Posted on 11/17/2004 12:10:58 PM PST by sc2_ct
I'm sorry for the vanity, but this is really the only place that I could think of to try to get the opinions of some other people in regards to an incident that happened to me today. I understand the laws regarding my concealed handgun, and the state laws, but this situation just has me sort of stunned.
I was driving through a fairly nice area in a not-so-nice town to pick someone up from work to have lunch with them. As I was driving down the a two-lane (each way) road at 45mph, a car shot out in front of me with so little room that I locked up my brakes and swerved into the left lane. As I'm still skidding and swerving to avoid this guy, he jerked his car into the lane I was now in while flipping me off so I had to swerve back into the original lane. I ended up finally stopping and proceeded up but had to stop due to a car at a stop light and he pulled up next to me.
I was content to just sit there fuming in my car without causing an incident, but the next thing I know, I've got a 250+ LB yelling black man dressed like a thug jumping out of his car and moving toward my car. I was completely stunned by this turn of events, and I was blocked in between the car in front of me, him beside me, and a wall on my right, and blocked in from behind as well.
Just as I realized that there was nowhere I could drive to, I unholstered my Kel-Tec 9mm (being careful to keep it below the window line and hence not visible), and just then, the car in front started to move (taking a free right on red thank God), so I sped off between the cars and dodging through a red light. He was in a Lexus and I was in a Saturn, so it wasn't too long until he had caught up, but thankfully I like Auto-crossing so I managed to finally lose the guy.
After sitting in the car shaking for a minute or so (I never drive recklessly on streets, and haven't put myself in positions to have altercations in years) I put the pistol away and took an alternate route and had lunch.
I guess my mind's still racing since I can't really analyze my reactions. I know that legally once there was an opportunity to escape I was required by CT law to do so, but I just can't stop replaying the situation in my mind and wondering what I would have done had the car in front of me not turned. I've never been in a situation quite like that before, but this is the first (and hopefully the last) time I have ever taken my pistol out in a hostile situation. I guess the other possible outcomes just have me a bit shaken.
Well, has anyone else ever been in a similar situation or any observations on something I could have done differently?
did you get his plate number and report him to the pd?
would you feel differently had it been a 250lb+ white guy?
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You did good to avoid the conflict. Did you report the incident to the police?
My only concern is that during evasive driving you may have hazarded other people.
Bottom line is you made a call in a tough spot and all ended well.
Fortunately, you did not have to use your weapon. That's always a good thing. I hope you reported the incident (leaving out the weapon stuff) to the police.
Did you get his license plate and report him to the police? For attempted assault with a deadly weapon (yes, the car), for starters?
Aim for the bling-bling.
No, I was a bit busy trying to get away from the guy and he didn't have a plate in the front (which is pretty common here). I wish I had, but there was just no practical way to get it. I just know it was a late-model black Lexus.
Call the cops on the guy.
This kind of crap happens every day. Today an idiot ran a red light and almost clipped me in a crosswalk.
Well, my father was in a store and threatened with a knife. He opened his coat to show his concealed weapon and the guy ran away. Another guy I know had a car jacker open up his passenger side door and found him holding his concealed weapon, he ran away. So, I guess if the guy saw you had a gun....he would have ran away.
Wasn't this sort of scenario covered when you took the test for a ccp? I would talk to the police or an attorney, as you have no idea how reliable the info would be from an anonymous web site...besides, I doubt it would stand up in court, if you said some guy on FR said I could shoot.
Sound like you did the right thing.
Being too trigger happy would have put you in a heap of trouble in CT.
But, had circumstances been different, explaining yourself to a judge beats explaining yourself to St. Peter.
If you were unable to escape the car out of the door opposite your side and if he swung anything at the window that had a risk of breaching the window and harming you, then fire away...that would be justified.
No, I was being descriptive, not bigoted.
It seems as though you did the right thing. However, if you shot guy and he was only yelling, you would be in for a whole host of legal troubles.
You did the smart thing by getting out of the area.
If he had opened your car door or tried to break the window you would have reasonably been in fear for your life.
I had a similar incident recently and was standing nearby when the cops told the guy (I called and they came out to get him) that he was lucky I hadn't shot him when he had tried to open my door and that if I had that I wouldn't have been charged. Having had surgery only a week prior to this nutjob coming after me I was in no position to be able to defend myself.
That may differ from state to state however.
OK..I'll accept that..
The incident you describe is virtually identical to one that happened in (I think) Dallas, not long after Texas passed their CCW licensing system. In that case, like you, the gun-owner was trapped in traffic and physically accosted by his attacker, who actually had reached into his vehicle and was beating on him. The gun-owner retrieved his weapon and killed the guy. The courts found that the gun-owner had acted entirely correctly.
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