How to deal with an armed robbery.

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Bazoo

Bazoo

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There was recently a few armed robberies in the town I frequent. The guy comes up to you in a parking lot as you are exiting your car and demands your wallet / purse and then leaves. In one instance he stole the victims car.

So, if that happens to me, and with my wife and kid present, should I attempt to draw my gun and shoot the attacker? Or give them my wallet and her purse?

I used to think draw and shoot would be the correct answer. But after reading this forum, about all the possible legal consequences, I’m thinking that giving up my wallet is the correct answer. And only if he becomes more violent, say, in trying to kidnap my wife or child, then should I commit to self defense via firearm.

I do try to be situationally aware of this sort of thing, but I think it could still happen.
 
I think most of the time, the answer is going to be hand it over. This is one reason I carry very little cash. There is nothing in my wallet worth dying over. This shifts the risk/benefit analysis very much toward hand it over. For me to try to out-draw them, I have to make a few leaps of logic. That my draw is faster than his reflexes, that they won't realize I am drawing when I pretend to reach for my wallet, that I can move laterally faster than he can react, etc. It's just not worth it.

If he is forcing me away from my car to steal it with my family members inside, the equation changes. Bottom line, for me to risk it, I need to be reasonably certain there is more at stake than a mostly empty wallet and a fully-insured truck.
 
No wrong answers here thusfar but all I'll add is, the easiest cancer to treat is the one you never get.

Look around 1st before exiting vehicle perhaps?
I back in whenever I can.
I HATE cameras, but they are here to stay so I park in the lot where the cam is pointing towards me.
 
Bazoo said:
... So, if that happens to me, and with my wife and kid present, should I attempt to draw my gun and shoot the attacker? Or give them my wallet and her purse? ...
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If your family is with you, comply. IMO.

===

That said ...

I am one of those guys that never parks in The Pack. Y'know, almost all of the customers feel that they MUST be as close as possible to the store.

For decades I have parked in an open, vehicle-free area at a distance from the entrance because, [1] my legs work just fine and [2] I know that entrance & exit of your vehicle in public carparks is a very vulnerable time ... not forgetting that the Focusing-On-Loading-The-Groceries time may be even worse. I also do not walk to & from the store passing right beside parked cars/trucks. In public, I like to have open space around me and I always keep my head moving, aware of my surroundings. ;)
 
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It all depends on the particular circumstances and environs.
If caught totally flat-footed in a public area for an opportunistic rob and dash…I am handing it over.
If I am otherwise confident thug would just execute me anyway, then I will opt to fight it out.
 
I appreciate the responses. Situational awareness is hard when you have a wife and kid sometimes. My wife ain’t game to park across the lot where there are no cars. We generally park next to a cart corral so that she can find the car again.
 
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Bazoo said:
I appreciate the responses. Situational awareness is hard when you have a wife and kid sometimes. My wife ain’t game to park across the lot where there are no cars. We generally park next to a cart corral so that she can find the car again.
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I suppose you could drop them off at the door, go park, then later pick them up at the door. Of course, when you are in a hurry it is hard to do all these extra steps.
 
A good starting point in considering the OP’s proposition is to understand the law of the state in which the offense occurs. I am in PA so my actions are governed by the following section of PA law.

(a) The use of force upon or toward another person is justifiable when the actor believes that such force is immediately necessary for the purpose of protecting himself against the use of unlawful force by such other person on the present occasion.
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(2) The use of deadly force is not justifiable under this section unless the actor believes that such force is necessary to protect himself against death, serious bodily injury, kidnapping or sexual intercourse compelled by force or threat;
Click to expand...

The important text was bolted by me. In PA use of any force requires that you be threatened by the use of force. Demanding for your wallet is not in itself the use of force. Threatening you is not the use of force. Brandishing a deadly weapon in PA is considered use of force. So if the perp presents a deadly weapon you can use force and even deadly force.

What would I do? It depends upon too many possible factors in the scenario to provide a brief and concise answer. I would only know what I might do if I were in such a situation.
 
Totally concur there is a paradoxical benefit in parking in the furthest parking spots.
It forces a bad-intentioned dirtbag to nonsensically cross a broad expanse towards you.
My technique is to also park strategically for optimal visibility and efficient departure.
 
My wife is not game to walk across the lot for something that might happen. Uh, she has the attitude of, we been to Walmart a million times and nothing happened. We’ll be fine. And the of course, you do have your gun don’t you?

So me having my gun makes her feel safe. She has hers, in her purse. So the bad guy will likely get a new bersa if he robs us.

We can’t afford another cellphone.
 
Blue Jays said:
If someone drives towards me for no darned reason with my vehicle 50 yards from anything, I'm seriously on bigtime on alert.
It removes their ability to park immediately next to you 24" away and still unnoticed.
Click to expand...
It also makes you extremely vulnerable while you are away from your car.
 
Bazoo said:
My wife is not game to walk across the lot for something that might happen. Uh, she has the attitude of, we been to Walmart a million times and nothing happened. We’ll be fine. And the of course, you do have your gun don’t you?

So me having my gun makes her feel safe. She has hers, in her purse. So the bad guy will likely get a new bersa if he robs us.

We can’t afford another cellphone.
Click to expand...

You can get a cheap flip phone with pay by minutes, so get enough minutes to last a year, and keep it for emergencies. I have a Tracfone flip. Worthless for texting but can make calls. No smart phone for me. I keep my phone off 99 percent of the time anyway.
 
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