two days. two (maybe) close calls

[PaJ]

so i posted yesterday about a squib load malfunction. had a second round fired it could have been bad.

Today Mrs PaJ and I needed to go to the mall to visit a specific store. Of course she found just one more to visit. i waited outside sitting at a small cafe table just watching people. I noticed two young men coming towards me that looked...different. I was carrying a backpack with my EDC stuff in it including my 9mm. I had a 9mm on my person too. truely with the backpack I may have looked a bit out of place too.

As they approached me i felt that they were clearly interested in me sitting there. My spidy senses were tingling. They walked behind me and VERY close to me even though they had plenty of room to pass. i thought i might get elbowed in the head but they kept walking. then one of them split off and was circling around while the one who walked closest to me did an about face and came back directly towards me. I grabbed my bag, got up, walked a few steps to the entrance of the store where my wife was and turned around with my bag on my shoulder. It gave me the best vantage point with cover, and put me between my wife and the possible bad guys.

the guy who was approaching me peeled off and his buddy went to catch up to him. we saw them as we were leaving the mall. i was telling my wife the story and pointed them out. she said, its clear they arent here shopping.

Paranoid? maybe. but something was just not right.

[brhalltx]

Where was this?

[PaJ]

Where was this?

Willowbrook Mall. NW Houston.

[Jumping Frog]

I always trust that gut instinct that things aren't right. Glad you trusted yours as well.

[mr1337]

Paranoid? maybe. but something was just not right.

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck.

Kudos for keeping up your situational awareness.

[RHenriksen]

Good job taking 'corrective' action. It can often be enough to proactively evade and demonstrate SA to encourage them to find easier prey elsewhere.

[ELB]

Sounds like you dodged something.

[goose]

I am a firm believer that out of the 1% chance we might ever get into trouble, having our heads up and eyes on our environment will significantly reduce that 1% further. I think that you handled it very well. No words spoken. No need for any exchange with the two "shoppers." The advantages all went to you. If they were experienced criminals, they saw the equation turn against them and they went looking for greener pastures. If they were truly shoppers, they saw nothing in your behavior to worry about.

Sounds like win-win. Kudos to you.

[rtschl]

Trust your instincts. I believe they served you well here.