Road rage scenario...

[CountGlockula]

This is strictly a "Owning a gun and not going to jail" question/scenario.

You have a CCW and are carrying in your car. Say, someone cuts you off and you end up veering over to a ditch to prevent an accident. You honked your horn before going to the ditch, but out of natural reflexes you just kept on honking. The 6'7" 265lb. dude that had cut you off gets annoyed at your honking and gets out of the car full steamed and have the look of death in his eyes...not only that two of his buddies come out to back him up. Obviously, his intent to to hurt you with his fists.

What would you do? And how would you do it without going to jail?

 

[Pax Jordana]

escape!

Gotta get out of there.


helps that you're in a three-quarter ton self-powered exit maker..


I was a road rage victim not long ago, boxed in on an off-ramp. Guy rolled down his window and swore up and down if I didn't let him get in he'd kill me. He'd have another thing coming, but I let him in because frankly it wasn't worth either of our lives.

I believe I was advised to, if I could not drive off, sit in the car with the windows up (MUCH stronger than when down) lock the doors and dial 911. Breaking a window and reaching in is then to be considered an attempt on my life.

Edit: If you gotta charge him with something, get the plates and do it from the comfort of a place that isn't right there. One good metric is to drive til your hands stop shaking, find the next rest stop and call the cops from there.

 

[md7]

if there has been no contact between the two vehicles, then legally it is a one person accident and there is no legal obligation for either person to stay (in mississippi). if the vehicle was able to get out of the ditch and you can leave instead of face a 3 on 1 fight, then leaving would be an option and definitly no jail time there. if the vehicle was disabled during the accident, i would think it would be okay to exit the vehicle and draw your weapon. this is not a one on one fight. this is 3 grown men out to do physical harm to one. i think you would be justified in drawing your weapon and telling them to stop. it would certainly be better imho than sitting in my car while 3 men are wailing into my windows trying to beat me down. leaving would probably be the best if you were able to do it, if you could not leave, and had a cell phone dialing 911 would be good, if you don't happen to have a cell phone, then you do what is necessary to prevent 3 grown men from doing whatever their intent is to you

 

[glockman19]

I display my weapon and tell him to get back or I'll shoot. I wait until he breaks the window or enters the car and I shoot him. If his friends continue I shoot them. If the threat leaves, his friends leave, get the idea I'm serious after shooting the one who has broken my window or forceably entered my vehicle, I stop. My life is no longer in iminent danger.

 

[Browning]

I'd drive away if I could. If I had to, I'd scrape my car along their's, I'd drive off the road, over bushes, over the sidewalk and I'd do whatever I could to get away just so long as it didn't injure someone that wasn't involved in the situation. If it called for it, I'd even drive over them if I had to.

If I was successful in driving away, I'd use my cellphone to call the police so that these road rage guys couldn't call the police themselves and make something up. If you call the police first, you're the victim. If they call the police first, you're the perpetrator.

If I was blocked in, I'd lock the doors and make them bust the car up in order to get to me. This would show what they were capable of. If they were just kicking in the windows and using their hands and feet, I'd try spraying them with pepper spray if I could get it on them. If they were using a blunt object to bash in the car and if I felt I was going to be seriously injured or killed, I'd shoot all three of them until I felt safe or until the threat had ended.

Then I'd call the police.

But if they threatened me with a gun during any of this, I'd try to get away initially if I could, but if I couldn't, I'd shoot alot quicker than I would if they were unarmed or if they were armed with a blunt object and if I had a car between them and me.

 

[Anonymous Coward]

I can just see how this would play out in court.

"Mr. Glockman, why did you shoot three unarmed men when you could have just driven away?"

 

[CountGlockula]

Thank you for sharing friends. This actually happened to a friend of mine up north, Canada. He is unarmed, but the 6'7" guy banged on his window to step out..and guess what? My friend stepped out, now has a couple of bruises and a big bump on his head. He did have his coworker in the car to witness the whole thing. He called 911 and identifed the car with plates.

He's really shooken up about the whole ordeal and considered purchasing a firearm. This all happen as a favor to give his coworker a ride home since her car was in the shop.

As he was giving the report to the police, he ended up with a sour taste in his mouth because attitude of the cops didn't help him at all. He felt that he was the BG and they were the victim!

 

[The Law]

Well, rule number 1 is to NEVER get out of the car. The car offers some/minimal protection and you may lose your self-defense claim if you initiate a fight or further compound the encounter.

Being that I'm 6'6" and 270#, I'd still stay in the car. Drive off. Simple as that.

 

[TheFederalistWeasel]

The violence necessary for someone to enter a locked secure vehicle, only helps to solidify your case for deadly force. You can easily articulate fear of death or great bodily harm and the perp will have demonstrated he has the means and ability to hurt you very bad.

 

[Geronimo45]

[Gecko45]I'd radio in a 1013 (officer in distress call) to CENTCOM at the mall. I'd roll up all the windows and get my Special Weapons MP5 clone out in case they brought a .338 Lapua to shoot through my bulletproof windows. If they weren't able to get in within five minutes, my tactical team would rappel from the mall helicopter (Galleria-3) and take them down.
If the do manage to penetrate the vehicle, I would open fire.[/Gecko45]


"What would you do?"
'Hey, fatso! Could your red face be Rosacea?' if you'd like to find out what your medical insurance deductible is.
If there's no collision, no reason to hang around. His 6"7, 265 ain't gonna hold a candle to my... six foot or so SUV and about a ton of plastic and iron. Get his plate number for sure.

 

[bcochran]

real example

Driving 65 in 65 zone. Right hand lane of freeway. About to get off. Kid doing about 85 veers over and cuts me off. Stupidly, I flash lights. He jams on his brakes on the offramp. Blocks traffic, runs back and asks me what my problem was. He says he was doing 85 mph and there was plenty of room between us when he cut over 4 lanes. He announces that he could have a gun. I said "sorry". Of course, I am armed but so what, I don't want to waste a day making a report. He peels out and runs the sign at the bottom of the freeway and promptly gets hung up in traffic.

A truck driver once told me how to deal with tailgaters. Ignore them. They will get frustrated and pull around. However, he never met my dad - at least twice he tailgated people on the freeway - or my older brother who ran up a person's tailpipe on the freeway, had his nose severed and sewen back on. In fact, my older brother consider it a good year when he doesn't get two moving violations. He never stops for stop signs.

 

[glockman19]

I can just see how this would play out in court.

"Mr. Glockman, why did you shoot three unarmed men when you could have just driven away?"

"I stayed in my car and was attacked and fearing for my life by three men who already broke my window and forceably entered my locked vehicle I fired in self defense."

Like I said if the two left after shooting the one my shooting would have stopped as well as, the perps were retreating and my life was no longer in iminent danger.

I would have also been dialing 911 while staying in my vehicle and they would have heard everything. That's why I carry. That's why I own a gun.

 

[TexasRifleman]

I display my weapon and tell him to get back or I'll shoot. I wait until he breaks the window or enters the car and I shoot him. If his friends continue I shoot them. If the threat leaves, his friends leave, get the idea I'm serious after shooting the one who has broken my window or forceably entered my vehicle, I stop. My life is no longer in iminent danger.

If I couldn't drive away, that's exactly what I'd do.

In Texas I'm covered pretty much all the way around, especially when our new "castle doctrine" law goes into effect Sep 1.

Display of weapon is NOT deadly force in Texas, so the display as a threat is valid.

Break the windows and attempt to enter, under the new law, I can assume he intends to harm me and deadly force is an appropriate response to that.

Of course the best solution is to just drive away if possible.

That's why I carry. That's why I own a gun.

And a cell phone. I won't carry one without the other.

 

[glockman19]

TexasRifleman,

Thank you for reaffirming.

And a cell phone. I won't carry one without the other

YES don't have one without the other.

 

[ccw9mm]

6'7" 265lb. dude ... gets out of the car full steamed and have the look of death in his eyes...not only that two of his buddies come out to back him up.

Such a scenario would be a real risk of being severely beaten or killed by overwhelming forces. You need not submit to that, not anywhere I know of. Not in this lifetime.

You're inside your car, which you'd best not exit. Remember, it's a 3500-lb escape pod and, if necessary, a fairly effective weapon against violent attack.

Choices: Escape, if can be done. Defense via the car, if necessary. Use of the firearm, if necessary. I'd certainly want to be on the phone, if it could be managed while avoiding these three felons.