Road Rage - How Would You React?

[TXcougar8000]

Below is a news story from our local ABC station. How would you handle yourself in this situation? What would you have done differently? Personally, I'm not sure why the victim got out of his car to meet the suspect face to face in a parking lot - I would have left (while calling the police & giving them plate numbers). JMO.

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Crime Stoppers and investigators with the Harris County Sheriff's Office are seeking the public's assistance with any information on the identification of a suspect wanted in a road rage incident that turned into an aggravated assault.
On Saturday, June 5 at around 6:30pm the victim and his nine-year-old son were driving down West FM 1960 near Aldine Westfield. The victim was stopped at the red light at Treaschwig when his car stalled.
According to Crime Stoppers, the suspect, who was in a truck behind the victim, became angry when the victim did not move quickly enough when the light turned green. Once the victim's car started he drove off and the suspect sped up and cut him off. The victim was concerned about the suspect's actions so he pulled into the Whataburger parking lot in the 2600 block of West FM 1960. The suspect followed him into the parking lot, got out of his car and approached the victim. He pulled out a knife and cut the victim across his right arm and stomach causing severe injuries. The suspect fled the scene and the victim was transported by ambulance to Hermann Hospital.
The suspect is described as a 30 to 40 year old white male with a thin build. He has reddish hair and a goatee. He is around 5'5" tall and was wearing sunglasses, a baseball cap, a white muscle shirt and long baggy shorts. He was driving a black or dark blue colored single cab step side pickup truck, possibly a Dodge, with faded paint. In the truck with him was a white female with short dark hair and a young child.
Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for any information called in to the 713-222-8477 (TIPS) hotline or submitted online at Crime Stoppers of Houston - Home that leads to the identification, arrest and/or charging of the any of suspects in this case. Tips can also be sent by text message -- Text TIP610 plus your tip to CRIMES (274637). All tipsters remain anonymous.
(Copyright ©2010 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[68Mustang]

Yeah, pulling over was probably a bad move on the part of the victim. The BG sped up and cut him off though so without more info, I'm not sure what the actual scenario was but CCW at the ready, windows up, and dialing 911 on the cell phone would be my top priorities.

[3D]

Below is a news story from our local ABC station. How would you handle yourself in this situation? What would you have done differently? Personally, I'm not sure why the victim got out of his car to meet the suspect face to face in a parking lot - I would have left (while calling the police & giving them plate numbers). JMO.

Ya know I didn't read that the victim got out of his car to face the suspect, . . am I not seeing it or is there more to the story we don't know?
. . anyway my response might likely be
[1] Is that a knife he's got? Yes! Then my gun comes out. Call 911 if there's time.
[2] window goes down so I can shoot without blinding myself by shooting through tempered glass.
[3] Warn him to stop right there or be shot.
[4] Wait for his decision_respond appropriately.

[Elk Hunter]

I have had a couple times when encountered angry people like this, I try to keep moving. Call 911 if I have my cell phone. If I pull in somewhere I try to make sure I can keep moving if they follow me. Never pull into a parking space the BG can block you in.

I hope I am never in the situation, but if I have nowhere to go and the guy comes at me with a knife I would draw.

[Pepsi]

i hate road rage...

u have a newbie driver, slow driver that does something an angry person doesnt like on the road, and he/she honks and yells and flicks off the newbie/slow driver. newbie/slow driver, drives away. angry driver felt like he/she won and goes his/her way

Or you have two angry folks that think the other is in the way, or is acting like a jerk etc. and thats where you have road rage that hits the news.

one time in a parking lot, a guy was waiting in one of the lanes of the rows to turn out but he sat in the middle of it so it'd be hard for me to get by..actually it wasnt, i had enough space, he expected me ( right of way ) to stop and let him go where ever he was going. and he honked and flicked me off.

[charlie1826]

Stopping was the first mistake. If the BG was in front of him he could have just slowed down to get some distance between them and then take a turn down a street the BG had already passed. If I noticed he was following me I would call 911 and my hand would be ready to draw, and if it ever got to the point in the story (I personally wouldn't have stopped unless I was sure I had lost him), then I would draw and if he doesn't immediately stop he gets to experience what being shot feels like.

[retsupt99]

This road rage nut is going to pull his knife on the wrong citizen......it's only a matter of time.
Stopping was the wrong move...keep moving and call 911.

[paaiyan]

Well first off, I agree with others that stopping was the first mistake. Assuming the car stalls again and you have to stop though...

Once I know for a fact he's following, EDC comes out and sits politely in my lap whilst I dial 911. Put them on speakerphone and keep an eye on the guy with window rolled down so if i do have to shoot, I don't do it through tempered glass.

If the guy advances, loudly tell him to get away and that police are on the way.

I see the knife, I aim and tell him to get away or I'll shoot. If he continues, respond appropriately. Obviously the 911 operator has this all on tape, so assuming I did things right, should be in the clear.

Assuming the car doesn't stall again, I keep driving - preferably towards a police presence - call the police and let them catch up. Don't stop, and under no circumstances should you drive towards your place of residence.

[CCWFlaRuger]

I'm sorry, but it seems that everyone is overlooking the fact that BG had to exit his vehicle and approach the sheep.... drive man, drive!!! You now have no question as to BG's intentions, your life and the life of your son are in danger! GET OUT OF THERE!

[Bubbiesdad]

Suspect cut off victim then followed him into parking lot, how did he somehow get behind the victim after cutting him off? Anyway, call 911,my widow would be up, so he can't cut me through glass, if he breaks glass with weapon in hand, he's getting shot.

[paaiyan]

I'm sorry, but it seems that everyone is overlooking the fact that BG had to exit his vehicle and approach the sheep.... drive man, drive!!! You now have no question as to BG's intentions, your life and the life of your son are in danger! GET OUT OF THERE!

Car might have stalled again.

Suspect cut off victim then followed him into parking lot, how did he somehow get behind the victim after cutting him off? Anyway, call 911,my widow would be up, so he can't cut me through glass, if he breaks glass with weapon in hand, he's getting shot.

I'm not saying you're wrong, so don't take it that way. How much do you think the broken glass might interfere with your ability to respond? I'm not intimately familiar with what car windows do when they break, but it seems to me that it might interfere by getting in your eyes etc.

[RKM]

Usually if somebody is acting like an ass around me, I'd back off and let them go. If their actions are directed towards me, well, I'll get the hell out of there. I'd never pull over into a lot to confront some crazy person. This is one excuse as to why my car is so fast :) I have actually ran FROM people before on the road. It's usually not a hard thing to do.

[Eagleks]

I think there is a WHOLE LOT missing out of this story. IF he cut him off (in front of him) then he somehow ended up behind him to follow him into the parking lot. The guy , for no reason , comes up and cuts him....... this is the "victims" story and I think he's leaving a lot out. Sounds like a verbal confrontation ensued and they got into it, and he ended up being cut... and is trying to keep himself in the best light.

If a guy approaches with a knife, .... he may have a bad day get even worse.

I had a situation, where a guy in the right lane cut me off to get into my lane, and I just moved over into the lane he left. That lane, ended up moving faster... so now he's behind me.... so , he cuts some other people off and gets up by me... and cuts me off again, as he is yelling things. He has a child and adult female in his car and he's slapping the crap out of her and screaming at her.....

I call 911......

I think the guy got it that I was calling on him..... when he sees me looking right at him while on the phone.

We're past all lights and starting into open highway now.... he comes to a screeching stop well ahead of me in the middle of the highway .... at which point myself and the guy in the lane next to me both stop, wondering what this guy's issue is. He's walking back toward me with a baseball bat in hand and screaming and yelling something.....

As he is getting fairly close... he suddenly turns and begins running towards his car..... the police were coming up behind me with red lights going..... they pulled quickly up to him, jumped out with guns drawn... assuming because he had the baseball bat. They get him on the ground, cuff him, and start talking to us and the female in the car. The highway is still totally blocked at rush hour.

They ask me again if I saw him hitting her, and I told them yes.... several times, and very hard... officer's comment was... "well, he's going to jail ". I saw the woman after that and she was all beaten up and in really bad shape. . An ambulance came and took her to the hospital. Her sister arrived and took the child with her.

Never know.

[TedBeau]

Lets see, first I don't know if stopping was right or wrong, disadvantage of not stopping is now your playing chicken with a maniac at high speeds in cars. Maybe it's better to stop where there are people as opposed to letting him follow you to a secluded country road then force you off the road. Without knowing where the cars were heading and where the nearset police station was I may agree the victum was smart to stop. Sure you can call 911, hope you can keep ahead of the maniac until they catch up to you, provided you can keep them updated on your location as you try to outdrive this guy. Not sure it's the best idea.

The story didn't mention if the victum was cut inside his car or had he gotten out. Obviously he should stay in his car. If he isn't carrying, (he must not have been) then the windows should stay UP!

You really have to wonder about the bad guys thought process. The stalled car is making him late for work or something that he's obviously in a hurry for, but once the car starts, instead of just continuing to his destination he follows the guy, gets out of his car and attacks him? Maybe he wasn't in such a hurry after all! Maybe he was trying to show his girlfriend how tough he is!

It's to bad it went as far as it did, I hope they catch the guy.

[Dragman]

what if with the car stalling once he pulled over because of more machanical issues and got out to check under the hood. After the B.G. pulled in looking for some action? If that was the case the only thing he did wrong was not being armed which made him be the one who had to go to the hospital.