Received a Bit Of a Scare

Status
Not open for further replies.
H

heeler

Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2007
Messages
2,619
I wasn't going to post this but since the scenario keeps playing in my head I thought I would go ahead and discuss this with all of you and get everyone's valuable opinions and insight.
Yesterday after work I pulled into the store/fuel station to buy some gas and a few lottery scratch tickets before heading home for the day.
I dont live in the best part of Houston,even if there is a best part,but home is home.
The area in the last 20 years or so has started to really slide down.
And there is a lot of gang members that are both legal citizens as well as illegals.
As I pulled up at the gas pump an older mid 90's Buick LeSabre was pulling in with all windows down,blue smoke coming from the exhaust pipe and that LOUD and nasty rap music just blaring.
This is not even cause for alarm as this type of inconsideration is pretty common here.
There were four Hispanic males and all started getting out of the hot car (it was a 102 yesterday)and one who got out of the right back seat passenger side had his shirt off and was covered with tattoo's.
I had already used my credit card on the pump and was getting gas and I finished that up and started walking to go inside when I made eye contact with the tattooed guy who was standing next to the Buick.
What happened after that is his eyes immediately diverted to my cell phone style BullDog holster on my right side I use sometimes to carry my Diamondback .380.
My thought was he had seen one of these holsters before.
And I didn't like the idea that I may have been "made".
When I was coming out of the store is when I realized how much potential there was for a dangerous situation with the guy because a middle aged Hispanic guy was also pumping gas when Tattoo walked right up to him and snatched his BlackBerry case right off of his belt!!
The thin built guy pumping gas yelled out "Give me back my phone or I will call the police".
Tattoo pulled the phone out and threw the case right back at him and proceded to make a phone call.
Tattoo and his cohorts just stood there smiling as Tattoo used the phone for about a minute and then walked a few feet closer to the guy and pitched the phone to him which the owner,probably because of nervousness, dropped the phone on the parking lot.
This REALLY unnerved me because I quickly realized Tattoo,upon seeing what HE must have thought was a cellphone and was giving strong consideration to try to take mine.
Fortunately the way the belt clip is made on the BullDog it probably would not have come off my belt as easy as the guys BlakBerry holster.
They are pretty secure.
Guys, I tell you that would have been a very,very bad situation because, him not knowing I had a fully loaded and hot to go pistol in there and I would have concluded I was being strong arm robbed.
I am sure my first instinct would have been to hold on tight as I could to the holster to keep him from getting it all the while trying to break away so I could draw it and get him off of me.
There is simply no telling what would have happened after that since there were four of them and who knows that they didn't have a gun(s) with them or in the vehicle.
All I know is for some reason he did not choose me but went after the other guy.
Maybe it's because I made direct eye contact with him.
Maybe it's because I was briskly walking for the inside of the store.
Maybe it's just because.
All I can say is it sharpened my awareness to a white hot pitch.
Scares the hell out of me just thinking about it.
And I am glad I did not have to face the test.
 
Obviously, something about your mindset and the way you carry yourself caused him to look to another person. People we consider thugs aren't always complete tools. They can look at a person (probably better than most of us) and determine who is going to put up a fight, and then do a risk/benefit analysis. Maybe you looked like you would put up a struggle and the other guy didn't...all "tattoo" needed to do was make a phone call, so the easier target worked just fine. Or maybe your case just looked really sturdy?

I think it goes back to situational awareness and how not to look like a potential victim.
 
I would say there are a couple lessons to be learned here.

1) You did well not being a victim. You showed them you were alert and ready. You "failed" the interview. This is the most important point of the day.

2) I strongly recommend a different mode of carry than the Bull Dog hidden cellphone or whatever carry, for the reason you just demonstrated. It's tactically unsound, IMHO. I cannot carry IWB due to my wardrobe for work and would not consider a "pager" style holster. I carry a .380 in my pocket, so it's entirely unnoticeable (and I am 5'10" 175, so my pant's aren't that large).
 
this is why many people carry a knife(kabar TDI was designed just for this scenario) on their non-gun side.....

so in the event someone goes for their gun, they can try and secure it with their strong hand, and they have a knife to cut the attacker off with in their weak hand.
 
Cards81fan,I usually only use the BullDog coming and going from my drive to work as I do not carry inside my place of work.
I also like that the pistol is right on my side while driving as it is much easier to get at while in the vehicle than my pocket holster in my right pocket.
But I generally carry with a pocket holster most of the time.

Edit to add...I can draw this thing pretty fast out of that BullDog.
Nine out of ten people hardly even give it a second glance.
 
Hispanic guy was also pumping gas when Tattoo walked right up to him and snatched his BlackBerry case right off of his belt!!
The thin built guy pumping gas yelled out "Give me back my phone or I will call the police".
Click to expand...

How was he going to call with no phone? :rolleyes:

That activated gas line can be a seriously effective tool. ;)
 
How was he going to call with no phone?

That activated gas line can be a seriously effective tool.
Click to expand...

back-up phone in a concealed ankle holster......obviously.
 
How was he going to call with no phone?
Click to expand...

I thought that exact same thing, but the mind works in funny ways when you're afraid.

That activated gas line can be a seriously effective tool.
Click to expand...

dousing a guy with gasoline over a stolen cell phone? I thought part of ST&T was DEescalation of force.
 
Ahh,here we go.
What I felled to mention is when Tattoo approached him the guy was clueless the shark was coming up on him and just as he grabbed it the guy in his side vision or by hearing must have realized someone had approached him and was starting to turn toward Tattoo.
All of us see people like this daily at gas stations,parking lots,malls,etc.
As far as the guy yelling he would call the police I can only guess he just mouthed it out for lack of anything else he felt he could do.
I stayed back and was actually about to head back into the store when the punk threw the phone back at the guy.
 
Wow, sounds like the side of town I work on. East side? It's pretty much the hood over here (I-10 East @ 610) and my head is always on a swivel when I'm out in public. Especially at the gas station. ;)
 
I thought part of ST&T was DEescalation of force.

That is in fact the "school solution" here. But as in so many cases when confronted by the real world, the school solution will sometimes only get you so far. I couldn't endorse squirting Sumtatdood with a shot of regular or premium under most circumstances (the Four Rules apply to any weapon, after all). But there are rare times when IMHO it might be an appropriate thing to consider, especially if there is no better option readily at hand and you are facing a possibly lethal attack.

I tend to be quite alert when fueling a vehicle, since the situation often puts you at a disadvantage in several ways. The vehicles we drive most are diesels, not gasoline powered. I don't think Sumtatdood could get close enough to me to snatch anything off my belt without being noticed (i.e., given "The Look"), and if he continued to approach, challenged verbally, and if he still continued to approach, offered a warning view of a large bore chemical weapon with further verbal discouragement re. coming any closer (ever notice how much bigger a diesel fuel nozzle is than a gasoline nozzle?).

Randomly squirting gasoline around a service station is not going to win you a lot of friends, may well get you some unwelcome official attention, and you might be surprised how far a gas pump will propel a solid half inch stream of fuel (20 feet or more, the one time I saw it done by accident). And in case no one ever warned anyone here about it, gasoline dispersed in the open air is highly flammable, very easily ignited (gasoline vapors exiting automobile fuel tanks during fueling can be ignited by static electricity- http://www.esdjournal.com/static/refuelfr.htm ) and very dangerous. Diesel, not quite so much but still dangerous enough not to take for granted.

No way would any responsible person encourage a potential victim to treat a gasoline pump carelessly. Considering a fuel hose as a defensive weapon is highly unorthodox and a very dangerous approach to avoiding attack. But if confronted with what reasonably appeared to be a physically dangerous or potentially lethal attack while actively fueling a vehicle, it might possibly offer a readily available counter as a threat, and remotely possibly as a weapon, with due consideration given to limiting its use to a very short burst applied directly to the threat and not distributed all over the surrounding area. And even that is easier said than done... consider the possible consequences.

lpl
===

http://www.sfowler.com/autofires/firetrials.htm
 
What I felled to mention is when Tattoo approached him the guy was clueless the shark was coming up
Click to expand...

Yep, he failed his interview. Had his goals been more demanding (like cash), he may have figured that you were worth the struggle...but being that he either wanted to look bad or just make a phone call, you weren't worth the hassle given that easier targets were available.

All the more reason to have situational awareness...a good example of why we shouldn't be walking around in public with our heads buried in the sand (read: iPods, cell phone, text messaging, iPads, Laptops email or whatever).
 
Did mister tattoo have a light cigarette in his hand ? If so a threat with a gas hose might have been more than he wanted to risk.First step avoid conflict second step shot placement.
 
Embarkchief,close.
Actually nine miles north of there right off U.S.59 near beltway 8 in not so good old Northeast Houston.
Never a dull moment.
Never.
A guy was robbed at gunpoint at the same place a week or two ago at 3:00 p.m.
 
No Justin because the guy with the ink stayed about 10 feet away from the phone owner and was on the phone at best a minute when he walked back towards the guy and tossed him the phone.
The phone owner just stood there staring at him with his hands on his hips.
At that point,at least between the two of them there were no threats made,no weapons produced,and no pile ons by the other three.
Listen,I have lived on this rough side of town all my life and I can tell you Tattoo wont last very much longer by living the kind of life he is living presently.

Edit to add...I dont think any of these guys were older than 20-21 years of age.
 
The above story is a good example of why you should NEVER allow a stranger to put his hands on you in aggression.
 
That activated gas line can be a seriously effective tool.

dousing a guy with gasoline over a stolen cell phone? I thought part of ST&T was DEescalation of force.
Click to expand...

I would have to give that one high marks for creativity and thinking outside the box... Great option... ahhh.. NO.

However, I would think of it a clear message of intent.. harm me, and I will light you up!! If you pointed it at him, and not doused him.. message sent. Show of force is NOT the USE of Force... with lighter in hand, even clearer message.. would I do it... That would have to be his choice... Impromtu flame throwers are definately NOT the weapon of choice here... Actually my weapon of choice would be the accelerator pedal...

If it came down to only two choices... live or die... Ah, you got a light? But only, and ONLY as a last resort..Oh and PLEASE don't ACCIDENTALLY get any gasoline inside their classic car with the windows down...

These kind of young punks have no idea when to back off.. Eye contact is not a great option, they may very well take it as a challenge, they follow you out, and you wind up as a mystery shooting victim down the freeway with no witnesses, no hope of solving your murder... Getting involved with the other victim, when it was just a cell phone... I think I too would pass... just be a good witness, if the guy wants to report it.

but the gas pump/flame thrower is creative, I will give you that..
 
Cop Bob,although I made eye contact as I was walking past my vehicle at a right angle heading for the store I never made it a stare or a sneer or a judgement look even though the guy looked like a walking bill board.
You see I am very much aware that in the last 10-12 years or so to present these guys would view that as a "This guy is dissin me" look.
I know what you are saying and I know my way around the street.
But I am going to always look at these kind of people just to silently inform them I am aware of them.
 
Gas stations are one of those places I have to visit that I never like. I wouldn't hesitate to hose someone down with some unleaded if anything happened while I was actually pumping gas.
 
NO, you're better off getting in the car and starting out of the station. THEN calling 911 and reporting the incident before driving off. You're better off leaving the scene and not getting anymore involved. I know, it would be easier to squirt the tat and threatening him, but if the clunker they were driving had a bad muffler, knowing they don't take good care of their cars, you could cause the station to blow a pump or two, then what are you gonna do? Make the 911 call and shag!
 
Gas Stations seem to be really great places to get robbed. A lot of activity and they naturally have denizens from all walks of life.
 
Filling up there in the morning would be at 5:30 a.m. and quite dark.
I prefer daylight as I can see much better.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top