything to you. Just get back in your truck and let’s be on our way.”
At this time, man #3 – the driver – gets out and starts walking my way carrying a baseball bat. He isn’t talking – he seems to be all business. At that point I pulled my pistol, worked the slide to chamber a round, and aimed it directly at man #1 (closest) and repeated, “get back in your truck.” I wasn’t crazy-eyed, I wasn’t shaking, my voice wasn’t cracking – I was calm and steady. Man #1 froze in his tracks. Man # 2 started walking backwards toward the truck. Man #3 kept advancing, although more slowly.
With a slight pivot, I trained the gun on man #3 and told him if he took one more step towards me with that bat I would kill him. Man #3 froze, and it appeared that he just then noticed that I had a gun. Man #1 apologized over and over and went back to the truck. Now it was me and the driver.
I said to him, “all I did was honk my horn so you wouldn’t run into me when you were changing lanes and THIS is what happened. All because you and your boys wanted to fuck with someone. Get back in your car and get the fuck out of here before someone dies today.” He thanked me for the warning honk and walked backwards to his car.
As unlikely as it seems, I haven’t heard from the police or anyone about this yet. We were stopped on a very busy interstate and there had to be at least 20 people in plain sight of all this. I wouldn’t be surprised if it appeared on or something.
But I can tell you this: if it weren’t for my gun I would have gotten the ass beating of a lifetime that day. Maybe I handle the first guy, but no way I handle 3 of them, one with a baseball bat. My gun saved my ass that day. It may have even saved my life. Without it, maybe the guy hits me just right in the head and I die. Who knows?
Why didn’t the guy stay in the car with the windows up and the doors locked? If they’d started bashing his windows with the bat, he could have threatened with the gun, or fired. Stepping out of the car seems unsafe, and required him to escalate the conflict by drawing a gun. But this is just my Monday-morning quarterbacking. Anybody else have thoughts on this?
The reason cops always get out of a car when they roll up to a confrontation is because the weakest position anyone can be in is in a car. You can’t move to defend yourself , you certianly can’t escape, and usualy its difficult to ever bring a weapon to bear with any kind of accuracy. besides, then it looks like you locked youself in and goaded and taunted the others into attacking you so you could then shoot them without warning. You have an obligation to warn if possible before the situation escilates. He did Precisely all the right things and nobody was hurt. best possible outcome.
I wouldnt want to shoot out of a car. I like my eardrums too much.
Don’t get out of the car. Lock all the doors.
Call 911 on your cellphone as soon as the guy gets out of his truck.
If attacked, use the handgun to defend yourself.
If you don’t get out of the car, they have a good chance of coming up from behind your car and swinging that bat through your window and into your head. If you can’t escape, he’s pretty well forced to get out.
Assuming this is all on the up and up, I’m wondering why he would allow himself to get boxed-in in the first place. He knew the truck peeps were aggressive. He could see the traffic coming to a halt. Why not put plenty of space between himself and the car ahead, and look right (they don’t call it the emergency lane for nothing) or left (the median is you friend) for an avenue of escape?
It’s important to follow the old rule when behind another car: tarmac and tires. You should be able to see both. Remembering that your car is a hell of a deadly weapon, too.
And there’s no doubt that he should have called 911 afterwards. MANY self-defense CCW holders get popped for brandishing when their attackers phone it in. The defender faces ENORMOUS hassle and an excellent chance of losing their right to carry. As the rabbi points out, the first one to call the cops is the victim.
That is exactly right. Farago nails it. Tire and tarmac. Excellent safety practice, and not just to avoid traffic accidents. Never place your car anywhere you can’t get it out. I once avoided a carjacking just that way. Oh, look. A pipe. Well, I have a car. So I ran over him.
Dan Baum also nails it. Why on earth get out of the car? I wouldn’t step out of the car except to step into an armored truck. And why on earth get out of the car *without* the gun if you believe you are in lethal danger? What is this? Defense against felony assault or a ritual of teenage machismo?
I don’t know this because I wasn’t there so I should probably shut up, but the scenario rings slightly less than true for me. Mexicans, hmm. And they continued to badger him for no reason even when he smiled sheepishly and waved, “sorree, my bad.” I’m sure that’s exactly how it happened. That’s how all males intuitively react in traffic near-misses.
“I don’t know this because I wasn’t there so I should probably shut up, but the scenario rings slightly less than true for me. Mexicans, hmm. And they continued to badger him for no reason even when he smiled sheepishly and waved, “sorree, my bad.” I’m sure that’s exactly how it happened. That’s how all males intuitively react in traffic near-misses.”
Heh, I live in a city. I have been cut off many times. A few times I have been cut off by a black guy and been flipped off. Why? I don’t know. I am just doing 65 in my own lane. I have also been flipped off by Mexicans trying to get around me when we are in girdlock. I once had a large white guy in a Dodge with a trailer pass me flipping me off as well. I am not a bad driver. I do the speed limit. I don’t cut anyone off and when I do it is a complete accident and I do try and wave and show I am apologetic. I chaulk it up to the race card.
Not to be racist, but I am white and when I was younger you might charitably have described me as an “aggressive driver.” The only people who ever chased me were white males in the coveted 18-25 demographic. That’s east coast, west coast, north and south, urban and rural (I’ been every where man).
He did good. Thank God for the outcome.
The only suggestion would be that I heard that yelling something like: “Stop, or I’ll shoot” is helpful (pointedly for witnesses to hear)
I am of two minds about this. I can see Dan Baum’s point, but…
1 – Sitting in a car is a very vulnerable position. You can’t turn, take cover or evade.
2 – Firing a handgun in a car is going to cause some degee of permanent hearing loss. I know a lady who blew out an eardrum from doing that. She has lost 50% of her hearing on that side.
3 – Sitting in the car and locking the doors and windows is a prey response. Predators respond to weakness by attacking. Wouldn’t this increase the likelyhood of attack?
I do think he should have called the police after the incident. If the guys in the truck had been smart they would have called the cops and reported a man threating them with a gun.
Even in the limited space in a traffic jam, a 3000 lb car can squish somebody or effectively pin them against other cars in very nasty ways.
The car itself is a weapon.
Against fists and a baseball bat, the car is darned good cover. To smash a side window with a bat, an attacker has to get right up next to the car, which would make the attacker an easy target for a handgun.
A bat is not getting through a windshield for several strikes.
The body of the car also serves as a shield against unarmed attackers coming up on the other side, at least while the doors are locked.
Granted, if the attackers pull out their own guns, it’s different. But no gun appeared in the attackers hands situation as told above.
By getting out of the car, you expose yourself to direct attack from three guys armed with a bat. You increase the chances that you, yourself at hit by another car, especially if a driver sees you with your gun and panics.
If three guys are trying to beat me to death, I don’t care if I lose some of my hearing when I shoot them from inside my car.
I can be alive with hearing loss.
People can break car windows quickly –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAh-8WsEG4A
Dan, first off, I would just like to say that I enjoy reading your posts here. I may not agree with you on a some non-gun issues, but it is nice to hear from a liberal who supports gun rights. Keep it up. With respect to the original post, I would say, in my very non-professional opinion, that getting out does have it’s advantages. By getting out of the car, he gave himself more mobility. If he just sat in the car, the bat may have gone through the window, hit or disoriented him, and prevented him from defending himself. In addition, he gave himself the option of running by getting out of the car. I look forward the Rabbi’s take on this.
I agree with the majority here. He should have stayed in the car. Moving from a place of relative safety into a place of danger is just dumb. It also makes him look like an aggressor to a neutral 3rd party (i.e. someone calling the cops.)
There were three of them – once he got out of the car he was in serious danger of having the three of them on three sides of him. I don’t care if you’re Neo from The Matrix or the quickest gun in the world, being surrounded on three sides with no cover is a recipe for disaster.
No matter how many guns you have or how good you are with them, you don’t have eyes on the back of your head.
I have to agree with Magoo. This story is just a little too “pat” to be true. It actually sounds like a scenario crafted by a “self defense consultant” who has a vested interest in convincing people that if not for our trusty Glocks, we would all be prey to bat-weilding Mexicans.
I would also add that if our apocryphal “victim” had actually shot somebody, the fact that he moved from safety to danger makes it look less like a “self defense” shooting and a lot more like he was (best case) a willing participant in the altercation or (worst case) a vigilante on a hunting expedition.
A agree. This reads like one of those chain email that people keep forwarding to me — that are never true.
I look forward to the Rabbi’s input as well – personally, I would have also exited the car (assuming that traffic indeed has come to a hault and I could not get moving again). Personally, I’m too tall, big, and generally awkward inside a car to counter an attack (again, assuming I couldn’t drive away).
Let me see if I have this right? Stay in the car. Lock the doors. Wait to be attacked. Once they break through the glass, begin recklessly discharging your gun in dense traffic. Or better yet, floor it and start smashing your foes and anyone one else into paste.
Or, do what any trained law enforcement officer would do. Move to a position of dominance, respond with an appropriate level of force against the most immediate threat, issue commands, and be ready to escalate as necessary. (call for backup)
Either you are in the best position you can be to shoot, (behind cover, but mobile), or your attacker(s) rethink their gross miscalculation of the victim selection process, thank you for helping them see the error in their ways, and move on down the road.
First, he wasn’t a cop, and had no duty to try and arrest anybody. Second, there are three of them. If he gets out the chances are close to 100% that one or more of them will get behind him. What then? Inside the car at least he has some distance from anybody behind him as well as a physical barrier. Outside he has none. Once he exits and the three guys approach he basically either has to start shooting, or threaten to shoot and hope the bad guys back off. Either way he runs the risk of being hit from behind and then either beaten senseless or having his gun taken away and used against him.
Martin – I don’t think Travis was suggesting a citizen’s arrest. To offer a counterpoint, he has an equal chance (100%) of someone being able to get behind him if he is in the car as well. Worse yet, if while the guy with the bat is smashing in his windshield or drivers window, another person can be entering the car from the backseat (assuming a 4-door car), potentially setting himself up to be chocked, stabbed, punched, shot, etc. Also, he only saw the bat – no one knows if the other 2 guys were armed or not. Sitting in the drivers seat offers little protection, unless you can drive away from the situation.
Tied up in a Box is a great way to begin a violent attack. Did I suggest that he ought to try and arrest them? No. Move to a position that will allow YOU choices: Retreat/Defend. The “Protection” of the car only buys you as much time as it takes a guy with a bat to break in your side window. At which point you are tied up in a box. If 3 attackers can surround you, 3 attackers can surely surround your car, break the windows and open the doors in only a few more seconds, then beat the crap out of you because….you are tied up in a box.
More people should watch The Best Defense on the Outdoor channel. They actually had a segment on what to do when in your car and attacked. The scenario was exactly what this guy did. The trainer went so far as to say get to the back of the car so that when they are coming you can shoot at them from under the car with little chance of getting shot and hit. He went over multiple ways and angles in which to fire from. Basically this dude turned his car into a big metal sandbag. Sounds like this guy just knew what he was doing.
I would also like to add that a lot of people on here commenting against this guy doing this seem to have the ‘wait and see’ mentality when it comes to self defense. What difference does it make if you were right or wrong in your actions in regards to the law if you are dead? Trapped in a car is too late. This guy did what was right. He avoided a confrontation by being the one to start the confrontation once they were stopped. He had the bigger stick and no one got hurt. Self defense comes in all kinds of forms. When someone wanted to fight me mano oh mano at the local swimming hole or hang out I would take my shirt off first and walk toward my ‘aggressor’. I was built for my age and still am. Kids would back down and no one got hurt. What’s wrong in that?
But he didn’t retreat or defend. He exited the car and moved towards his assailants.
At that point, his actions were no longer defensive.
“But he didn’t retreat or defend. He exited the car and moved towards his assailants.
At that point, his actions were no longer defensive”
Actually the moment someone walks toward you with a bat it is self defense. What are you gonna do with a bat? Make pancakes? You hit things with a bat.
I read it again to make sure. Says he got out of the car. Later on it says he pivoted. I didn’t see a “TOWARDS.”
Obviously moving toward your attacker(s) is not desireable because it negates the guns primary advantage.
Whether this story is true or not, the scenario is valid. There is a similar one on the first chapter of “Lessons from Armed America” by Kathy Jackson and Mark Walters.
I agree that staying in the car would be the best strategy if you KNEW that you were dealing with a couple of A Holes that just wanted to scare a yuppie. It would also work pretty well if you KNEW that they would give up easily and settle for putting a dent in your fender, or be scared off by the sight of your gun. However, against a DETERMINED attacker, whose objective is to do Grave Bodily Harm, to You, Right Now, you would not be in the best position to best utilize your best tool.
Apologies for any snarkyness, I had not yet had my Diet Mtn Dew this morning.
Great Topic and Debate from a great Website.
His number one mistake was being to close to other vehicles, he didn’t have an escape route and he almost got in an accident. My dad calls it his bubble. He learned it from some diplomatic security guys when he lived in DC, I learned it while training to transport prisoners. You always have a way out and you always leave plenty of room. That alone would have meant this situation never happened.
Secondly, he should have called 911 immediately as he knew the situation was escalating. You always call for back up.
I do not agree that staying in the car is the beast way to protect yourself though. You are constricted and trapped without many options, especially if you are boxed in due to not following the bubble concept. If they don’t have you surrounded and you can get out either door safely, then putting the whole car not just the door, between you and them is the best option.
I cast my vote for fictional account.
He should have slowed down and let them into his lane after that close call. He kept on even after the occupants of the truck were obviously agitated. Just let them in and then attempt to create some space by slowing down a bit. Hopefully someone else will then slide into your lane between the your vehicle and his. If this doesn’t work and they insist on matching your speed, or otherwise continue with the harassing , just call the police. Give them the plate number and report it as a very erratic, possibly drunk driver. Get to an outside lane if possible. Keep an eye up the road to spot when traffic comes to a standstill. This way you can stop before the vehicle ahead of you does. Try to keep at least one full car length in front for room to maneuver.
He claims that his intent was to fight the first guy out of the truck if he had to, drawing his gun if the other passengers got involved. Really? What planet is he from? The chances of truck dude #1’s buddies not joining in seem pretty slim to me. He should have stayed in the car, called the police (again), and hope that showing the gun while still in the car would deter them until traffic started moving.
Just my 2 cents.
A critical moment: when our hero steps out of the car and advances toward the bad guys. This they will certainly perceive as a challenge and the confrontation instantly escalates into manly combat, aka traditional primate behavior.
Me, I will stay in the car — while ostentatiously dialing 911. Chances are good (though by no means certain) they will only want to taunt me and perhaps bang on my car for a bit. When they have taught me a lesson and the traffic starts moving again, they’ll probably move on too. It’s a hassle filing a police complaint and pushing punks though the court system, I know from experience, but it beats fighting a firearms manslaughter charge, I bet.
Here’s the thing about carrying for self-defense, and why I don’t: It doesn’t really expand your options for safety in everyday social settings. In a strange way it restricts them except in the most clear-cut cases of criminal aggression with intent to do bodily harm. The firearm is always the absolute last resort in any case, and you had better not draw it unless you are 110 percent prepared to fire it. If there is any way to avoid drawing the firearm, that’s the far better choice. What’s the best way to react to a threat when carrying a firearm? Until there are absolutely no other options, exactly as though you weren’t carrying one. So I don’t.
Assuming the car is blocked from moving, the only reason to leave it is to make a speedy retreat — presenting a weapon is the last resort. And it would have been a good idea to call 911 asap. Finally, this scenario is more like a scene from a bad Richard Bachman novel than an event in RL, but it’s a good hypothetical.
How does anyone here “know” that the author of that story had a viable route to drive away? It didn’t say that in the story.
That is the only scenario in which the advice to “stay in the car” or “drive away” is valid.
If there is nowhere to drive away to, because you are blocked in traffic, staying in the car (after an opponent demonstrates hostile intent, approaches you, and/or has a weapon) is both “victim mentality/red flag for predators” and a very vulnerable position. You cannot take cover, you cannot dodge, you cannot easily see in all directions. If the driver of the truck had a gun, the author of the story would be a sitting duck.
Given the circumstances described in the story, getting out of the car (after the opponents made the first deliberate move) was the best option available to the author.
This seems relevant:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BTT/is_168_28/ai_112685749/
Am I correct? This man, thinking that a fight might take place leaves his gun on his driver’s seat? He claims that he could take one on with his fists, but what happens when he is beating up the first hapless bad-guy? Seemingly, he expects the two friends to stay in the truck. How would this happen? How does he expect to disengage from a fight and retrieve a gun from the front seat before the bad-guys either overpowered him or simply found the gun by change when they were attacking his car.
I do not know if it was a good idea to leave the car, but I know it was a horrible idea to leave the gun behind.
Also, I, too, have real doubts about the truthfulness of the story.
You know, the more we hash this out, the more the whole story smells of BS. The three guys get out to take on our armed hero in broad daylight? And nobody calls the cops or does anything despite the fact that there are (apparently) motorists all around watching this scene unfold?
And why mention the race of the truck’s occupance? If they were white would he have mentioned their race? Of what relevance is that to the situation? Or is the author of this piece simply trying to paint a frightful picture of angry brown people who randomly visit violence on our innocent (and presumably white) hero?
A wholly innocent protagonist, a seemingly harmless act, an unexpected threat from the minority du jour, and our hero prevailing – this has all the hallmarks of an urban legend.
“I said to him, “all I did was honk my horn so you wouldn’t run into me when you were changing lanes and THIS is what happened. All because you and your boys wanted to fuck with someone. Get back in your car and get the fuck out of here before someone dies today.” He thanked me for the warning honk and walked backwards to his car.”
This is in the same vein, but not nearly as well-written as the exchange Josey Wales has with Ten Bears.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3bxZKR_PZk
How many crews of hispanic gardeners do you suppose carry around a baseball bat? Maybe I’m ignorant – maybe this is common. But a baseball bat just seems like the default weapon choice of a storyteller.
The whole thing just seems implausible. The guy says he was willing to fight if just one of the dudes approached, but would “send them back to their truck by drawing [his] pistol” if the others joined. How does he plan to hold his gun while doing the streetfighter thing? If he had a holster, he doesn’t mention it. What’s his plan if the guy he’s fighting knocks him down, or knocks him woozy, or – worst case – knocks him out cold and takes the gun? And all this in broad daylight on a crowded interstate?
Nonetheless, an interesting scenario. I would’ve stayed in my car, called the cops, and prepared to defend myself using the gun, the car, or both. Not sure if that would have been ideal, but it’s what I think I would have done.
A lot of good comments have been made already. First off, it is recommended to drive in an outer lane that allows for an escape route such as a break down lane or even a sidewalk. Keeping plenty of distance from the car in front of you will allow you to maneuver an escape.
I don’t recommend keeping a firearm in the glove box as it is slow to retrieve, requires your movement to the right when your attention may be needed to your left and is easy to forget when making an exit, especially under stress. Placing it on the passenger seat is not much better. It should be on your person.
Keeping the chamber unloaded is a big no-no. If engaged, you may not have time to rack the slide, your support hand may be busy holding family members away, blocking or striking, your support hand may be injured or you may foul the action making the gun inoperable. Keep your gun loaded.
If possible, using your car as a weapon is a great choice if faced with lethal force.
911 should have been called as soon as traffic started to build up which is the first opportunity for nasty comments to turn to fisticuffs. However, traffic can build with little warning and not leave much time for phone calls. 911 calls are slow on cell phone. Before being connected to the police, you must explain to an operator what the problem is and where before the operator decides who to connect you with: ambulance, fire or state police or local police. Even with a speedy connection, the chances of cops getting to you in time is zero. Even so, leaving the phone connection open allows the police to hear and record the event and will help you in your claim of victimhood.
As to whether or not to get out of the car, that answer is not clear. It is very difficult to impossible fight while trapped in a car, so getting out can be beneficial. However, that depends on how close the attackers are. If they are close, getting out could very well be problematic as you may be walking into their fists rather than giving yourself an opportunity to avoid them. Getting out may allow you to place the car between you and your victims, but with multiple attackers that benefit can go out the window quickly.
In terms of the use of force against unarmed attackers, the concept of “force of numbers” within “disparity of force” allows you to use a higher level of force than you are facing when attacked by more than one person. When a baseball bat enters the picture and you are in jeopardy, you are now facing lethal force and can certainly respond with equal force.
Using lethal force against a gang member who is not the one holding the weapon is covered by the Warren Doctrine, that states “within a gang, any member of the mob shares the responsibility for causing reasonable fear. After all but one of the gang are disabled, the last standing is no longer part of a gang.”
Based on the victim’s account, it seems that he did well. He got out in order to be able to defend himself against a single perp rather than being trapped in the car. He did not intent to use his gun until the 2nd perp made his intentions known-good so far.
When the 2nd perps gets out threatening grave bodily injury he starts talking and says, “all I did was honk to keep you from hitting me. I haven’t done anything to you. Just get back in your truck and let’s be on our way.” It hard to tell, but I think he was wasting valuable time and perhaps should have challenged them with his firearm instead of trying to talk his way out of it which would have kept the attackers farther away from him rather than letting them walk closer. Hard to call from a reader’s limited point of view.
If not done already, a 911 call should have definitely been made after the altercation lest the attackers make the call and claim a madman threatened them with a gun.
There is no right or wrong answer as to whether to exit the vehicle or stay inside—too many variables. If may be best in one situation, but not in another. Keep in mind: you can do everything right and still have a bad day—especially when facing 3 attackers.
Good point. When I was in Afghanistan I was issued both a rifle and a pistol. The rifle I carried with me when I went outside our immediate sub-camp or to the tent where I worked, otherwise it stayed in a rack. The pistol was on me everywhere except when I was in the shower. I carried it in a thigh holster that was issued to me. Officially the rule was that weapons were to be in condition 3 (chamber empty) while on the base. However, after thinking about it, I realized that the only circumstance I could see needing a pistol would be if someone already on base went berserk and started shooting or slashing at me as I walked around the camp. Figuring I would need to use my off-hand potentially to ward off the attacker while I drew my pistol, it made more sense to carry it with a round in the chamber so that’s what I did.
“Murphy’s Laws of War” has been around a long time, the first time I saw it was in the pre-internet days circa 1993 when I was at Fort Bragg. And my favorite one was the one that goes “In Combat, anything you do can get you killed, including doing nothing.”
Rabbi, would you please elaborate on your criteria for calling 911, especially in this scenario. This may be somewhat naïve, but it seems a little excessive to call 911 because someone flipped you the bird and now traffic is stopping. Would the police see this as overreacting and a waste of 911’s resources? I’m just trying to make sure that I’m reading your advice right.
I would not recommend calling 911 over every flip of the bird, but I was working off the victim’s description of the truckers’ behavior as “ape shit.” There was no real threat so long as both vehicles were driving (assuming the truck would not try to run into the car), but when at a stop, if the behavior was truly over the top, it would be wise to report it to have it on record and have a recording of the future encounter (as long as the caller kept the line open). This would bring a police response sooner (not soon enough to help) and establish yourself as the victim.
If nothing came of it, a call back to report “trouble over” would be wise.
I don’t believe the story, but he should have called 911 before getting out of his car. Then he could have warned the badguys to keep back while he could be heard by the people on the phone with 911 (they record all calls and they would have recorded his warning).
How did the writer know that the evil doers were Mexican? Not “possibly hispanic” or “hispanic looking,” but Mexican?
Ralph, all evildoers are Mexican drug gangs. They are the cause of all the problems in Mexico (including the police and government corruption which has been going on since Mexico was a country!) And of course all Mexicans are drug gang members, and all persons from South America, Portugal, Spain, Cuba and Miami or anywhere else where they speak Spanish or something that sounds like Spanish are all Mexicans. Halliburton.
Hmm. I wonder if my Portuguese landscaper is Mexican. I’ll have to check.
I checked. He says he’s Brazilian. Is Brazil near Mexico?
Helpful tips! I have been hunting for something like that for a time finally. Thank you!
Just think If the author had chosen to shoot: jail time. So how do guns protect your freedom?
apart from that, story sounds pretty fake. the mexican gang attack fat white women for using their horns has been played out for 150 yrs
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