Witnessed car break-in in a strange city

[Ford]

Over Christmas the wife and I drove 4000 miles from Arizona to Kentucky, then on to North Carolina, and then back to AZ, visiting family. We brought our two dogs with us. On the way back, I had a bad cold and was running a fever so we stopped in Oklahoma City for the night at a La Quinta hotel. I have stayed at La Quinta hotels before and like them because they are usually nice enough, and don't charge anything extra for pets in the room. This one turned out to be not quite as nice as usual, but clean and comfortable. It was located literally about 30 seconds off I-40, without even a stoplight between it and the on ramp.

So I was taking the dogs for a walk around the hotel at around midnight, when I notice a guy in a car idling in the parking lot, and another guy kind of looking around another car which happened to be parked next to my car. They looked really suspicious to me, and when I noticed the guy outside had something about 3 ft long in his hand, I pulled out my cell phone to dial 911. Well before an operator even picked up, he starts beating on the car. It was very loud, as if he was beating on the sheet metal instead of glass. My wife later said that she heard it inside the hotel room which was 50 or so feet away. As I was talking to the 911 operator, some people on the second floor balcony came out and started screaming and cussing at the guy breaking in to the car. Next thing I know, both cars are quickly leaving the parking lot.

I don't know who drove the broken into car away, whether it was the guy who beat on it or the owner trying to chase down the perpetrators in their car. The people on the balcony came down, looked around, one of them said "Thats not a repo" loudly, picked up what looked like a large child car seat off the pavement, went up to their room, and closed the door. I waited around until the police showed up, to let them know what I saw. When they did show up the people in the room did come down to talk to them.

The whole time I had my J frame in my front coat pocket. I tried to be a decent witness, but still put keep some distance between me and these people (they were between me and the hotel room, so I couldn't just go inside). I didn't get a license plate number as it was dark, and I wasn't about to go running toward either car. Even if they had decided to break into my car, I know I would have just kept my distance, and waited for the police to show up. I carry anywhere and everywhere that its legal, and this is the first time in three years that I've thought I might even need a firearm. This makes me want to get licenses that are honored in every state I visit, as you never know when you might need it. As it is, my AZ permit is honored almost everywhere that I care to go.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Sig35seven]

Loudly beating on the car isn't what thieves usually do. It sounds like revenge or pay-back of some sort. IMO

[DMan]

Loudly beating on the car isn't what thieves usually do. It sounds like revenge or pay-back of some sort. IMO

When thieves are fast, and know what they are doing, noise doesn't bother them. If thieves know they can get out within seconds of creating noise it doesn't bother them. Fast is better than quiet they want in and out.

[archer51]

Just curious, did you notify the LEO you were carrying? It is required in OK.

BTW, I've stayed in that motel before. When I lived in SW OK wife and I used to go to the city for the night to shop.

[dangerranger]

Around here Thieves usually break a window and once in the car they are gone in less than 1 min. They make noise but rely on being gone quickly to make their get away. DR

[high pockets]

Was that you with the two dogs? I told Guido you were too far away to see the license plate!