What should I have done??

[SaintofKillers]

Last night I stepped into a fast food joint to pick up a sandwich, and as I walk in I take notice of 3 arab looking gents in their mid to early 20s sitting at a table by the door and standing by the soda dispenser is another who is pacing back and forth and acting like he is nervous. I also notice that the kid behind the counter approx 16 looks a little nervous. My first impulse was to get the hell out of their and go somewhere else for dinner, but I didnt follow instinct for some reason, I rarely do that. Now understand I carry, in a state that doesnt allow it but thats another discussion, in an ankle holster S&W 38 snub hammerless and a knife in my pocket for all sorts of reasons. I order my sandwich and am watching these guys out of the corner of my eye as the one goes and sits down that was acting strange. They keep eyeballing me and speaking in their language that I dont understand, and after I paid my check I left. Sat in the car with my wife and kids told her about it and asked her what she thought about it. Now understand these guys where dressed in their native attire with full beards and all and just seeing them their didnt make me nervous it was just the guy that kept pacing in frontof the soda machine and then them giving me the dirty looks that kind of made me suspicious. Maybe I am just being paranoid, as my kids kindergarten is a block down the same road, plus I am not your clean cut average joe looking guy, most people see me as this long haired biker type that you wouldnt want to meet in an alley. I thought about calling the PD and telling them about what I saw but I didnt feeling that I was just being paranoid. I was wondering if anyone else has ever had an expirience with what they saw as an unsavory characther and what they did. I will say that every time I go somwhere I have always kind of surveyed the situation and figured out how I would react. Growing up being street smart has gotten me out of trouble more than once.

 

[BHPshooter]

It's good that you were aware.

But these guys didn't do anything, at least not that you saw. So while your instincts are probably worth listening to, I don't think it's proper to call the police over a guy that was pacing. What if his wife is late coming home? What if his son has gone missing? What if his car has been reposessed or his house foreclosed upon?

Until the guy actually does something, neither should you.

I mean, I pace all the time. I just don't like to sit still sometimes. I would be pretty put off if someone called the police because I was "pacing suspiciously."

FWIW,
Wes

 

[TallPine]

You know, they all just might have been nervous about the biker who just walked in ....

 

[SaintofKillers]

Tallpine, LOL my wife was saying later in the evening not to worry about it, she says "look at ya youre 6ft tall and 210 lbs Id be intimidated too."

Probably just an overreaction on my part looking out for the little ones.

 

[ksnecktieman]

Were they eating? Had they been eating? Were they waiting for an order? Many facts here you did not provide. I live in a town of 25,000, and when something gets my hackles up I do not hesitate about calling the police. Our police will respond to a suspicious vehicle, or suspicious person call, and they will fill out a "field identification card". All they will do is check IDs and find out why they are loitering. With no more information than you have given us there may have been three more in the kitchen holding the rest of the employees, or the one pacing wanted his buddies to take him home to his wife. The police can not be everywhere all of the time, so they depend on observant citizens.

I reported a car that was sitting across from my shop one evening, it had been there two nights in a row for more than a half hour. I listen to a police scanner, and when the officer called in the license plate, it came back "restricted" I figured maybe a drug task force car undercover. No they were not watching me, or they would have left when I looked it over in my binoculars.

Tough call, you have to go with your instincts.

 

[SaintofKillers]

No they were eating, I sat outside in the car for a few mins and watched to see if anything was going on strange, but didnt see anything. I dont know how the police are in this town not that it makes a difference but I am sure they would have checked it out. In my home town we only have about 250 people maybe less so everybody knows everybody and not too much gets by without someone knowing about it. Thank the Gods for small town living.

 

[Mark Tyson]

With no real crime to report, I don't think a police call would have been appropriate. The men could have been waiting for a friend, a ride, any number of possibilities exist.

If it's a small town with little for the police to do, as you say, then I can't see it having done any harm.

I tend to say "always trust your instincts" in cases like this. That "gut feeling" has saved the rear of more than one friend of mine.

 

[bountyhunter]

I was wondering if anyone else has ever had an expirience with what they saw as an unsavory characther and what they did.

Sure did. A few years back I went to a convenience store about midnight, swiped the credit card and started pumping gas. I noticed two filthy looking guys and a woman inside the store just "walking around" and looking every which way and back and forth to each other. All the time I'm pumping gas they kept walking and looking around not buying anything. I watched for a few minutes and I am 100% sure they were going to rob the place as soon as there was a chance with no customers except customers kept streaming in. After about five minutes, they got in their truck and left. BTW, these were not people of Arab descent. Where I was raised in Lousiana, they were referred to as white trash.

 

[Pennville Bill]

There's never any harm in calling the police to report a suspicious peron or persons. I'd have dropped the dime and made the call.

 

[Daniel T]

They keep eyeballing me and speaking in their language that I dont understand...

Maybe it's because you were staring at them?

Sorry, but real terrorists are most likely not going to be dressed in clothing that makes them stand out.

There's never any harm in calling the police to repost a suspicious peron or persons.

Boy, is that not true. Do a search on THR for "cookeville" and "dog".

 

[Gordon Fink]

[T]hey were eating.…

Had the sun gone down yet? Maybe they were just nervous for breaking the Ramadan fast.

~G. Fink

 

[Pennville Bill]

Boy, is that not true. Do a search on THR for "cookeville" and "dog".

Perhaps it's not valid in all parts of this country, but it certainly is true for my neck of the woods, and I speak from first hand experience.

 

[olyAR73]

Howa bout simply asking the hoagy engineer behind the counter if everything was "alright?" I had a similar experience at a fast food joint in cali once. Close to closing time, 2 teenage girls behind the counter with the standard pimple faced manager, alone in the building with a group of loud, intimidating "youth".

I asked pimple-face if every thing was alright, and he says "not really, sir". So I ate my grease and just sat there and watched the "youth" til it got late enough for pimple-face to ask them to leave for closing. They glared and tossed a few tough guy slurs my way, but they left. As I was leaving pimple-face says "Thank you, sir."

I was carrying a G23 back in those days. "Unsanctioned" same as you. Im just glad there are armed, alert folks out there like your self who can at least spot a possible bad situation. Take a look at folks when you are out and about...most of them are like zombies in a tunnel.

 

[matsaleh]

Observe the situation

I think you did good. You didn't make an jerk of yourself because of some stereotype, but you did consider the situation and the possibility of danger. I don't think these people would have been a threat from what you describe.

I'm still new to this CCW stuff, but I'm becoming increasingly aware of what I think is my duty as a citizen to observe others and prepare for bad situations. I definitely do *not* go looking for trouble, or hope it comes to me, but I want to be ready if it ever does.

Last night around 11PM I went to my local convenience store to get some coffee and ice cream and noticed two men and a woman come in. I was at the back of the store at the time, and one of them looked right at me when he entered. All three wandered to the back. They raised my interest for some reason. On my way to that store, I passed another where two cop cars had been called in and were investigating a group of guys. I guess that raised my awareness a little.

I went to the counter to pay for my stuff. The only other person in the shop was the attendant, and he didn't seem particularly alert. I kept my eye on the three at the back, who seemed to just be talking, facing away from the front of the store.

When I was done at the counter, I went to my car, which was right in front of the store entrance. I started my engine and put the car in reverse. However, I decided that since I wasn't in any hurry to return home, and since I was a little concerned about these folks, I would just sit in my car, door locked, and watch. I took my cell phone out of my pocket in case I needed to call, and made sure my carry piece was easily accessible. Then I just sat there for a while, watching through the store window.

The folks continued to hang around the back of the store for quite a while, not doing much of anything, but certainly not visibly selecting anything to purchase. I don't know if they could see me or not. After about 10 minutes, another car drove up, and a customer entered the store. A few seconds later the three people finally left the store and got in their car to leave. I don't think they bought anything.

I have no idea what, if anything, might have happened in that store if I were not around. Probably nothing at all. I didn't want to cause a scene by making invalid assumptions about people, but I didn't want to leave this poor store attendant alone with these people if they did have something bad in mind. I figured just hanging out at a safe distance and observing would prevent both embarrassment and possible danger.

 

[DJ E.]

matsaleh-Maybe they were just lifting some 40oz'rs

 

[matsaleh]

Heh. Well I was watching them with my own .40 handy.

 

[Devonai]

I've been on a diet for a few months now (lost 29 pounds so far) and one of my favorite "allowed" snacks is pretzels. Just plain, old pretzels, not Honey Mustard or Parmesan or anything. Sometimes I'll crawl all over a convenience store looking for plain old pretzels and if they don't have any, I'll pore over the other selections looking for something that isn't loaded with fat and calories. I usually do this while hungry so my stare can be rather vacuous, and sometimes I'll give up, buy coffee, and leave. So, is my behavior suspicious?

 

[matsaleh]

Sometimes I'll crawl all over a convenience store looking for plain old pretzels and if they don't have any, I'll pore over the other selections looking for something that isn't loaded with fat and calories. I usually do this while hungry so my stare can be rather vacuous, and sometimes I'll give up, buy coffee, and leave. So, is my behavior suspicious?

I wouldn't say so in and of itself. I've done the same thing myself at times. Depends on how long you take, what your mannerisms are, what time of day it is, and who else is in the store. But, an alert attendant might decide to keep an eye out for you until your intentions were clear. No harm in watching someone, now is there?

Cheers.

 

[Mannlicher]

oh my

 

[Harry Tuttle]

Store attendants have been known to permit buddies to 5 finger discount shop, matsaleh. Maybe you interupted a provisioning trip.

 

[MrFreeze]

When I was done at the counter, I went to my car, which was right in front of the store entrance. I started my engine and put the car in reverse. However, I decided that since I wasn't in any hurry to return home, and since I was a little concerned about these folks, I would just sit in my car, door locked, and watch. I took my cell phone out of my pocket in case I needed to call, and made sure my carry piece was easily accessible. Then I just sat there for a while, watching through the store window.

I wonder what the courts would decide on this if something had happened. I know that you are allowed to basically put yourself in the other person's shoes and act in their defense, but at what line are you not allowed to respond to a situation like this? I've wondered about this for a while now, and I'm not sure there is a clear definition...I guess it depends on the situation.

Travis