We all have a story to tell....

[Sheldon]

After reading a different thread it got me to thinking, Scenarios that have happened to us in our life time that could have been bad.....
I have two and will start the ball a rolling...

1. Back when I was 18 and working at a gas station I was alone late one night when a car full of undesirables pulled in our full service (yes the use to exist) station.
They ask a whole 50 (at 28 cents a gallon) cents worth... While I pump the gas, clean the glass, check the oil and air in the tires (yeah they wanted a lot for their half a buck)....
They were running in shifts, one in the car at the wheel, one on at the door, one wandering about the inside one wandering the paramater... and they rotated, made me real nervous until a older friend showed up for a pack of cigarettes and I asked him to say for a bit....
Seeing he was not going to leave (he carried a gun) they left real fast and never came back........ yeah they were casing the place I would bet on it knowing what I know today and it was kind of obvious in the pre 911 days too.....

2. About 2 years ago I was pumping gas in the Orlando area about dusk, the wife was inside spitting in the face of adversity buying a lottery ticket...
Forever in condition orange when on vacation . I'm SOP doing my usual 360 sweep and look when I see a youth (18- 20) jump out of some bushes about 50 feet away.
Empty bag in one hand and something that looked like either a stick or pipe in the other, and he charges the vehicle at a dead run. I spring into defense mode put my PU between us and go for the HK.... Apparently he was paying attention too as he decided real quickly he did not want anything to do with me.....


So those are my close calls what about yours.....

 

[Aresye]

Not a real close call, but I had an instance a few months ago as a newly licensed carrier that made my hair stand up.

Having to make a necessary run to the local Walmart, which is unfortunately in a worse section of town than the others, I found myself buying the few items I needed, but also was browsing the DVD's. A man about 20-22 approached me. Considering what he was wearing was very thug-like, I instantly stepped my awareness up. He starts talking to me about a random topic (I think it was wireless routers if I recall). Anyway, he's uncomfortably closer than I would have liked him to be, but I continue to be as friendly as can be, seeing it odd that he's approaching me with a random question rather than the 2-3 employees behind him. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he raised both hands at once in a manner that looked like he was going to grab me. My adrenaline skyrocketed, and I even flinched back, bringing my hands up in a non-threatening stance on instinct, but ready to prevent a bear hug.

The man, seeing how he startled me, apologized, and mentioned how I appeared a bit tense (yeah, no kidding). He brought his hands up to point behind him to the isle where the routers were, but I didn't know that at the time. So I follow him, but still on high alert because of the adrenaline, and was very worried he was leading me to an isle that I could potentially be jumped at. Turns out he was completely honest in his behavior, and I start to calm down a bit inside.

To describe this guy, all I can say is he looked, and dressed, like the stereotypical ghetto/thug/gas station robber. Since he seemed honest, and gave me no trouble, all I have to question is why dress like that?

 

[texasnative46]

to all,

one time when i was the city marshal in a "wide place in the road" in TX, i went to a gas station, out on Hwy 259, to put gas in the Bronco.

a "new employee" came out & asked me what i wanted. - i told him a fill-up on ethyl - he filled the tank, "put the gas on the city tab" & i went on my usual patrol route.

STUPID ME, i had bought gas from a BURGLAR! - liked to have NEVER lived that down. = !@#$%^&*

yours, TN46

 

[Right U R Ken]

This just happened to me not too long ago and actually was part of my decision to get my permit to carry. I was driving down the highway doing 63 in a 65 zone, not too slow to piss anyone off. A vehicle with two guys in it came up behind me and started to tailgate me. I thought they would pass as there was no traffic and a passing lane. But the driver wouldn't. He insissted on tailgating me. Even when I slowed down. That didn't work so I sped up, hoping to at least put some space between us in the interest of safety. No good. He sped up and tailgated me no matter how fast I went. Before I knew it I was going 80 and couldn't shake him. I got frustrated that wasn't working so I slowed way down, almost to a crawl. Still he wouldn't pass. I thought about pulling over and seeing what would happen but thought better of it. There was two of them and all I had at the time was pepper spray. This went on for about 15 miles. Finally he just turned off the road like nothing, as if he drives like that all the time. Confusing, frustrating, somewhat frightning experince for me.

 

[Glockster20]

A Repeat

Well, I have told this story before in here but it was awhile back. So, for those who don't know it, here goes;

It was the Summer of 1985. I was 19 and was working as a pizza delivery boy at a local pizza parlor. It was a Friday night and we stayed open later on Friday and Saturday nights. Anyway, I had come in for the night and turned in all my tickets and money. The owner took the nights earnings and left for the house leaving me, the manager and a couple other employees to clean and close up. We closed at 01:00 and locked up at 02:00. Well, before we had a chance to lock the front door that night, a customer, or at least who I thought was a customer entered the shop and approached the counter. I didn't notice anything too out of the ordinary except that he had a little bit of white medical tape on part of his face. As I approached him from the back of the shop I noticed that he had one hand on the counter and another that was not visible. The closer I got to him, the more I noticed, and the more the alarm bells started going off. By the time I reached him I had already deduced that he wasn't there to order pizza... He lifted the hand that was concealed from my view and pointed a semi-automatic handgun in my face. I found myself staring down the business end of a stainless 1911. He demanded that we give him all we had. Since the owner had left about 30 minutes earlier with 3K, we only had about $50 in the register. We gave it to him. Well, the robber was not happy with the take and threatened to shoot the place up. He had obviously been watching the place and knew we had done a lot of business that night. Anyway, we finally convinced him that we had no other money on the premises and he left.... WHEW!!! I still had a pocket full of cash from tips that night! I wasn't going to offer it up though...lol!! It was after this incident that I knew as soon as I was old enough, I was going to buy and handgun and get a permit to carry it.

 

[hollie1]

This was about 1994 durning the summer months. Door to door sales people where still common. Had a guy come to my door,so I tried to be nice. I jarred my door sightly holding it only about 4" open! Told him my hubby was asleep in the next room & I wasn't interrested in what he had for sale! He was persistant, so I decided since he wouldn't leave & had made the mistake of placing his foot in my door step. I needed help! So I told him hey,I hear my hubby hes up.Maybe he'd be interrested.I'll call him out to talk with ya. So I called out Nikki,Nikki! Out comes a 98lb Doberman Pincher! She walks up to me and sits just like she was taugh to do! So far so good she was minding me just like we (hubby & I ) trained her to do. This sales men still had his foot in my door! So I looked at Nikki & said "Nikki Mommy needs help!" well the hair came up on her back and the growling started,those BIG white teeth were showning! I looked this guy right in the eyes & told him point blank,you best move your damn foot & get off my properity or the next command you for sure won't like! He did leave rather quickly,,, We were lucky enough to have her in our lives 10 years! No hubby wasn't actually home!:laugh:

 

[6shootercarry]

Gas station 1991 working 2 and 3 jobs to pay for books and tools for trade school. Getting kinda late and the cops that were usually working the traffic detail at the movie theater next door had gone. Car drives by slowly almost stopping in the road. Horn from the driver behind gets my attention. About 15 minutes later that same car pulls in full serve.

I get the feeling all this is wrong. Little neck hairs talk to me... I did not have a handgun or carry permit at the time so I carried a Kershaw boot knife in a clip-lock sheath in the small of my back (still have the same knife). I get to the drivers side of the car and stay close to the car keeping him in view in the side view mirror. I get my side pushed into the drivers door so that if he tries to open it I'll push it closed. He notices that I have my right hand at my back and my left hand at my side. I notice that he has his right hand holding something in his lap.

I think "Game on"..

I ask "how much?". "3 dollars"... Gas door is on the passengers side. I move very slowly around the rear of the car keeping my eye on him the entire time. He knows I'm aware of evil at this point... I do everything slowly and without taking my eye off him. Hand remains at my back. Perhaps he thought I had a gun... Whatever he was thinking.

I now have to come back to the drivers side of the car to get the money. I stay real tight to the car and press into the door hard so he can't get it open. I reach so that my left hand is at the rear of the window opening. He hands me the 3 dollars and I move real slow toward the rear of the car and off the passengers side into his blind spot. He drives off...

Back inside the office I go. Write down make, model, color of car, license #, color of ball cap and shirt he had on.
I always had my scanner with me as my friends were police officers (one also worked a dispatch shift) in town so it was always on in the gas station. A while later I hear dispatch call for a patrol car to check a strange vehicle stopped in front of another gas station about 1.5 miles down the road... Same description. I jumped to the phone, called the station and told them the rest of the details on the car and the plate # which they did not have yet. Told them how I had this strange feeling when he was here.

They ended up chasing him 2 towns over. He was wanted in RI for armed robbery, assault, and attempted murder as I was told later by the lieutenant. He had a large kitchen knife in the vehicle. That's what he had planned for me I guess..

Yea...Little hairs have a vested interest in your well being, so listen, heed...

Peace...

 

[Sheldon]

This just happened to me not too long ago and actually was part of my decision to get my permit to carry. I was driving down the highway doing 63 in a 65 zone, not too slow to piss anyone off. A vehicle with two guys in it came up behind me and started to tailgate me. I thought they would pass as there was no traffic and a passing lane. But the driver wouldn't. He insissted on tailgating me. Even when I slowed down. That didn't work so I sped up, hoping to at least put some space between us in the interest of safety. No good. He sped up and tailgated me no matter how fast I went. Before I knew it I was going 80 and couldn't shake him. I got frustrated that wasn't working so I slowed way down, almost to a crawl. Still he wouldn't pass. I thought about pulling over and seeing what would happen but thought better of it. There was two of them and all I had at the time was pepper spray. This went on for about 15 miles. Finally he just turned off the road like nothing, as if he drives like that all the time. Confusing, frustrating, somewhat frightning experince for me.

I have had the police do that to me more than once over the years, and with their high beams on too.... I think they were baiting me, but I drive with the cruse set at the limit and let them get as close as they want to the big back bumper of my PU....

 

[Right U R Ken]

I have had the police do that to me more than once over the years, and with their high beams on too.... I think they were baiting me, but I drive with the cruse set at the limit and let them get as close as they want to the big back bumper of my PU....

Yep, I had a cop do that to me once. At night but no high beams. I didn't know it was a cop but I didn't speed up. I just put my hand out and tried to wave him forward to pass. He just followed me for miles like that, way too close. He finally pulled me over but no ticket because i wasn't doing anything wrong. I pointed out that he was with the tailgating. I could tell the vehicle in my above story wasn't a cop. It was during the day and I could see that it was some kind of business service vehicle. Couldn't see exactly what it was in my rear view mirror. If I could I would have called the company.

 

[Glockster20]

BTW, the armed robber in my previous post was subsequently caught a few weeks later. It turns out that he was not alone that night but had two of his sons with him posted outside in case there was any trouble. They were armed as well. Anyway, they were all caught and charged with armed robbery. Turns out they were wanted for several other felonies including attempted murder.