Scenario time again.

[Wildscar]

Was thinking about something over the weekend and thought I would ask here. Haven't really see this question asked so I thought I my head it sounded like a good one to ask.

Lets say you are traveling to a new place for a vacation. Doesn't matter where just some place you have never been before in Texas. You pull off the highway to a fast food joint. You get out and walking side instead of using the drive though cause you want to stretch your legs. Upon entering the joint you immediately get the feeling of doom in the air. You stick out like a sore thumb or feel like you have a menu above your head for BG's to order from. So you turn around and leave. While in the parking lot you have an encounter with one of the locals where he pulls a gun and tried to rob you. Muscle memory takes over and the guys at your feet pretty much stopped in his tracks. You look over your should as the crowd grows. By the look of this guy its possible that he was in a gang and his buddies appear to be in that crowd. Would you still be able to leave the scene and still call 911 and inform them that you still felt that you life was in danger or retaliation.

I know the question has a few holes in it and what not but the general question would be about leaving the scene if you still felt your life was in danger after you stopped the immediate threat to you.

[Venus Pax]

They covered a similar scenario in NRA's Personal Protection Outside the Home course.
If you feel that you're in danger at the scene, then leave, but call 911. Usng as few words as possible, let the operator know what happened ("Man pulled a shotgun on me, so I shot to stop him.), and tell them that a mob was starting to gather.
Let them know you felt like you were in even more danger at the scene, but that you will return once the operator lets you know that police have secured the scene. You can also ask for directions to the local police dept--this lets the operator know (and leaves a audio recording) that you aren't trying to flee from law enforcement, just the local gangs.

[Wildscar]

Thats kinda what I was thinking. Just wanted to ask to get it out there.

[TX Rancher]

Thats kinda what I was thinking. Just wanted to ask to get it out there.

I agree in general with the comments from Venus, and would call 911 just as soon as I cleared the parking lot.

But given the situation, gang member down by your hand and other gang members in the crowd, I think you still have big problems ahead. You still have to make it to the car, unlock it, get in and get it started, then get out of Dodge...all this while those gang members that are still standing are probably trying to stop you...doesn't sound like a good time to me, and I don’t think you would make it to your car, at least not without some serious confrontations.

Even if it’s not gang related, you probably will have issues if you try to leave. Do you holster and back up to your car telling everyone you just want to call the cops...that your not the BG here? How will you make it to your car? What can you say to put the crowd at ease?

Let’s say you make it to your car and get it started. I’d say it’s likely that about that time someone in the parking lot is going to try and stop you. After all, they may have no idea who the “BG� was and think it’s you. How do you convince them to let you go so you can call the cops from somewhere else? If they block your car in, do you run them over or possibly shoot them? Remember, they may think you’re the BG and trying to leave the scene of the crime.

It will be interesting to see what responses you get. I suspect most folks will agree that if you can leave to call 911 that’s probably best for everyone. But will you get to leave???

[Wildscar]

Yeah but its a general question and can be tailored to fit any situation. But know that you can leave gives you another option to survive the encounter. Hell the other issue you can toss out is the fact that if you do manage to leave the scene the gang bangers could potentially clean up the area of any firearms that might have been there and make your case that much worse. I just hope none of us ever have to figure out how this works in real life.

[seamusTX]

At least this kind of scenario is extremely rare.

Your chances of walking into a gang-infested place would be low if you did some research before the trip or checked the neighborhood before even stopping your vehicle. When a neighborhood is controlled by gangsters, you can usually tell.

Back before the Internet was in wide use, I made a reservation at a national chain hotel in Little Rock. It was in a lousy neighborhood, and some of the people walking the halls were very shady. Yikes. I was glad we were in and out in 8 hours.

Nowadays you can find out about stuff like that on the Internet.

- Jim

[TX Rancher]

At least this kind of scenario is extremely rare.

Yep, I agree. The odds of walking into a gang scenario are slim for the vast majority of us, and with a little research the bad areas can be avoided.

But you can still find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

During the hurricane evacuations I found myself in a situation I didn’t expect…

There’s a little gas station/ quick stop on 290, not far from my ranch (~5 miles), that my wife and I always stop in. The folks are extremely nice and we always visit for a little while. Mostly, the only folks you run into are regulars from the area…kind of place you consider safe.

It was the first morning after the evacuations and I figured we would swing up to the store and see how they were doing, grab a coffee, and fill up the truck with diesel just to play it safe.

When we got there, the place was packed with people, both in the store and in the parking lot. We found a place to park the truck (all the pumps were backed up out onto the road with people trying to buy gas so no hope of getting diesel). We went in the store, asked the owners how it was going and if they needed any help, grabbed the coffee then headed out to get back in the truck. We had no sooner got out the door and I noticed a group of guys that came around the side of the store. These were some seriously mean looking dudes…and they were between us and the truck. Then they spotted us and started heading our way…kind of spreading out as they came. The guy in the front had spent some serious time in a tattoo parlor, and some of the tat’s on his face were a little less then friendly looking. I found myself wishing I had brought more then my Kimber and only one spare clip.

I figured the best thing was to keep walking and hope we made it to the truck (yea, I know, not much of a plan). About that time, 2 Sheriff’s cars pulled into the lot and the officers got out of their cars. The “guys� glared at the cops, but stopped walking our direction, we diverted and took the long way back to the truck, so it all ended well.

It seems the owners had been having some problems with folks in the parking lot and had called the Sheriff’s department to come out and give them a hand in controlling the crowds.

I have no idea if something was about to go wrong, but the situation sure didn’t feel good. I had the distinct feeling we were being scoped out…In other words, one possible outcome was Wildscar’s scenario.

I’ve had a lot of time to think about how I would have handled it if LE hadn’t shown up and that group was intending to come our way with bad intent, and none of the scenarios in my head turn out well. I can’t reasonably come up with a scenario that would have allowed us to make it to the truck, let alone start it and leave, hence my response to Wildscar’s post.

I was caught totally unaware, and that caused me to be indecisive…I had no plan, so all I would have been able to do is react, which doesn’t sound good.

I really am interested in how people would make it to their vehicle in Wildscar’s scenario. What would they say, what would they do to better their chances of survival?

SemusTX, you started your response with the comment this sort of risk is extremely rare, and I absolutely agree with you! It took multiple rare happenings for me to end up in the scenario I did, and it will probably never happen again. But once was enough to convince me I better think about how I would handle it...or if it even is survivable.

[seamusTX]

That's scary.

I've said before that I don't offer advice about things I have no personal experience with. I have no experience dealing with gangs and mobs.

But the unoffical motto of the Texas Rangres is "one riot, one Ranger." It can be done. People who have that experience have written about it.

The key seems to be force of personality.

- Jim