Wife Being Followed

[adams020604]

Let's say, that your spouse goes to your local grocery store to pick up a few items. While she is driving she calls you to see if there is anything that you want from the store. While your speaking, two guys in a car driving next to her ask her to roll down her window and then they proceed to ask if she has a boyfriend while your still on the phone. As she finally arrives at the store the same two guys that drove next to her pull in next to her and while she is trying to get out of the car, they proceed to box her in. Do you...
a) tell spouse to call the police and get an accurate description?
b) Get your firearm and proceed to the same store to protect spouse?
c) Let her handle the situation.

Also, if any of your spouses have had this situation happen post and tell us what was the outcome.

[mikeb3185]

A

B is a bad idea, i our society it would be said "you went looking for trouble" plus yo may be too late

C i'm sure my wife could handle itbut i do not want to find out

[CNYCacher]

"Honey, throw it in 4 low and punch it, just like we talked about."

So what if she is only getting 18 miles to a gallon, I like knowing she can drive her way out of any situation :)

[twoblink]

Assuming you had a second phone, (you are in the house or office, and talking to her on the cell or visa versa) I would have her stay online with you, while you call 911. Tell her to not turn off the engine, and proceed to the nearest police station. Don't open the car door, don't stop, do not pass go, do not collect $200.

My friend was at a red light, when someone knocked on the window. Stupidity set in, and he unrolled the window.. The guy asked if he wanted to "Buy a knife". My friend said "No". The guy pulled out a switch blade, put it to his throat, and "Insisted". My friend emptied his wallet, and drove off..

Horrible story, but that's what you get for rolling down the window.

Getting out of a car, is dangerous. If she drove up to the police station, chances are they won't follow.

One of the local cops told me, if something like this ever happened, I should drive up to the emergancy lane in a hospital, you can stop there, and honk, and someone will come out.. if you don't have a phone and didn't want to get out of the car..

[jrou111]

1. My wife ignores ANYONE doing that kind of thing, and NEVER rolls the windows down. The door locks automatically when the car starts, and she knows how to put it in 4low just in case.

2. If someone is still hassling her, she knows if she stops, she's dead. Instead she'll come to my work.

3. She's a shy girl, and doesn't go shopping without me, if it isn't online :)

[wheelgunslinger]

When I was a kid, my Mother was harassed by two guys like this scenario depicts. She was recently divorced and it was the seventies, so no cell phones. My brother and I (ages 3 and 4) were in the car with her when it happened.
Two guys pull alongside, gesture for her to pull over. She doesn't. They start swerving at the car, so she hits her signal and pulls off the freeway onto a ramp. The guys follow and she pulls into an area to get a good look at them. They pull in behind her and hit their brights. When they get out of their vehicle and approach the car, she sticks the AMC Gremlin in reverse and floors it and leaves them standing there.
Never seen my Ma so terrified. I remember vivid details of that too.
there are a lot of bad people in the world. more so than the average person realizes. and attractive women seem to bear the brunt of it.

What would I do if my Girlfriend had this problem? That's a tough call. She's of a mind that she's a lot tougher than she is and until one of them slapped or hit her, she'd try to sass her way out of any trouble.
If I were on the phone with her, I'd say "come back home. forget the store." And, I'd stay on the line with her getting as much info as I could about the followers.
Of course, I'd go out and start my motorcycle while I was waiting, just in case I needed to leave and find her. I can get anywhere I need to go on my BMW in a hurry and my firstgear Kilimanjaro jacket will hold four handguns of my choice.
If they followed her to the house, they'd have some splaining to do and they wouldn't leave until a police officer had interviewed them and gotten their info whether they liked it or not.
If they box her in at the store, I jump on the bike and go where they are.

[joab]

I'm gonna go with D ,all of the above.
a) tell spouse to call the police and get an accurate description?
Do that after she gives you a description and location

b) Get your firearm and proceed to the same store to protect spouse?Screw society and their idiotic views of family, that's your wife in trouble.
Maybe you get there before the cops maybe just after when she needs calming down.
Either way you have done your job.
c) Let her handle the situation.pretty much what we're talking baout in A & B

[Vic303]

There's a reason I exercise my right to carry whenever I go out--even if the kids stay home with Daddy! It's my duty to make it home for my kids and/or keep them safe when they are with me.

[Srigs]

A combination.

A. Have her call the police and head for there office.
B. Get in the car armed and go to your wife.

Note: She should not come home to let them know where you two live. Meet your wife if you have to in a public place and wait for police. :)

[k_semler]

I'm not married, but I would have 4 questions.

1. Where are you?
2. Where are you headed?
3. How fast are you going?
4. Direction of travel?

Then, I would load up. Nobody fscks with my wife. They'll end up dead. No if's, and's, or buts about it. The law be damned. My wife will NOT be placed in danger. I would sooner go to prison for life then have my wife be killed. They're dead. No questions asked.

[Jeff White]

Tell her to drive to the police station. Tell her you'll meet her there. Call the police, tell them what's happening and that your wife is heading for the station, and you're on your way to meet her there. They will most likely have someone escort her in.

Do not load up and head for the store. You're setting yourself up for a possible case of mistaken identity with any responding officers.

k_semmler,
If you have a CCW permit, you shouldn't. You don't even know that this is a deadly force situation, yet you are willing to do life in prison because they harrassed a wife you don't even have? Do you intend to just drive up and start shooting? Please rethink your post or rethink carrying a weapon to defend you and yours with.

Jeff

[BigO01]

All of the above except going to the police station , I suggest a local fire department .
My area is made up of several small communties with small police forces and from about 5pm untill 9 am there are usually only 2 or 3 officers on duty so the station is the last place you'll find a cop . To make matters worse the buliding usually serves as the city hall and the police entrances are usually in the back with only one driveway in and out so if you drive back there you could be blocked in easily .
The closest station to me doesn't even have a door bell at the police entrance , so you could beat on the door all night long even if someone were there and they happen to be downstairs near the cells keeping an eye on a prisoner .
O and I know the layout from having a friend on the force years ago who once needed a ride after work because his car was in the shop , not from anytime in the cell .
I also wouldn't pull up at the scene if she couldn't get away guns ablazing , or even in my hand I would keep my distance and ask them just why they were bothering my wife and inform them that the police were on the way to deal with them and perhaps warn them that I was armed . A gun would only come into play if they were attempting to break into the car or in the process of assulting her .

[Boom-stick]

'Most' cars are very easy to move with another vehicle, just push the buggers out the way. My wife bearly makes it through a month without hitting another car anyway:neener:

[1911 guy]

The two schlubs in the scenario have made their intentions clear. My response will be to call the cops and get to my wife ASAP. If the cops are there, let them handle it, if not, my wife isn't going to be stuck in a threatening situation while I can change that. I have sworn three vows in my life. One was to my wife. You keep your word because it's a principle. You keep a promise because it's the right thing to do. You keep a vow if it costs you your life.

[MadMercS55]

My wife had a similar incident while returning movies to the local Blockbuster video store, this was about 2yrs ago now. The movie store is less than 5 miles from our house and is in a nice area, so this was somewhat unexpected. This was about 9pm on a Friday night, and she decided to hit Giant Eagle afterwards, which is another 2 miles or so away, nothing big. Well she saw two guys in a Honda sitting in the Blockbuster lot, didn't think much of it as they were busy. Later she called me and explained that she saw the same two guys in the Giant Eagle lot as well, apparently watching her. The Honda was hard to miss, it was thoroughly "modified" to say the least (primer and an erector-set wing). Anyway, she leaves the lot and confirms they are following her after she took a roundabout way out of the shopping center. She takes a few turns, etc on the way home and confirms that they are on her. She's on the phone with me the whole time as well. I tell her to call 911 and head back to the Blockbuster plaza and I'll meet her there. My friend was over at our house so he and I hopped in my car and rolled out. We made it to the plaza right as my wife did, with the craptastic Honda right behind. I fell in behind them to get their plate for the responding officers. The Honda saw me and I guess got spooked and fled. Plate was stolen off a Chevrolet and the Police never found them. I hate to think what they might have done.

[scooterthegreat]

First - I would drive around some to see if they follow. If they do, then I would drive straight to the PD. Where I live, the PD isn't hard to get to. Just had to do it a couple of months ago. The guy was so stupid he nearly followed me right on in.

If I made an error about them following me and they box me in in the parking lot, I would hang up with the boyfriend, call 911, hit the panic button and start rocking from side to side. With the horn blowing and lights flashing people will look. When they see two guys "hanging around" and the vehicle rocking, someone might actually think something is wrong and call the police as well.

Also, if I have my work bag with, I have a camera that takes pictures and movies, a palm that also takes pictures and has a voice recorder on it. Granted the tape may not be admissable, but it certainly wouldn't hurt any.

[1 old 0311]

Go to the hardware store and get 3 lbs. of roofing nails. If you drop 10 roofing nails on the ground 1/2 will land point up. Have her drive away, roll the window down, and start throwing the nails out the window. Problem solved.:evil:

Kevin

[buzz_knox]

a) tell spouse to call the police and get an accurate description?
b) Get your firearm and proceed to the same store to protect spouse?
c) Let her handle the situation.

a) Assuming they answer the phonel (i.e. the dispatchers aren't busy with another call) and assuming they respond at all (which they have no legal obligation to do), then this will provide assistance in somewhere neighboring on the 20-25 minute range, depending on location and what else is going on that night. Not exactly comforting.

b) This is escalation but could be justified. There's nothing illegal about going to the store to be with your wife and oh, look? Morons assaulting her. At a minimum, the show of force (you're showing up, not brandishing) would be enough to back them off.

c) great idea if she knows how.

d) Drive to the police station. That's the best idea. It ensures she doesn't follow and she's less likely to get ignored if she is there in person, and makes the complaint.

[Edited because by boxed in, I initially thought this meant the vehicle was blocking her, not just guys on the doors].

[ShootingEnthusiatist]

As a child I remember my grandmother telling me about how these BGs were following her one day. She told me how she drove straight to the police station. Once the BGs realized what she was doing they immediately stopped their pursuit.

It's important for people to keep their wits about them. I'm pretty sure cell phones weren't around at the time, so my grandmother had to rely on common sense.

[hso]

If she's on the phone before she gets to the store I'd remind her be aware of them and to not let herself get boxed in (which she knows already as we've discussed it) and to make sure they don't follow her. She knows that box turning is proof of some one following and that it's a good way to loose them. She also knows to drive immediately somewhere that they don't want to be like the Highway Patrol station.

If they did box her in calling 911 isn't going to get help in time and jumping in the car to "come to the rescue" won't do any good since it will take to long to get there. Cars can be repaired, kidnapped, raped and murdered can't, so crashing their car is no problem. Also pulling her .380 or .40 (depends upon wardrobe) and shooting them isn't either (carry permit, point shooting course:D ) if it comes to that.

[the naked prophet]

I seem to remember a woman being followed drove to the police station, but when she got out of her car to run inside, the guy abducted her anyway...

[dfaugh]

Either have her drive to police station, or home, whichever is closer. She should NOT get into a position where she can be "boxed in"... If she's moving, they can't do a whole lot..

I wouldn't have a problem with them following her home(and knowing where we live), as an attempt at any mischief on near my property is suicide. (IF they can get by the 4 German Shepherds, they gotta deal with me!) But that may or may not be the case for everyone.

[Vic303]

Driving to the PD station is not the best idea for me in my AO, as it is clear across town, on the old side of town. I like the idea of the fire station--I know where there are a couple of those in my AO, and I am sort of 'known' at the nearest, as I take them cookies annually on 9/11, with my kidlets in tow. They all love seeing the kids.

But in general I would not get out of the car, nor lower the window, and despite a 1911 or a .357 onmy, the best physical 'weapon' I would have in that situation is my car, and I would not hesitate to use it.

[Sindawe]

I seem to remember a woman being followed drove to the police station, but when she got out of her car to run inside, the guy abducted her anyway...If we are thinking of the same incident, it happened here in Denver in the mid/late 90s. Highspeed chase that ended up on the front lawn of the police station, driver assisting the abducte was shot and paralized for her troubles, target was abducted and later found dead in a drainage ditch. The [Art's Grandma Rule] draws breath to this day if I am not mistaken. :fire:

Does not negate the wisdom of driving to an occupied police station though. I'm currently between spouses, but I'd select options A & B were my SO or close friend the situation described.

[ball3006]

and she is very aware of cars following her. If a car even thinks about following her, she drives around the block, not our block, several times to see if she is really being followed. One time a car followed her during the above exercise so she drove to the fire dept which is close by. When she pulled into the well lit lot, she found out it was a cop car. They all got a chuckle out of that and complemented her on her awareness. She also has a CHL, and knows how to use it. She has even done the around the block exercise in daylight too......If by chance they do avoid being detected by her, she can pull into the driveway and park between the house and fence so no one can get to her and exit the car and take cover. Once she makes it into the house, it is shotgun time........chris3

[HankB]

I'd do a combination of (a) and (b) . . . I won't go in trigger happy and blaze away at someone if they look suspicious, but if any member of my family is in jeopardy, I will go to their aid if able, and take whatever action is necessary and appropriate.

Otherwise, Stay in the car!

My father told me of a case years ago where a woman at work was driving in early, and stopped for a red light. A guy reached in through a partially open window for either her or her purse - she rolled up the power window, pinning the perps arm, and floored it.

She was doing 60 or 70 when she rolled down the window and the (screaming & cursing) perp fell off . . . her last memory of him was seeing him in her rear view mirror, bouncing like a rag doll down the street until he hit a fire plug or lamp post or something. :D

[Hogfan1911]

First, my wife would be smart enough that if they turned into the parking lot after her she'd just keep driving back out of it & stay on a busy road w/o me having to tell her, although I would be anyway. Then I keep her on the line & dial 911 with the other & relay location, description, etc. Where I told her to drive would depend on where exactly she was. Ideal would be toward the police station, or maybe a fire station. If close to home I'd just send her back in that direction & drive to meet her toting the Mossberg 500 (18.5 in bbl, ghost ring sights, sidesaddle, etc) backed up by the Kimber & pray they're smart enough to be scared off just by seeing me without having to even show a gun. If they corner my wife before help arrives, then may God have mercy on their souls b/c she's damn good with her Glock 19! :D

[jeepmor]

Have her tell the cops that they have a gun or weapon, that makes them respond much, much, much quicker. It may be dishonest, but you bet your bippy skippy that a LEO will be enroute before the call is even over. And if you have license plate number from the scummies, the LEO's will go find them.

The mention of a gun always kicks LEOs into high gear.

I had a friend with a CCW permit get cutoff by some belligerent person. They both exchanged fingers and this fellow decided to follow my friend. The guy cut him off and jumped out of the car and started hitting his window and basically showing his lack of politeness. He called the police on his cell phone and dispatch asked if there was a gun at the scene. He stated yes, I have a permit, and I have just locked my gun in my console (tuffy console, not flimsy).

He said the police arrived in about two minutes, then proceeded to lecture him and threaten to pull his permit due to this encounter. Meanwhile, said low blood sugar guy was still throwing a fit and making verbal threats of bodily harm to my friend. My friend did not lose his permit, but it does go to show that they put more worry into my friend since he did possess a gun rather than the instigator who was verbally assaulting him. Sad, but this one is true.

jeepmor

[adams020604]

Well this situation happened to my wife about 2 years ago, she was going the store and two *******s wanted to pin her in the car, little did they know but I always kept a sword in the car, she reached in through the panel in the trunk and pulled out the sword and these guys booked it. We later saw these guys again, and I had a little fun kicking their asses. Sorry for the profanity.:cuss:

[Oleg Volk]

Some cars's fuel pumps turn off in case of an impact, so they are nto too useful as rams. I would suggest putting an object like a telephone pole or a bench between her vehicle and theirs (so that they can't ram) and covering them with a pistol. Might be enough to run them off.

[buzz_knox]

Have her tell the cops that they have a gun or weapon, that makes them respond much, much, much quicker. It may be dishonest, but you bet your bippy skippy that a LEO will be enroute before the call is even over. And if you have license plate number from the scummies, the LEO's will go find them.

It's not just dishonest, it can be construed as filing a false police report, which makes it a criminal act in and of itself.

[Medusa]

Town's small so she'd be near home anyway, I'd had her heading back, call the police in the meanwhile and meet her with G36K/AG36 (30 x 5.56 + 1 x 40mm in gun). I'd let her pull in and if the jokers meet the act i'd nail them - on your face, spread legs, hands on heads etc. 40 mm GL is for when they act dumbly.
Of course, If I'd shoot the GL and rip the bastards apart then every cop in the town would be there in 60 seconds.

[WayneConrad]

My honey ain't talking while driving, but might call me from the parking lot. She would certainly drop the phone in case she needed to use that hand to draw. And she'll have either driven away or been forced to use strong medicine before anything I can do will make a difference.

[k_semler]

@Jeff White:

Yes, I would take a weapon for such eventualities, but my main tactic would be to tailgate them, lean on the horn, and turn on the high beams. That would distract them enough for her to get away. If that didn't work, I would ram them off the road. That'll put a little damper in thier plans. At least then the agression would be placed on me instead of my future spouse. Then if they tried to kill me, I would be faster. ;)

[AJAX22]

if she was blocked in, I'd be on a motorcycle locked and loaded. she can call the cops, but I know what there response time is and a double sawbuck says I make it there first.

she could probably just point at the cell phone and wink at them and they'd get the hint.

I would love to just call the police and let them take care of it quickly and efficently with no risk to myself or loved ones. But in my experiance they are usually buisy with other things and slow to respond.

as far as telling them that the perps have a gun, who cares if they don't? if they accuse you of filing a false report, just say GEE whiz, sure was dark, thought they had a gun, must've been a wallet. If they can shoot a guy for pulling a wallet, you can call in a gun report on a guy pulling a wallet.

Regardless of the technical legality, you do whats nececary to protect you and yours. Just be responsible doing it.

[RS3RS]

Both A and B. Except I'd probably have her stay on the line and call the cops myself from a different phone, while grabbing a handgun and finding out just how fast my Z28 really can go. Would just have to make sure the cops don't mistake you for the bad guy. Common sense should be able to handle that part though.

[10-Ring]

I would tell my wife to stay on the line, I call 911 on a land line since we get better response time from a land line vs. cell phone, make good mental notes of individuals in the car, the car itself (including plates if she can), drive home and tell me when she gets home so I can greet her at the curb

[0007]

My wife carries a .357 in the car rather then a cell phone. Being in the South that's easy to do...

[Jeff White]

0007,
Aren't you limiting your options by only carrying a firearm? Is it your plan to carjack the first wrecker that drives past if your wife's car breaks down?

Jeff

[pete f]

Jeff, I survived 40+years on the planet without a cell phone and drove nearly everywhere one would want to go in this country without one. From travelling with my parents to traveling with my kids, and a lot in between, cell phones are a crutch. Modern cars rarely just break down. Yes it can happen, but far less likely when i was little and we spent a month or more on the road for family vacation while towing a trailer. Knowing what to do it far more important than knowing who to call.

My wife, I hope, would know enough to not pull where one or even two cars could cut her off. She would also know how to drive out of it as well. That second gear shift on the Floor would be her friend, as well as her Commander. I would tell her to stay on the line with me, find any busy place and make a scene, while i called 911 and got my gotta-go jacket and bag with me. I would tell them where she was and where she was heading and that I was heading that way too and if they did not want bodies on the ground they had better beat me there. NO ONE messes with my wife!! I stood in front of 500 people and said I would protect her to my death and I take that serious. I would not care about a jury or any consequences to protect her. If you do, that is not love. If she was safe, then I seek out the head officer on the scene and let him know I was very concerned about how he handled it and that I was convinced he understood the gravity of the situation. If she was not safe when I arrived, I would see to that or die trying. period.

[Zero_DgZ]

Pete: You hit the nail on the head, in my opinion.

I see too many peopple driving down the road with those blasted things plugged into their heads. The cell phone is not a magic talisman - You have to dial it and make a coherent statement to whoever, give location, and so forth. If you can't do that, it's just an expensive thing the bad guys will steal afterwards.

I think a lot of people go around feeling that mystical aura of 'protection' in carring a cell phone (women especially, I find) as we probably feel carrying a gun. But here's the rub: A cell phone won't scare anybody off, and if you have to make them stop doing whatever they're doing now it can't.

A gun can.

I have a cell phone, a gun, and a PDA in my car just about all the time. I'll give you three guesses which one I can get to the fastest.

[drbironhead]

Both A and B

[farscott]

Some cars's fuel pumps turn off in case of an impact, so they are nto too useful as rams. This is true. Even worse, some vehicles (late 1990's BMWs come to mind) are also designed to power unlock the doors in the event of a crash that triggers the inertia fuel cutoff switch. While useful for a first responder after a wreck, this "feature" is not so good when one is trying to stay away from an attacker.

[Doggieman]

only problem with A and B is that, knowing your luck, the cops would arrive as soon as you had your gun pointed at the thugs and you'd be the one who got blown away.

[adams020604]

Well, I would agree with you guys about response time. For starters, if someone calls in to the police precient saying their is a african american female being stalked by two african american males, then more than likely the police arent coming in a timely manner. For the most part that is from experience. Secondly, with GPS on most cell phones, I'd expect police to be in that area within a timely manner but unfortunately, they arent. No matter what the outcome may be; it truly depends on the LEO in the area.