Wrong place, wrong time.

[athos76]

I just got home early this morning from out of town to find that a UPS package was stolen from my door. I live in an apartment complex with 12 buildings and 40 apartments per building. So after asking my neighbors if they had it, I went around posting signs on each building's bulletin board.
As I round one the corner of one building, I hear multiple voices yelling and screaming, but couldn't tell where it was. I came around to see 1 woman and about 6-7 jamaican men all yelling at her and each other. One man was holding a baby and the woman was hell-bent on getting the child back.
As I stopped to figure out the best way to bypass the situation, one man shoves the woman to the ground and kicks her. At first I was shocked, but she was on her feet in seconds. None of the people are paying attention to me, as there are multiple people standing around gawking. So I walk up next to the elevator and bulletin board which is in an alcove to post my sign when one of the men in the group walks up behind me. I'm 6'0", 190 lbs and this man dwarfed me. I finish posting the sign, while keeping my guard up, but thinking hes going to the elevator. I turn around and he gets in my face screaming at me about "Why did you call the police?" intermixed with multiple racial slurs and colorful words. I tell him that I did not call the police, and I step back away from him and realize I'm cornered. So I tell him to back off now. He keeps yelling and creeping closer when another man approaches. As the big guy turns to say something I sidestep around him to the front wall of the building while keeping my sights on him. I slipped thru the crowd and see him coming after me. I thought about running, but didn't want them following me to my apartment nearby. So I turned one last time, and he stopped about 15 feet away as 3 LEOs pulled up. At this point, I circled the crowd and walked to one of the officers that was standing by. He asked what I needed and I quickly explained what just happened, and also told him I was carrying. He looked at the guy and asked if I had a second magazine. I laughed and said yes. He asked what ammo I had and told him Gold Dots. He laughed. He approached the man while I hung out at the car. After a few minutes, he hopped in the car, and looked up some info, and let me know that the man had a 15 page rap sheet, most of it Agg Assault. He thanked me for keeping a level head in the situation, and between he and the other 8 officers on scene at the time agreed that if that guy had me cornered with no one around, I would probably have had to use my 23.
I think I handled it well. I think if I had to draw while in the alcove, at the distance he was, I would not have been able to use it. I think I could have skipped that building to avoid it, but I didn't see how I could have been involved at the time.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[TheShadow]

So what was in the UPS package?

[athos76]

Lol... A friend from the Jeep Forum sent me a Jeep Wrangler Service Manual for my Jeep. I found a vanity license plate for him online, and as a thanks he sent me the manual. It retails for around 150 bucks or so.

[retsupt99]

So what was in the UPS package?

From the sounds of his neighbors...more ammo!

sthos76...sounds like friendly cops...and you handled yourself very well...I'd be looking for a new home...

Stay armed...get Rosetta Stone for Jamaican jive talk...stay safe!

[IfIhaveto]

I just got home early this morning from out of town to find that a UPS package was stolen from my door. I live in an apartment complex with 12 buildings and 40 apartments per building. So after asking my neighbors if they had it, I went around posting signs on each building's bulletin board.
As I round one the corner of one building, I hear multiple voices yelling and screaming, but couldn't tell where it was. I came around to see 1 woman and about 6-7 jamaican men all yelling at her and each other. One man was holding a baby and the woman was hell-bent on getting the child back.
As I stopped to figure out the best way to bypass the situation, one man shoves the woman to the ground and kicks her. At first I was shocked, but she was on her feet in seconds. None of the people are paying attention to me, as there are multiple people standing around gawking. So I walk up next to the elevator and bulletin board which is in an alcove to post my sign when one of the men in the group walks up behind me. I'm 6'0", 190 lbs and this man dwarfed me. I finish posting the sign, while keeping my guard up, but thinking hes going to the elevator. I turn around and he gets in my face screaming at me about "Why did you call the police?" intermixed with multiple racial slurs and colorful words. I tell him that I did not call the police, and I step back away from him and realize I'm cornered. So I tell him to back off now. He keeps yelling and creeping closer when another man approaches. As the big guy turns to say something I sidestep around him to the front wall of the building while keeping my sights on him. I slipped thru the crowd and see him coming after me. I thought about running, but didn't want them following me to my apartment nearby. So I turned one last time, and he stopped about 15 feet away as 3 LEOs pulled up. At this point, I circled the crowd and walked to one of the officers that was standing by. He asked what I needed and I quickly explained what just happened, and also told him I was carrying. He looked at the guy and asked if I had a second magazine. I laughed and said yes. He asked what ammo I had and told him Gold Dots. He laughed. He approached the man while I hung out at the car. After a few minutes, he hopped in the car, and looked up some info, and let me know that the man had a 15 page rap sheet, most of it Agg Assault. He thanked me for keeping a level head in the situation, and between he and the other 8 officers on scene at the time agreed that if that guy had me cornered with no one around, I would probably have had to use my 23.
I think I handled it well. I think if I had to draw while in the alcove, at the distance he was, I would not have been able to use it. I think I could have skipped that building to avoid it, but I didn't see how I could have been involved at the time.

Way to keep a cool head...It always amazes me how a person that commits a wrong doing blames an innocent person for their actions...

[athos76]

The officer told me they received over 35 calls for the situation. He would have rather picked on me, than the masses standing all around. My wife apologized to me earlier for having a bad night, then she wanted to go find him, and apologize to him for almost having a REALLY bad night.

[Bando]

yikes

tell your fedex/ups to deliver to the office and have them sign for it next time.

[athos76]

Well, my usual UPS driver knows that if I don't answer the door, don't deliver it. He told me, that there are now 2 drivers on my route and the new guy just left it.
UPS told me that if the package does not need a signature, its at the driver's discretion to leave it on the door step. My door step being in open view from the parking lot with 400 apartments nearby... idiots... the claim is going to take 7 to 10 days to research, and I have to get proof of the cost of the manual.

[mykeld]

Adda boy!
I think that I'd put a note/sign on the door saying to leave packages at the office. But if your UPS drivers are the same as mine who don't knock just drop and run, well that creates another problem altogether.

[rocky]

Sounds like you did real well. Might be worth considering moving ASAP to get out of the situation. stay safe out there.

[goldshellback]

Very cool headwork, even if it didn't seem like it at the time. (I'm guessing)

[Reborn]

From the sounds of his neighbors...more ammo! Stay armed...get Rosetta Stone for Jamaican jive talk...stay safe!

[Ragin Cajun]

Good thing the cops pulled up when they did. Weird that he singled you out. What was different about you then all the others standing around?

[athos76]

1: Only white guy near the crowd.
2: Only non-involved person nearby.
3: Wrong place, Wrong time.

The buildings are 5 stories, with an open hallway. So every other person was standing at the railing of their floor. I was on the ground level walking by. If I had seen the crowd before rounding the corner, I would not have approached, but it caught me by surprise as I came near

[NCHornet]

So what did the cops do? Did the bust him for the assault on the woman? Let me guess she said she slipped and he didn't push her and kick her!!!

NCH