Kramer Krazy
Member
Things usually happen faster than you might think….
I was on my way to the grocery store to exchange an empty propane tank for the gas grill, last night, when it all happened. I was about three miles from the house when I saw flashing blue lights coming off of the main highway (close to a half mile away) and coming toward me, then another police car with lights flashing behind him. There was a vehicle in front of them passing a car, and I decided to pull over to the side of the road to allow the police easier passage. As I was concentrating on avoiding the ditch and trying to get to a parking lot entrance, the truck came through my lane and hit the ditch a few yards in front of me. I was still rolling at a slow speed when the two suspects jumped out of the truck and I saw them running in front of my car.
I didn’t even think about it as I hit the gas and accelerated forward. The male suspect was far enough ahead of me that I concentrated on blocking the female suspect. She hit the front, left fender of my car, and started begging me to let her in and to “help her”. I want to say it was at this time, she started telling me that he picked her up on the side of the road and didn’t know what was going on (first thing I asked myself was, why was she running?). She reached for my car door, which was unlocked, and I moved the car forward about ten feet to get her hand off of the handle, so I could lock it. She came back up to my window and continued to try to get into my car and still asking me to help her. I noticed that she didn’t have any form of weapon in her hands, or I would have just pulled away, and kept driving to a more safe location. Shortly after I realized she didn’t have a weapon, she started to run around to the passenger’s side of my car. I realized that after putting the propane tank on the floorboard of the passenger’s side, I had left the door unlocked. She got to the door, and tried at the handle as I was hitting my automatic door locks on my side. As I determined later, I had automatically locked the passenger’s door when I locked my door, but not thinking clearly, and not in the habit of ever really using the passenger’s door and having to worry about locking it, I had inadvertently UNLOCKED the door.
The female opened the door, and was trying to get into the car while fighting with the propane tank that was blocking her entrance. It took me a split second to realize that she was getting in, so as she is trying to get past the propane tank, I dropped open the glove box door and pulled out my loaded Bersa .380 ACP that had one in the chamber and had the safety on. Interesting note, the gun wound up in my left hand (furthest away from the suspect), but with the left side safety, and being in my left hand, it was difficult trying to get the safety off. I don’t think she realized I had a gun in my hand, and pointed at her, as she begged with me to go, as “They won’t know I’m with you”. I told her, several times to get out of my car and made her take note of the gun aimed about chest level. She still didn’t want to get out of the car, and kept begging for me to get her out of there and to help her. It seemed like a minute, but I finally got her out of the car.
While standing there with her, I don’t know how long it was, but eventually a Sheriff’s patrol came by. The three city patrols were in the pursuit of the male suspect, and had left me with the female (Thinking of it now, I don’t think they realized that there were two people in the truck). I waved the Sheriff Deputy down and informed him that she was the passenger, and that I had a CWP and had a pistol in my front left pocket (when I determined that she wasn’t much of a threat, I put the gun in my left pocket, and kept her on my right side). I said this with both hands raised above my shoulders. He asked me, again where the weapon was, and, with hands higher above my head, I confirmed that it was in my front pocket. He took my pistol from my pocket and placed it in the passenger’s seat of my car. The female suspect told the deputy that the guy picked her up on the side of the road and she didn’t know what was going on. At this, the deputy jumped back in his car and drove behind the buildings to assist the other officers in finding the male suspect.
So, here I am, outside of my car with a suspect, disarmed by a Deputy Sheriff, and without a police officer to be seen. The female kept wanting a light for her cigarette, was trying to see if I had a lighter in my car (I told her I don’t smoke), and she kept wandering away from my car, and further away from the police cars. I kept telling her that she needed to stay there and not leave. She kept up with the story of being a victim, and I told her that she needed to tell the police officers, but she appeared to be more interested in just leaving.
I tried to keep my conversation with her to a bare minimum because I didn’t want her to rehearse a story of lies, but I was a little concerned when she was talking about going back to the truck to get her things, as she had a lighter in her bag. Not having my sidearm, and not having any authority to do anything, I kept trying to talk her out of going down to the truck, but she eventually started down to it. I followed her, but was leery, as I didn’t know why they were being chased. I was thinking that maybe it was drug related, or that she was a victim with drugs in her possession, and I watched her to make sure that she didn’t dispose of any evidence. She grabbed her pocket book and a lighter to light her cigarette and then came back up toward my car. It wasn’t until later, last night, that I realized that she could have easily been retrieving a weapon, instead of her bag and lighter (remember, I was unarmed, at this time).
When back near my car, she started complaining about being cold and wanting to get into my car. I did NOT want her in my car, and I sure didn’t want her getting into my car with the gun being in my passenger’s seat. I told her several times that she can not get into my car, but when she started getting closer to it, I made sure that I had my car keys in my pocket and then proceeded to lock my car doors, so she couldn’t get to my gun.
It seemed like ten minutes after the Deputy Sheriff left before another officer arrived. I had grown tired of entertaining this woman and trying to prevent her from doing anything. I walked the woman over to the officer and told him that she was a passenger in the vehicle. He acted surprised by his tone and expression and radioed to another officer that she was there and they could question her.
It turned out the truck was stolen and the woman was the guy’s mother. The son had gone around a few buildings, ran across the street, and entered the church that was having night services. The congregation ended up detaining the suspect and informing the police.
Thinking of everything since it happened, there are several items of interest that I’ve thought of.
1) I could have easily been involved in a head-on collision, had I not been thinking to assist the police by pulling off the road.
2) I didn’t have my car door locked, and should have.
3) If I was not aware that she was there, similar situations could have ended up in me easily being car-jacked
4) Not thinking clearly, and despite owning the car for ten years, I accidentally UNLOCKED my car to allow her to access
5) My firearm was not easily accessible, and had she wanted to and was faster, we could have fought over the position of my weapon
6) Fortunately, the propane tank was on the floorboard of my car, hence hindering her entrance to my car.
7) I was disarmed by an officer, and then left alone with a suspect, which left me vulnerable
8) It is difficult to take a left-sided safety off when the handgun is in your left hand
9) As my company has a policy of no weapons on their property, I may have been “lucky” that this occurred on a weekend when I have a gun in my car.
There are several other concerns and facts of this night that I am now thinking of, over-and-over, but these nine stick out in my head. I am glad nothing bad happened, but I actually am kicking myself for not being more prepared, mostly, because I was not more ready with my firearm. I am also a little surprised that the officers did not detain the female earlier and left me with her. I almost feel that they didn’t know there were two of them. The police weren’t far behind me, maybe three seconds, as the lead officer has my car on video as I went to block the female, and he has the male on video as he rounded the corner of the building that was only 30-40 yards from where I’d blocked the female. Anyway, I have a few things to think about for a while.
I was on my way to the grocery store to exchange an empty propane tank for the gas grill, last night, when it all happened. I was about three miles from the house when I saw flashing blue lights coming off of the main highway (close to a half mile away) and coming toward me, then another police car with lights flashing behind him. There was a vehicle in front of them passing a car, and I decided to pull over to the side of the road to allow the police easier passage. As I was concentrating on avoiding the ditch and trying to get to a parking lot entrance, the truck came through my lane and hit the ditch a few yards in front of me. I was still rolling at a slow speed when the two suspects jumped out of the truck and I saw them running in front of my car.
I didn’t even think about it as I hit the gas and accelerated forward. The male suspect was far enough ahead of me that I concentrated on blocking the female suspect. She hit the front, left fender of my car, and started begging me to let her in and to “help her”. I want to say it was at this time, she started telling me that he picked her up on the side of the road and didn’t know what was going on (first thing I asked myself was, why was she running?). She reached for my car door, which was unlocked, and I moved the car forward about ten feet to get her hand off of the handle, so I could lock it. She came back up to my window and continued to try to get into my car and still asking me to help her. I noticed that she didn’t have any form of weapon in her hands, or I would have just pulled away, and kept driving to a more safe location. Shortly after I realized she didn’t have a weapon, she started to run around to the passenger’s side of my car. I realized that after putting the propane tank on the floorboard of the passenger’s side, I had left the door unlocked. She got to the door, and tried at the handle as I was hitting my automatic door locks on my side. As I determined later, I had automatically locked the passenger’s door when I locked my door, but not thinking clearly, and not in the habit of ever really using the passenger’s door and having to worry about locking it, I had inadvertently UNLOCKED the door.
The female opened the door, and was trying to get into the car while fighting with the propane tank that was blocking her entrance. It took me a split second to realize that she was getting in, so as she is trying to get past the propane tank, I dropped open the glove box door and pulled out my loaded Bersa .380 ACP that had one in the chamber and had the safety on. Interesting note, the gun wound up in my left hand (furthest away from the suspect), but with the left side safety, and being in my left hand, it was difficult trying to get the safety off. I don’t think she realized I had a gun in my hand, and pointed at her, as she begged with me to go, as “They won’t know I’m with you”. I told her, several times to get out of my car and made her take note of the gun aimed about chest level. She still didn’t want to get out of the car, and kept begging for me to get her out of there and to help her. It seemed like a minute, but I finally got her out of the car.
While standing there with her, I don’t know how long it was, but eventually a Sheriff’s patrol came by. The three city patrols were in the pursuit of the male suspect, and had left me with the female (Thinking of it now, I don’t think they realized that there were two people in the truck). I waved the Sheriff Deputy down and informed him that she was the passenger, and that I had a CWP and had a pistol in my front left pocket (when I determined that she wasn’t much of a threat, I put the gun in my left pocket, and kept her on my right side). I said this with both hands raised above my shoulders. He asked me, again where the weapon was, and, with hands higher above my head, I confirmed that it was in my front pocket. He took my pistol from my pocket and placed it in the passenger’s seat of my car. The female suspect told the deputy that the guy picked her up on the side of the road and she didn’t know what was going on. At this, the deputy jumped back in his car and drove behind the buildings to assist the other officers in finding the male suspect.
So, here I am, outside of my car with a suspect, disarmed by a Deputy Sheriff, and without a police officer to be seen. The female kept wanting a light for her cigarette, was trying to see if I had a lighter in my car (I told her I don’t smoke), and she kept wandering away from my car, and further away from the police cars. I kept telling her that she needed to stay there and not leave. She kept up with the story of being a victim, and I told her that she needed to tell the police officers, but she appeared to be more interested in just leaving.
I tried to keep my conversation with her to a bare minimum because I didn’t want her to rehearse a story of lies, but I was a little concerned when she was talking about going back to the truck to get her things, as she had a lighter in her bag. Not having my sidearm, and not having any authority to do anything, I kept trying to talk her out of going down to the truck, but she eventually started down to it. I followed her, but was leery, as I didn’t know why they were being chased. I was thinking that maybe it was drug related, or that she was a victim with drugs in her possession, and I watched her to make sure that she didn’t dispose of any evidence. She grabbed her pocket book and a lighter to light her cigarette and then came back up toward my car. It wasn’t until later, last night, that I realized that she could have easily been retrieving a weapon, instead of her bag and lighter (remember, I was unarmed, at this time).
When back near my car, she started complaining about being cold and wanting to get into my car. I did NOT want her in my car, and I sure didn’t want her getting into my car with the gun being in my passenger’s seat. I told her several times that she can not get into my car, but when she started getting closer to it, I made sure that I had my car keys in my pocket and then proceeded to lock my car doors, so she couldn’t get to my gun.
It seemed like ten minutes after the Deputy Sheriff left before another officer arrived. I had grown tired of entertaining this woman and trying to prevent her from doing anything. I walked the woman over to the officer and told him that she was a passenger in the vehicle. He acted surprised by his tone and expression and radioed to another officer that she was there and they could question her.
It turned out the truck was stolen and the woman was the guy’s mother. The son had gone around a few buildings, ran across the street, and entered the church that was having night services. The congregation ended up detaining the suspect and informing the police.
Thinking of everything since it happened, there are several items of interest that I’ve thought of.
1) I could have easily been involved in a head-on collision, had I not been thinking to assist the police by pulling off the road.
2) I didn’t have my car door locked, and should have.
3) If I was not aware that she was there, similar situations could have ended up in me easily being car-jacked
4) Not thinking clearly, and despite owning the car for ten years, I accidentally UNLOCKED my car to allow her to access
5) My firearm was not easily accessible, and had she wanted to and was faster, we could have fought over the position of my weapon
6) Fortunately, the propane tank was on the floorboard of my car, hence hindering her entrance to my car.
7) I was disarmed by an officer, and then left alone with a suspect, which left me vulnerable
8) It is difficult to take a left-sided safety off when the handgun is in your left hand
9) As my company has a policy of no weapons on their property, I may have been “lucky” that this occurred on a weekend when I have a gun in my car.
There are several other concerns and facts of this night that I am now thinking of, over-and-over, but these nine stick out in my head. I am glad nothing bad happened, but I actually am kicking myself for not being more prepared, mostly, because I was not more ready with my firearm. I am also a little surprised that the officers did not detain the female earlier and left me with her. I almost feel that they didn’t know there were two of them. The police weren’t far behind me, maybe three seconds, as the lead officer has my car on video as I went to block the female, and he has the male on video as he rounded the corner of the building that was only 30-40 yards from where I’d blocked the female. Anyway, I have a few things to think about for a while.
