Vehicle shot at...what would you do?

[The Rig]

Hey guys. This situation happened to me years ago, and well before I carried a pistol. As a matter of fact, I was too young to at the time. But I'll tell you the situation, and I'm looking to see how some of you folks would have handled it had you been there, and been armed.

A few local bands (including one I was in) all shared rent in a building which we all practiced in. A new band wanted in on the deal, but when they started coming around...things started missing. A few different people told us they knew for sure what these guys had took, and what they had done with it....but we had no proof. However, the guys did admit to taking a rug. (Not much compared to all the equipment that was lost) They told us they didn't know the rug belonged to anyone, and we could come out to there house and pick it up whenever we wanted.
Mistake # 1- We decided to drive out to this guys house in the middle of nowhere to get a rug.
Mistake #2- We did it late at night just to be a pain.
Mistake #3- There was a bunch of us getting out of a truck, which I'm sure looked threatening (it actually wasn't)

From what I remember (it's been a long time), I was in the passenger seat, a buddy was driving, and there were three other buddies in the back. We all got out of the truck and someone stepped out on the porch. We told them we were there to get the rug that they told us to get. At this point we were all out of the truck. Someone else then stepped out onto the porch...apparently it was the father of the accused thief. He had a rifle. I remember hearing at least 2 shots fired as we all ran back toward the truck. Everyone got in and we got the heck outta there. No one was injured, but he had shot through the windshield and the headrest where I had been sitting. We went to the police....but nothing ever came of it.
My question is, how would you all respond to this situation? The obvious answer is, it is a situation that we shouldn't have put ourselves into in the first place. But hypothetically.......

Someone steals something of yours, tells you to come get it, shoots at you and/or your vehicle while you are on their property?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[tag]

Other than call the police, nothing. Two wrongs don't make a right.

[Janq]

Someone steals your stuff, you call the police and ask them to go recover it for you.

Hang up phone end of story.

- Janq

[SIXTO]

Why would it be your responsibility to go get the rug? The person in the wrong should bring it back. Think about that for a minute...

[Adkjoe]

Being armed wouldn't have solved anything you just would have been in a gun fight and it could have had a much worse outcome. IF I was in that situation I would have sped out of there and called 911, nothing else you could do.

I know this isn't what you want to hear but I would never be in that situation, call the cops they will get it for you. Someone steals your stuff then says come and get it? that's a BIG setup.

[Toml]

Your buddy is lucky. The father intended to kill the driver of the truck.

[cwblanco]

Being armed wouldn't have solved anything you just would have been in a gun fight and it could have had a much worse outcome.

Not only would being armed have solved nothing, you would have been in trouble for big time felony charges. Consider yourself lucky, and chalk it up to youthful indiscretions which went unchallenged (except for the hole in the windshield).

[OldVet]

I don't know what I would have done, as I wouldn't have gotten myself into that situation. Geez.

[rottkeeper]

Buy a new rug.


Sounds like a set up, what would you expect from a thief?

[retsupt99]

You should have canceled the 'share' agreement the moment one thing was missing...it didn't just walk away.

[The Rig]

Again, I wouldn't get myself into that situation these days. This was well over ten years ago. And it wasn't a hateful "Come get the rug!", they were still acting like nothing was going on, and they politely said my buddy could come pick the rug up. Anyway, I was more or less asking what you would do IF you did find yourself in a similar situation. I would like to think that most members on here (myself included) would not find themselves in this situation....it was just a hypothetical question.

Since we know the obvious answers to the questiosn posed so far, let me ask one that may have different responses!

What if the situation where the same, but the driver was shot and incapacitated while in the driver seat, and shots were still being fired?

[rottkeeper]

Again, I wouldn't get myself into that situation these days. This was well over ten years ago. And it wasn't a hateful "Come get the rug!", they were still acting like nothing was going on, and they politely said my buddy could come pick the rug up. Anyway, I was more or less asking what you would do IF you did find yourself in a similar situation. I would like to think that most members on here (myself included) would not find themselves in this situation....it was just a hypothetical question.

Since we know the obvious answers to the questiosn posed so far, let me ask one that may have different responses!

What if the situation where the same, but the driver was shot and incapacitated while in the driver seat, and shots were still being fired?

Then it's time to get outa Dodge ASAP.

[ccw9mm]

the guys did admit to taking a rug.

They told us ... we could come out to there house and pick it up whenever we wanted.

IMO, first mistake is heading to the middle of nowhere to "home ground" of an admitted criminal, even if to reacquire your own stuff. In criminal situations such as this, this is why the police and sheriff exist. Beyond that, a situation like this could easily go sideways, as you found out.

Ditto on what others have suggested: I wouldn't have gone there, myself. Though, had I already filed a police report on the burglary/theft, I would have called police about the admission and apparent location of the goods. A far better and safer way to handle things.

... the father of the accused thief. He had a rifle. I remember hearing at least 2 shots fired as we all ran back toward the truck.

... he had shot through the windshield and the headrest where I had been sitting.

We went to the police....but nothing ever came of it.

You were actually fired upon, but police did nothing?

If I knew the address, descriptions and other facts about the people involved, these days I'd push it until resolved. Being fired upon is no laughing matter. I don't give a damn how bad the donuts were that the cops were eating that day. Being fired upon is a crime. It needs to be prosecuted, badly. 'Cause without penalties for this sort of thing, such people have no real reason not to start taking people out.

[Toml]

What if the situation where the same, but the driver was shot and incapacitated while in the driver seat, and shots were still being fired?

What else could you do? Take cover away from the vehicle. Darkness would be to your advantage. Presume that you would be hunted down since the father had already shown he had no qualms about shooting at you.

Backing up a little bit, nowadays I call first to see if it is convenient for me to visit anyone. I just don't drop by uninvited, especially after happy hour.

[The Rig]

You were actually fired upon, but police did nothing?

I think my buddy who was missing the items may have got a bit scared of the whole situation and just let it go.

Backing up a little bit, nowadays I call first to see if it is convenient for me to visit anyone. I just don't drop by uninvited, especially after happy hour.

Very good point. I live in the country, and we have the occasional need to go to someones door and tell them their dog/cat/cow/pig, etc is hit/loose/in the road, etc.....it makes me very nervous approaching a place that isn't expecting me!