Into the dark garage

[mercop]

I quit doing these for a while because people kept saying how they were just so damn tactical that they would never end up in the situation to begin with. My reason for trying this again is to to bring several things up for discussion. Please try to answer the question at hand.

Here is the situation- It is a windy summer night and a serious storm sweeps in. You and your neighbor live a bit off the beaten path. You cannot see your houses through the trees from the road. Your neighbor is on vacation. You are friends, you have keys to the house, you are the back up for the alarm company to call. The chances of anyone breaking into the house are slim except your neighbor has a drug addict son who has a tendency to steal things to sell for drugs.

It is 2 AM and the power is out. The storm is loud. Your phone rings and it is the alarm company that your neighbor uses. They say they have an intrusion alarm on the garage and are dispatching the police.

As you hang up you think about a conversation your had with a local LEO you had earlier in the day about how it was going to suck to work tonight because of how storms always set BS alarms off and they only have five guys working.

You get up and get dressed, grab your pistol and a gun. It is raining sideways. As you look out a window you see the side garage door on your buddy's house is open.

You weather the storm and slosh across the driveways thinking about how this is a PITA. Water is running down your neck, your glasses are spotted with water.

Just as you approach the garage door you detect movement just inside the door. All of a sudden all you can see is a bright white light blazing in your eyes. You cannot see at all what do you do?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[maddyfish]

Immediately go back to my house and call the police to inform them this is not a false alram.

Since my neighbor is out of town, there is no life endangered, so I do not go looking for trouble.

[roadsiderob]

Get off the X, find cover, reassess.

FWIW, I enjoy your posts.

[Treo]

As you hang up you think about a conversation your had with a local LEO you had earlier in the day about how it was going to suck to work tonight because of how storms always set BS alarms off and they only have five guys working.

Life sucks, that's part of their job

Just as you approach the garage door you detect movement just inside the door. All of a sudden all you can see is a bright white light blazing in your eyes. You cannot see at all what do you do?

I'd ask myself why I was taking on a job I really wasn't trained for. Then, I'd ask myself how I lived to be 45 W/ that little common sense.

I'm not the police I have no legal or moral obligation to go running around in the dark playing Rambo. I sit in my house and wait for the police

[Harryball]

A bright white light in the eyes???? Im turning around and going back. I wouldnt of gone out anyways. Chances are the friend has insurance and the police are on the way. I would look out to make sure the threat doesnt come my way.

[Rugergirl]

I quit doing these for a while because people kept saying how they were just so damn tactical that they would never end up in the situation to begin with. My reason for trying this again is to to bring several things up for discussion. Please try to answer the question at hand.

Here is the situation- It is a windy summer night and a serious storm sweeps in. You and your neighbor live a bit off the beaten path. You cannot see your houses through the trees from the road. Your neighbor is on vacation. You are friends, you have keys to the house, you are the back up for the alarm company to call. The chances of anyone breaking into the house are slim except your neighbor has a drug addict son who has a tendency to steal things to sell for drugs.

It is 2 AM and the power is out. The storm is loud. Your phone rings and it is the alarm company that your neighbor uses. They say they have an intrusion alarm on the garage and are dispatching the police.

As you hang up you think about a conversation your had with a local LEO you had earlier in the day about how it was going to suck to work tonight because of how storms always set BS alarms off and they only have five guys working.

You get up and get dressed, grab your pistol and a gun. It is raining sideways. As you look out a window you see the side garage door on your buddy's house is open.

You weather the storm and slosh across the driveways thinking about how this is a PITA. Water is running down your neck, your glasses are spotted with water.

Just as you approach the garage door you detect movement just inside the door. All of a sudden all you can see is a bright white light blazing in your eyes. You cannot see at all what do you do?

That bright white light, could easily be the PD, that the alarm company has already called.
Me personally, there isn't much in my neighbor's garage that is worth getting shot or killed for. I wouldn't have gone over there to investigate, that's what LE is for. I might stayed in a secure position to be a good witness, armed with my concealed weapon(as always) my cell phone and a good flashlight.

[retsupt99]

Your own blazing SureFire LED light should have been on the movement prior to being lit up.
Move away and put distance and obstacles between you and the light.
Call 911 and inform them of the perceived problem and be sure to inform them of your presence and description...stand down and wait for the police.

[Treo]

Originally Posted by retsupt99 Your own blazing SureFire LED light should have been on the movement prior to being lit up.

And If the movement was the police? what next? How do you suppose they might respond? Why would you deliberately place yourself at a potential crime scene? Why open yourself to that hassle?

There was an incidient here two days ago in which the CSPD almost shot a handy man in a home (they actually did shoot but missed). The guy had every right to be there but a neighbor called the cops when she saw him. I would never willingly place myself in that situation.

[CowboyColby]

It could be the police! Seek cover if your able and attempt to see if there is a cop car around. Or it was lightning you just got struck good thing the cops are on the way and can call an ambulance. Because now much like the neighbors son, your are fried. LOL.

[Bkrazy]

Being my friends house I would head over there to check it out as I would hope that my friend would do for me. I would have called the police once I noticed the door was open and asked for further guidance. If I felt I needed to asses the situation further, I would announce myself while approaching the doorway while keeping myself out of the fatal funnel. You are the one approaching the scene and should have the tactical advantage, you should not be the one being surprised.

[Treo]

Originally posted by Bkrazy Being my friends house I would head over there to check it out as I would hope that my friend would do for me.

What will you do when the Police show up and find you and only you armed in the building? How will you explain that?

[WHEC724]

My parents live next door and this has already happened. Almost the exact same scenario (I know they are out of town, dark stormy night, etc..) except the thought of going over there myself to investigate never crossed my mind. I'm not a cop. I spoke to Sheriff's dispatch and let them know that I would stay inside my house until they called me out (so not to be confused with a BG). The deputies arrived and asked me to come out. I then let them in the house, and they cleared it - and discovered an open door to the garage. They then asked me if I was willing to go in and verify that everything was in place - it was. My parents must not have pulled the door completely shut before they left.

After that, I sent a letter of appreciation to the Sheriff, naming the two officers and their professionalism.

[cammo]

Turn away from the light to get some vison back. I agree with other people that the person approaching should have had a light on as well.

Overall though, I would not have gone over there. Certainly not with the druggie son in the mix. And in the future I would notify the friend that with the unstable son, you do not want to get involved in any incidents in policing the home when the parent is not home.

Lastly, is the key situation reciprocated? I would not want a friend with a drug problem in the family to have a key to my house. In fact, if that was the case I would notify the friend to discard the key and I would change my locks.

ps. why did you say pistol and gun? Just curious. Is a pistol not considered a gun, i.e. does "gun" just infer shotgun or rifle or carbine or long gun of some kind? So did the person have a pistol and a shotgun on a sling for example? Trying to learn.

[Hopyard]

Disregarding the wisdom of going over or not going over (and whether or not that would change if you knew the neighbor lady was home alone), once in this situation I think I would get off the X and yell out the question, "police?" In other words inquire. My hunch is that a genuine bad guy would not shine a light as he would try to hide. A genuine bad guy might misinterpret the shouted out question as a statement of fact, "police." Voice inflection is important here to avoid confusion and impersonation.

My guess is that the chances are rather good the response would be -- yes, police, or "no, with some id as a relative shouted back."

Now, even if it is the drug using son, who is to say that he doesn't have both a key, and a right to enter his parent's house. Mercop stated the son has a tendency to steal stuff. He didn't say from whom. The owners in this story did not tell the neighbor the son is not to be in the house and they should call the cops if they see him.

I'm thinking there is a good chance the person who did the illumination is the son, who was home, with permission, and was investigating why his alarm went off. With some luck, he'll recognize the arriving neighbor and all will be cool.

P.S. Nice scenario. Enjoy your thought provoking posts.

[ppkheat]

Please try to answer the question at hand.

You get up and get dressed, grab your pistol and a gun.

At least I'm pretty well-armed. Seriously, did you mean to say pistol and flashlight or cell phone?

Regardless, a light being shined in my eyes, probably means it is the police already at the scene, a BG, or the homeowner who came home early. I'm backing out in any of those, though I'm expecting a verbal response from the police or the homeowner. Not getting a response suggests to me I've stumbled on a BG burglary-in-progress. I'm backing out and seriously watching my back.....it may be more than one BG.

If I have family in my home, I'm going there to protect them and call leo to give them a head's up. If no one is in my home to protect, and depending on the terrain, woods, distance, overall lay-out, etc I might consider staying outside unnoticed, not interfering whatsoever and being the best witness that I can, maybe while informing leo via my cell phone.