Your thoughts and opinions please

Just moments ago I was returning from church following my sister, who is still learning to drive. My mother and my boss' daughter where in the truck with her when we came up to a stop sign about 2 doors down from our house. As she starts out onto the street this car comes from out of nowhere and about broadsides her had she not caught it and stopped. My little sister commented out the widow "There is a stop sign there." Out of the back seat comes the head of this gang banger looking guy (2 persons in the vehicles, white woman driving and African American male in the Rear Pass seat) and he starts screaming "FU FU you MFer I'm gonna FU up". I removed my seatbelt while sitting in my car and my hand goes to the holster. As my sister is pulled into the front yard directly in front of our porch behind the guard rail this car slows down like it is going to pull in to our house. My gun is half out of the holster by now and he starts screaming out the Drivers side rear window now as there car passed. I laid on the horn to keep them moving and they did. When I got out of the car my mother and sister were talking about it, I mentioned that watching him if he had gotten the driver to stop if he stepped out of the car I would have been coming out gun drawn. My mother and father both thought that was too much. although my father commented if they had stopped while the argument was going on he would have pulled his truck (Unmarked but lite up fire chief's truck {PD and Fire here use the same color lights})around and block the car in while he stepped out with his radio. I watched this guy at the stop sign and believed him to be a threat to a 13yo, 17yo [with hip problems] and 47 yo. If he stopped I was drawing.

Does this make sense to all of you or is this (as my mother wants to claim) me having a temper? I never yelled or did anything past the horn except to prep myself for a problem.

One more thing I do not carry Pepper spray since I have asthma

I grew up in Southern Ca...

Gangbangers are very dangerous as they have NO respect for anyone...

Keep the hand on the gun... BUT only draw if necessary. If he makes a move... Do what you have to to protect your family.

Drawing because of a verbal argument could get you in trouble.

This idiot could have started shooting without getting out of the car. This was a very bad situation.

That was my thought but my family did not agree.

First thing... Let's hope this is a good lesson for your little sister in that she learned that sometimes (even though she might be in the right), it is not a ggod thing to escalate a situation by verbal sparring. If she was by herself, there might have been terrible consequences.

Second, IMO, I would have done just what you would have done. A vehicle can be used as a deadly weapon, and therefore I would have addressed it as a threat. Added to which, vebal threats of that nature, and taking an aggressive stance an attempting to act out those intentions would also have prompted force necessary to stop the action.

I think you did fine. I would have been ready to draw, but kept it out of sight. Sometimes drawing can escalate things farther or have consequences later with this guy coming back with friends. That gun is to be your "Ace in the hole" when the chips are down.

Probably more important is that your younger sister needs to learn the value of "Shut your piehole". All new drivers have to learn this at some point. Even I did when I was 16. Sometimes no matter how right you are, or no matter how much you think you had the right of way, its just better to just shut up, sit back, relax, and continue on your day.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever recieved when I started driving was to never get in a fight along side of the road because no one is going to stop to help you.

Verbal assault is not a reason to draw your weapon. And since he was in a vechicle, moving on, there was no immediate threat. Granted, it was a bad situation, but none the less if you draw your weapon on and unarmed person (he may have just been runnig his head).... for verbal assault..... you go to jail, not him.

*edit*
You did good, just tell your sister to keep it a little low keyed next time

I think the other thing, ME, would not be for you, but your sister.

She might have done better not to pull into the driveway.
Now this blowhard knows where y'all live.

Nothing may come of it, but I would not want someone like that knowing my address/physical location.

I know how you feel but in a case like this.It pays not to respond or yell at these gang bangers due to it might start up something you might regret later. If they stop and procede to be a threat to you and your family with out provocation then you may have a case. I just think to myself ( I hope this jerk will wrap the car around a telephone pole and make a donation to cleaning up the gene pool).

Something to think about...

If you are actually dealing with a sure enough gangbanger and not some wannabe, if push comes to shove, you aren't just dealing with one,you are dealing with them all.

There are many,many cases of continued and long strings of violence that take place by members of a gang that had nothing to do with the original incident. It becomes a "honor" thing with them and if a member of their gang loses a confrontation, they lose face until they correct the situation.

Its nothing to trifle with. Lets say the worst has happened and you had to shoot to stay alive. Even if cleared and justified, you still have the rest of the gang to contend with.

Often times about the only way to prevent certain bloodshed in the future is to pull up and move.

So, if you feel that you must draw...
even if you survive an encounter,often times its not the end of the fight, its the beginning.

Be careful. Be very careful.

I highly reccomend not drawing until he does more than run his mouth. Maybe shout to your sister to lock the car and roll up the windows and stay put until pd arrives or the guy leaves. I would say (although I probably won't be on the jury) that if the guy punched out the window or something you could reason that he was a genuine threat.

I think you did ok.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LBrombach

I highly reccomend not drawing until he does more than run his mouth.

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"Running his mouth" is assault, "F U Up!", is expressed intent to do grievous bodily harm- good enough to draw. The intent is certainly there. Might want to let your dad know, lights w/o a gun is a great way to get shot- the punk will certainly know he's not LE, the moment he steps out with a radio, and no gun, in hand.

For myself I see no reason to even reach for a weapon at this point . If someone gets out of the car and raises hell , well not even then for a verbal exchange . I dont threaten , I seldom warn , but bring a fight to me and you will find yourself playing catchup one way or another , i am fairly meek and polite unless and untill physical force is involved , then i immediately respond with force . I never ask for an assault by argueing , shouting , ect ( I calmly tell someone how i see it and then shut up ) . If an assault occurs tho my response is usualy a surprise for them since i go from calm to rock and roll in about half the time it takes to take a swing . No weapon , no draw .. and dont wrestle with a pig ( verbally or otherwise ) since it lowers you , and the pig enjoys it .