Was I wrong?

[Kazz]

I had an interesting night last night. I've been playing the scenario back in my head over and over thinking about what I would have done if things had gone a little bit different.

I was driving home from my girlfriends house last night whenever I get behind a red SUV (maybe a late 90s Chevy Blazer). He is driving at 15-20mph in a 35mph zone. I never tailgate so I just hold my distance to figure out why he is driving so slow. Maybe he saw a deer or other road hazard close by and was being cautious? Anyway I keep my distance and he starts slamming on his brakes over and over. Now I am a good 7-8 car lengths back and have plenty of time to react and I never even come close. At this time I am starting to think what is wrong with this guy. We keep driving for about a mile with more erratic driving from this guy. The windows are tinted very very dark so I can't see anything inside. Not whos driving or the amount of people or anything.

The road then turns into 4 lanes, 2 in each direction. I signal and get over into the other lane because I don't want to be behind this guy anymore. As soon as I get into the other lane he turns hard into that lane. I try to move into the lane I was just in and he does the same thing very violently. So I back off far. It comes up to a red light and I get into the lane I need to be in. He is in the turning only lane so I'm thinking good this is over and I want to just go home. The light turns green and I'm off. As soon as I get ahead of him he goes straight from the turning lane right behind me and is tailgating me big time. He is no more then 2 feet from my bumper at times. I am about a mile away from my house and I said there is no way I am going home and showing this guy where I live. I know there is a Mcdonalds about 1/4 mile away and I head down there. Very well lit and plenty of cameras everywhere in that parking lot. Whenever I pull into Mcdonalds he goes another way and makes an illegal u-turn and goes back the way we came from.

At this point I am very relieved that he decided to end it there. I had it in my mind that if this guy pulls into this parking lot with me my glock is coming out of my holster. I was confused and worried at this point as I had no idea who or what was in that SUV. Am I wrong for wanting to draw on this guy if he came any closer? It was the first incident I've ever had where I truly felt threatened.

After I seen him drive off I waited in the parking lot for a minute or two to cool down. I felt my heart beating in my chest. I then go home and I've replayed the scenario over and over on things I would have done differently.

[cakeshooter]

I think you were smart to go to the McD's...doesn't sound like you could have done anything too much differently.

The guy was probably drunk. If anything maybe you could have called his license number into the cops to have him checked out. But otherwise....glad he left you alone!

[Breadman03]

In your car, your best bet is to keep moving. Call 911 and have the cops meet you on the road and let them make the confrontation. Keep yourself safe.

[stimrob]

I'm no expert but I don't think you did anything questionable. You tried to avoid escalating the situation, I think and pulling into the McD's was a good idea when it was clear the other driver was aggressive.

Maybe in restrospect, call the police and report an erratic driver.

[.45Kimber1911]

Drawing your firearm and getting into a confrontation would be the least desirable tactical decision you want to make in a situation such as this. Your goal should be to get out of harms way and eliminate the risk of getting into a confrontation. There is no better place to do this than exactly where you were, in the safety of a moving car. You made the correct decision to keep moving to a well lit, public place where any altercation could be witnessed by other people and/or video surveillance cameras. By not pulling into your driveway, you significantly reduced the possibility of letting this person where you can be found at a later date and putting yourself or your family at risk. Having a firearm with you should not be viewed as a protective force field to which nobody can hurt you if you get into a sticky situation. It is a tool to get you out of one if that is the only option left. There are other options to reduce the risk most of the time, which it sounds like you chose correctly.

Good job for keeping your cool and thinking tactically.

[vavulaka]

I think you did a great job. I guess calling the cops would be the only other thing you could have done.

I found this video on YouTube a while ago of a similar situation. I'm not sure if this is fake so excuse me if it is.

http://youtu.be/sesttISVmGg

[Franky4Fingers]

If I were you when this guy started doing his brake slamming and you realized something was odd about this guy...I would have just backed off realllly slow and let this guy drive away out of distance. Or even pull off or something somewhere.

That would have avoided this whole thing.


However, later on down the road what I would have done is drive to the local police station instead of mcdonalds or as others have said, call 911.


Glad everything turned out OK, and its easy to sit here and armchair commando this stuff. Your safe, everything worked out alright, and for the stress of the situation you did OK.

[Kazz]

In your car, your best bet is to keep moving. Call 911 and have the cops meet you on the road and let them make the confrontation. Keep yourself safe.

Thinking back this is the one major thing I did wrong. I should have done exactly that. The absolute last thing I wanted to do was draw my firearm. I thought that going to Mcdonalds was the right idea with it being well lit and under surveillance, but at the same time I was backing myself into a corner in a sense leaving me no other option but to draw if he had continued to be the aggressor.

I see it as a great learning experience and if ever confronted with a situation similar I think I will be far better off having time to think about this one and replaying all the options back in my head.

[QuackXP]

In your car, your best bet is to keep moving. Call 911 and have the cops meet you on the road and let them make the confrontation. Keep yourself safe.

Drawing your firearm and getting into a confrontation would be the least desirable tactical decision you want to make in a situation such as this. Your goal should be to get out of harms way and eliminate the risk of getting into a confrontation. There is no better place to do this than exactly where you were, in the safety of a moving car. You made the correct decision to keep moving to a well lit, public place where any altercation could be witnessed by other people and/or video surveillance cameras. By not pulling into your driveway, you significantly reduced the possibility of letting this person where you can be found at a later date and putting yourself or your family at risk. Having a firearm with you should not be viewed as a protective force field to which nobody can hurt you if you get into a sticky situation. It is a tool to get you out of one if that is the only option left. There are other options to reduce the risk most of the time, which it sounds like you chose correctly.

Good job for keeping your cool and thinking tactically.

^THIS^

I don't think you did anything wrong. But my mindset if he had followed me into the McD's parking lot would have been to keep moving. If i where in an an area I know well I would head toward the nearest police station and called 911.

BTW where was this? I live in the burgh as well.

[American1776]

I'm not an expert on these matters, but I think you did quite well.

As others have said, as soon as he started following you and driving agressivley, I would have had the cops on the phone.
There is a well respected forum member here who recently had to 'clear leather' to ward off a crazed road rager in a similar incident to yours, and the aftermath got complicated (in the end it worked out for him). Perhaps he can chime in here.

Drawing your firearm is, indeed, the last thing you want to have do. As Mas Ayoob has said, every time the gun comes out of the holster, you're on thin ice. Do what you have to do, but keep in mind there are potentially grave consequences, even when you have truth and right on your side.

Glad things worked out in your favor.