I had to flee

[Malamute]

I don't like trying to drive and talk on the phone att eh same time either. I don't think anyone can claim to be "good" at it if holding the phone to their head while driving. I got one of those mike/earphone things that hangs on your ear for those times I need to talk while driving. After dialing, the phone sits on the seat.

And yes, I agree, you did good.




BTW, if the Police station was far off through traffic, you can call and arrange for them to meet you somewhere to get a handle on things.

 

[HankB]

It would have been emotionally satisfying to put a scare into the other guy or pound him into the sand.

BUT if you ultimately have to resort to deadly force, it's much better if all the escalation to that point is on the other guy's part. By not responding in kind to his road rage aggression, and working to break contact, you clearly were trying to "de-escalate" the situation, and you recognized that the pistol was there to protect you from serious harm, NOT to prop up your pride or your ego.

Good for you!

 

[pete f]

you did good.

if there is a next time, get a plate number of his car and call it in as soon as you get safely away. Tell them you are a CCW and you were chased by someone on which highway and that you got away. They can use highway traffic cams if your roads have them to verify you were being chased
being the first to call covers your butt if he calls too or another motorist calls it in.


set your cell phone to voice activate, My wife uses MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY to get it to ring 911.

I have been there and done that with both kids and my wife in the car.

 

[DarthSane]

What he likely threw was pennies out of his sunroof.

I know a jerk with a short temper that does that after he goes around people that he gets mad at in traffic.

 

[one45auto]

This is why I keep a pencil and paper in my car, to take lisence numbers off of cars.

I keep a pocket tape recorder in my truck, it's easier than trying to drive and write.

 

[Shalako]

A possible nonviolent means to avert danger in a road rage event is to make them think you are insane or psychotic. I'd keep some black smudge paint or charcoal and some fake blood from holloween in my car. At the first sign of danger, make like Ozzy. Smudge under the eyes, blood all around the mouth and give that crazed look in your eye and snarl at the dude. A fake bat could also go a long way.


Humor aside, you did great. Your post is good stuff to remember

 

[Lennyjoe]

Good job on using your brain and getting out of dodge.

I had a dude do the same thing to me. Funny thing was, when he pulled up behind me he quickly changed his mind and turned off. Wonder if he read my bumper sticker.

 

[Tall Man]

Post Mortem

1. Pay attention in traffic. You admit to cutting off the other driver. If I've noticed anything when reading posts with this subject matter, it's that the act of cutting someone off will anger that person off faster (and to a greater degree) than perhaps any other behavior that you, as the other driver, could exhibit.

2. Memorize the directions to the nearest police station from any and every conceivable location in your living area. Make the time to drive these routes in practice scenarios.

3. Deploy your firearm as a last resort. Here, Jesse, you've earned an A for your restraint.


BTW: Great plate, LennyJ, supplemented by a great sticker.

TM

 

[geojap]

Marv800, we absolutely do not condone that sort of attitude here at all. That is antithetical to our beliefs and mission statement at the High Road.

Jesse, I'm glad you are OK. It sounds like you kept your head and everything ended relatively well considering the person you were dealing with was out of control. That's sad to hear that happened in Sugar Land. I'm originally from Dickinson which is not too far from there.

 

[The Freeholder]

I'm with the majority. Bad situation, good result. You did the right thing.

You could have tried for a license number, but the guy surely would have noticed and may have done something abominably stupid trying to prevent it. That's the sort of thing you have to make an on-the-spot call, and no fair for any of us to second guess it.

 

[GD]

A similar event occured to me. I simply dialed 911 and told the dispatcher my car description and the chase car description. I then told them where I would lead the car to. When I got to the intersection, I saw two police cars parked nearby and so I stopped my car. The guy chasing me got out of his car and was immediately pounced on by the police. They were not happy at me stopping, which was a mistake. I should have continued on until they pulled him over. They also gave me a rough time about my driving which caused the irate response from the other guy. The guy did have a gun in his car but fortunately left it there when he got out. There are some really loony guys out there. Since Kansas does not have a concealed carry law, I was at risk from this guy who obviously did not obey the law. Too bad I can't bring suit against the governor for vetoing the ccw law and putting my life in danger.

 

[Byron Quick]

I had a guy drive for a couple of miles about two inches from my rear bumper. I'd speed up and he'd speed up. I didn't put on brakes because it would have been instant collision. Finally, I held my 1911 up in the rear window of the pickup. Suddenly, he was several blocks behind. Oh, yeah. Before the 'brandishing' posse saddles up; please do a websearch for the Georgia Code and then go there and do a search for brandish, handgun, pistol, weapon and gun.

You will find no statutes that mention brandishing. The closest relevant statute that you will find states that it is illegal to point a firearm at someone without legal justification. I didn't point it at anyone.

I did go to the police station and report the incident.

Jesse, you done good.

Any of y'all ever had a problem with what I call stealth road rage? There's some incident in traffic and the offended idiot doens't call any attention to himself-he just follows you? A cousin of mine had this happen on an Atlanta freeway. He remembers the incident and remembers giving the guy an apologetic wave. 15 minutes later as he gets out of his car; the door is jerked out of his hands and slammed on him. Initial assault fractures his jaw and dazes him. He falls to the ground. Assailant proceeds to kick him continuously. His daughter is screaming and this finally attracts attention from the neighbors and the assailant gets in his vehicle and leaves. No one got the license plate. From his daughter's description of the vehicle...it was the same one involved in the earlier driving incident.

 

[Alex45ACP]

^ My friend did that once too. He was being followed by several unsavory looking minority youths. He turned on the light in his car and held his handgun up, pointed at the roof. The other car quickly turned down a side street

 

[Phil Ca]

Several years ago, about 15 or more we were coming back to the PRK from Oregon where we attended a wedding of our neice. We decded to drive all night due to some business and work relted issies and since we were three drivers it was not a big deal.

My oldest son was driving at about 0130 hours near grants Pass when a car started playing some silly tag game with our van. It was slightly foggy and I felt our car slow down so I woke up and asked what was wrong. My son explained that this Camaro kept coming p behind us and then passing and cutting in and when we would pass it would start all over again.

I got up in the front passenger seat and got my Streamlite with 20K CP and my 1911 .45. I also got on the CB and asked if there was a trucker that could get a message to the OSP. The car pulled up again right on our rear bumper and then passed us and tucked in so close that we nearly touched.

I told my son that when it was safe to pass to do one more pass. He signaled and did the pass. The other driver pulled up behind us again and then pulled partially out on the grass and pavement and tried t approcah us from the right. I rolled down my window and kept the pistol below the window and readied my Streamlite. As he got closer his window was down and I could not see if he was alone or if someone might be in the back. He had those dark louvers on the back window. As he drew up closer he was yelling and cursing unintelligibly. I turned on the flashlight and I am sure his pupils dilated a tad with the power of the light full in his face. He slammed on the brakes and stopped in a cloud of dust.

When we got to one of the Grants Pass exits I told my son to signal like we were going to exit the freeway. As we got near the exit i told him to turn and then turn back and stop. The other car shot on down the road and went about 3/4 mile and stopped and shut off the lights. We did the same and I finally raised a trucker with a phone who called OSP for me. I told him to tell what happened to the OSP and that I was an armed officer and would protect my family from this person that was harrasing us. The other driver left after several minutes and was down the road towards Medford. I do not know if he turned off before that or not.

When I stopped at the OSP barracks at Medford I went to the phone on the wall and spoke to the dispatche. She said that a unit had been dispatched from Medford. (I never saw an OSP vehicle that whole evening) I told her that we were going on South past Ashland and back to California and that I hoped that this was the end of this harrasement. I also informed her that I was a federal officer, armed and trained and would defend myself if necessary. She replied laconically, "If you do you will be tried and pay for it"

That was not the type of help I expected and as much as I like Oregon, the state I grew up in, it leaves me to wonder about that dispatcher and the OSP in Medford particularly.

I figured that the driver of the other car was a lumber worker, put out of work by the people that love owls more than people. He probably just left a tavern and saw our license plates from California and webt off on us due to our being nearby. He will never know how close he came to meeting his maker that night. I am glad I did not have to shoot him but he very nearly caused it to happen.

 

[Balog]

All this illustrates why carrying a good 1 million CP or better spotlight in the car is a good idea. Not much use during the day, but pretty effective at night.