CombatArmsUSAF
Member
Let me begin by pointing out that this happened during the one time I've left my house unarmed in the last six months since I got my permit.
My family and I just returned from Missouri yesterday and I have two little kids. My Explorer was completely trashed and needed to be vacuumed out very badly.
I pulled up to the car wash and pulled into a covered vacuuming area. I began vacuuming and within 2-3 minutes was I heard voices behind me. I turned around and 3 homeless guys were standing about 10 feet away. They asked me for some change and I replied that I didn't have any cash aside from the change I was using to vacuum the car out. Well, they didn't like this response and were getting progressively more aggressive with their behavior. I just kept telling them that I couldn't help them and then one of them squared off on me. At this point, I began working my way back to my open car door, got in and drove off with them yelling profanities at me all they way.
Luckily, what could have been a very bad situation, turned out okay. Although, I do believe if I had acted timid, or been smaller than i am the outcome probably would have been very different.
LESSONS LEARNED:
1. Situational Awareness is key. The location of the stall I was in couldn't have been any better for them to mug someone. It was behind a gas station, on the end of the car wash complex and completely unviewable from the street and almost all of the other stalls. The 3 of them could have jumped me with very little possibility of witnesses or help for me. I did a quick visual sweep of the area when I pulled in and there were no other people around, I guess that's why my guard was down enough for them to sneak up on me.
2. If you are going to be doing something like changing a tire, or vacuuming the car out. It is definitely best to do it in a well traveled, well populated area. When you go somewhere like a car wash, be mindful of where you park. If I had chosen a stall on the other end, that was within view of 2 main streets and the gas station parking lot, it would have made it alot riskier for them to try to do anything.
3. Stay calm, or at least appear to be calm. I won't lie and say that I wasn't scared, because I was borderline terrified. I truly believe that my outward appearance of being calm and ready to deal with anything they tried, prevented the situation from escalating any further. I'm a big dude (6' 1" 240lbs), but they could see that walking up. That is why I believe it was my demeanor that was the deciding factor.
4. If you are legally able to carry, NEVER leave home without it. As I said at the beginning, this was the one time I've gone out without it since I got my permit 6 months ago. All because I wore it from 7am to 1am yesterday and didn't want to bother with it today. Having my pistol with me probably would not have prevented me being harassed, but it would have allowed me to control the situation had it gone further up the "Oh, Crap" scale.
Feel free to add your own inputs, this was definitely a situation I'd like to learn from.
My family and I just returned from Missouri yesterday and I have two little kids. My Explorer was completely trashed and needed to be vacuumed out very badly.
I pulled up to the car wash and pulled into a covered vacuuming area. I began vacuuming and within 2-3 minutes was I heard voices behind me. I turned around and 3 homeless guys were standing about 10 feet away. They asked me for some change and I replied that I didn't have any cash aside from the change I was using to vacuum the car out. Well, they didn't like this response and were getting progressively more aggressive with their behavior. I just kept telling them that I couldn't help them and then one of them squared off on me. At this point, I began working my way back to my open car door, got in and drove off with them yelling profanities at me all they way.
Luckily, what could have been a very bad situation, turned out okay. Although, I do believe if I had acted timid, or been smaller than i am the outcome probably would have been very different.
LESSONS LEARNED:
1. Situational Awareness is key. The location of the stall I was in couldn't have been any better for them to mug someone. It was behind a gas station, on the end of the car wash complex and completely unviewable from the street and almost all of the other stalls. The 3 of them could have jumped me with very little possibility of witnesses or help for me. I did a quick visual sweep of the area when I pulled in and there were no other people around, I guess that's why my guard was down enough for them to sneak up on me.
2. If you are going to be doing something like changing a tire, or vacuuming the car out. It is definitely best to do it in a well traveled, well populated area. When you go somewhere like a car wash, be mindful of where you park. If I had chosen a stall on the other end, that was within view of 2 main streets and the gas station parking lot, it would have made it alot riskier for them to try to do anything.
3. Stay calm, or at least appear to be calm. I won't lie and say that I wasn't scared, because I was borderline terrified. I truly believe that my outward appearance of being calm and ready to deal with anything they tried, prevented the situation from escalating any further. I'm a big dude (6' 1" 240lbs), but they could see that walking up. That is why I believe it was my demeanor that was the deciding factor.
4. If you are legally able to carry, NEVER leave home without it. As I said at the beginning, this was the one time I've gone out without it since I got my permit 6 months ago. All because I wore it from 7am to 1am yesterday and didn't want to bother with it today. Having my pistol with me probably would not have prevented me being harassed, but it would have allowed me to control the situation had it gone further up the "Oh, Crap" scale.
Feel free to add your own inputs, this was definitely a situation I'd like to learn from.
