Yeah, like on the TV show. It's about midnight Fri. night, and I'm walking into Safeway. There's some guy standing just inside the door making threats, gestures, and provocations to some other guy about 20 feet away, inside the store. Without the automatic door opening, I can hear the taunts, see the gestures. This "perp" is getting aggressive and escalating the confrontation. The other guy is just backing off and keeping his mouth shut. Perp is ranting, loud, aggressive.
We have a lot of "tweakers" in the county. The perp looks like a tweaker" -- that's a methamphetamine user. Anyway, I haul out the cell phone and load up 911 on the speed dial. Left hand for the phone, all I need to do is push the "dial" button. Right hand is holding a pocket 32 ACP in my utility vest. (Like a fishing vest, for the most part.)
Perp moves toward the second guy, aggressive. The checker, a woman, moves in between them . . . probably not a good idea, but she's half decent at distracting the perp. Meanwhile two other male customers are standing by, ready to jump in. Police dept. is literally across the street.
I dial 911 just to be safe. The woman Safeway clerk has already called 911 and dispatch has a car on the way. Dispatcher tells me to stay on the phone and let her get an audio recording of this confrontation.
Now the perp decides since I'm on the phone, he'll taunt me. I can see the flashing lights of the squad car against the windows/door of the store. It's a really small town, Friday/Saturday morning. Police patrol this area heavily because it's the only thing open this time of night.
Now it gets tense, the perp comes after me and I move back to the door and outside. Two squad cars outside and "troops on the ground." The perp charges me outside the door -- and gets tackled by two police, he's on the ground, cuffed and put in the squad car.
The police know this guy, have been looking for a reason to haul his beligerent butt into jail for a short-term visit. Another officer checks me out, wants to know if I'm OK. There are three of us at the store who are pretty shaken up, and a couple more witnesses.
I mention to the officer -- It's a small town and I recognize him -- that I'm glad I put my gun in my pocket rather than leaving it in the car. He takes me over to the perp in the squad car, rolls down the window a crack and says to this suspect, "You realize the guy you chased into the parking lot had a handgun in his pocket?"
Perp looks shocked, speechless. Tweakers never expect the person they're taunting might shoot them.
Law says I need to "move away" and "de-escalate" the confrontation. More room to run outside than in the store, and besides, I'd seen the lights from the police cars. That's a long ways from actually shooting in defense, but it got my heart racing.
The gun was still in the pocket when I went out the door, in hand. The sergeant at the scene noted that if I'd had the gun in hand, in full view that it would really complicate their response. They'd have "two males in a fight, one with a gun." He emphasized just what I've been told repeatedly in defense classes. You don't show the concealed gun until you're shooting it in defense. If you draw your gun, you're viewed by police as a "threat" even if you're defending yourself.
Now I get to be a witness in a criminal prosecution.
We have a lot of "tweakers" in the county. The perp looks like a tweaker" -- that's a methamphetamine user. Anyway, I haul out the cell phone and load up 911 on the speed dial. Left hand for the phone, all I need to do is push the "dial" button. Right hand is holding a pocket 32 ACP in my utility vest. (Like a fishing vest, for the most part.)
Perp moves toward the second guy, aggressive. The checker, a woman, moves in between them . . . probably not a good idea, but she's half decent at distracting the perp. Meanwhile two other male customers are standing by, ready to jump in. Police dept. is literally across the street.
I dial 911 just to be safe. The woman Safeway clerk has already called 911 and dispatch has a car on the way. Dispatcher tells me to stay on the phone and let her get an audio recording of this confrontation.
Now the perp decides since I'm on the phone, he'll taunt me. I can see the flashing lights of the squad car against the windows/door of the store. It's a really small town, Friday/Saturday morning. Police patrol this area heavily because it's the only thing open this time of night.
Now it gets tense, the perp comes after me and I move back to the door and outside. Two squad cars outside and "troops on the ground." The perp charges me outside the door -- and gets tackled by two police, he's on the ground, cuffed and put in the squad car.
The police know this guy, have been looking for a reason to haul his beligerent butt into jail for a short-term visit. Another officer checks me out, wants to know if I'm OK. There are three of us at the store who are pretty shaken up, and a couple more witnesses.
I mention to the officer -- It's a small town and I recognize him -- that I'm glad I put my gun in my pocket rather than leaving it in the car. He takes me over to the perp in the squad car, rolls down the window a crack and says to this suspect, "You realize the guy you chased into the parking lot had a handgun in his pocket?"
Perp looks shocked, speechless. Tweakers never expect the person they're taunting might shoot them.
Law says I need to "move away" and "de-escalate" the confrontation. More room to run outside than in the store, and besides, I'd seen the lights from the police cars. That's a long ways from actually shooting in defense, but it got my heart racing.
The gun was still in the pocket when I went out the door, in hand. The sergeant at the scene noted that if I'd had the gun in hand, in full view that it would really complicate their response. They'd have "two males in a fight, one with a gun." He emphasized just what I've been told repeatedly in defense classes. You don't show the concealed gun until you're shooting it in defense. If you draw your gun, you're viewed by police as a "threat" even if you're defending yourself.
Now I get to be a witness in a criminal prosecution.
