Thefabulousfink
Member
I was thinking the other day, as I was closing up where I work, what would I do if I found someone breaking into my car. Where I work is not the best part of town and I would not be surprised to come out to my car one evening and find some ne’er-do-well enacting his social wealth-redistribution plan in my car (why I don’t leave a gun in my car). I am allowed to carry on the job, however, in my state it is not legal to use a gun to prevent theft, and pointing a gun at someone is considered assault.
So here is my proposed solution to catching someone in the act of breaking into my car, please feel free to run it through the wringer (politely).
I would first clear my shirt over my IWB holster and put my hand on my gun in that police “ready to draw” stance incase the BG comes at me (and to let him see that I have a weapon). In a ‘command voice’ I would say, “GET OUT OF THE CAR AND LAY ON THE GROUND! PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!” I would stay back at least 7-10’ incase the BG makes a grab for me and if he attacks my first moves would be to back up and get around behind the bumper to put the car between me and the BG.
If the BG complies with my command I would tell him that he is under arrest (I don’t think that you have to tell someone that it is “citizen’s arrest”) and then call 911 while keeping a position that I can observer the BG. I would tell the 911 operator, “I have caught someone braking into my car. I have placed him under citizen’s arrest and I am holding them at [my location], please send the police. I have a concealed weapon incase he does anything dangerous.”
I would then tell the BG to remain on the ground and I would find a spot a decent distance away where I could watch him and wait for the police.
I have found that if you act like you have authority people will believe you. At no time would I draw my gun unless the BG came at me. If the BG ran, I would let him go and file a police report. I would never use threats like “or else” or “I will shoot”. I would only give commands, and if the BG tried to talk I would respond with “be quiet” or simply stonewall him. I would never say that I would shoot him if he tried to leave (because I can’t legally), but I would never say that I wouldn’t.
I think that most normal BGs would obey my commands out of the self-imposed belief that I might shoot them. A few would take off running (and I’d let them go), and only a small percentage would attack (at which point I would retreat, draw, and defend myself).
So… what do you think from both a tactical standpoint and legal? If I never draw my gun and never verbally threaten, I think the most that they could charge me with is brandishing. Keep in mind that this is entirely hypothetical and I just want to see what more experienced people have to say about the scheme that my over-active imagination cooked up.
So here is my proposed solution to catching someone in the act of breaking into my car, please feel free to run it through the wringer (politely).
I would first clear my shirt over my IWB holster and put my hand on my gun in that police “ready to draw” stance incase the BG comes at me (and to let him see that I have a weapon). In a ‘command voice’ I would say, “GET OUT OF THE CAR AND LAY ON THE GROUND! PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!” I would stay back at least 7-10’ incase the BG makes a grab for me and if he attacks my first moves would be to back up and get around behind the bumper to put the car between me and the BG.
If the BG complies with my command I would tell him that he is under arrest (I don’t think that you have to tell someone that it is “citizen’s arrest”) and then call 911 while keeping a position that I can observer the BG. I would tell the 911 operator, “I have caught someone braking into my car. I have placed him under citizen’s arrest and I am holding them at [my location], please send the police. I have a concealed weapon incase he does anything dangerous.”
I would then tell the BG to remain on the ground and I would find a spot a decent distance away where I could watch him and wait for the police.
I have found that if you act like you have authority people will believe you. At no time would I draw my gun unless the BG came at me. If the BG ran, I would let him go and file a police report. I would never use threats like “or else” or “I will shoot”. I would only give commands, and if the BG tried to talk I would respond with “be quiet” or simply stonewall him. I would never say that I would shoot him if he tried to leave (because I can’t legally), but I would never say that I wouldn’t.
I think that most normal BGs would obey my commands out of the self-imposed belief that I might shoot them. A few would take off running (and I’d let them go), and only a small percentage would attack (at which point I would retreat, draw, and defend myself).
So… what do you think from both a tactical standpoint and legal? If I never draw my gun and never verbally threaten, I think the most that they could charge me with is brandishing. Keep in mind that this is entirely hypothetical and I just want to see what more experienced people have to say about the scheme that my over-active imagination cooked up.
