I was just caught with my guard down...

Hanwei

Hanwei

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So I'm driving the 1.2 mile commute home from work... and was stopped at a red light right outside of Harvard Square...

I'm enjoying my music and suddenly I hear a loud rapping at my passenger side window... there's a man in his late 50's early 60's standing there saying something that I can't hear/understand.

People stop you for directions all the time since this is a pretty touristy city (Cambridge). So I figure he needed directions or something.

I go to press the window button but I realize that i'm in my rental car that has power-NOTHING (my car is in the shop because it was broken into this past weekend). So I shrug at him letting him know I'm not going lower the window manually.

He says in a louder voice "My wife is having a baby. I need ride!" And without waiting for my response, he goes for the passenger door handle and tries to open the door. Not aggressively though.

1st red flag. He didn't wait for my response and tried to open the door.

At this point I'm now on guard and I try to stall him by acting like I didn't hear him so I could give myself a little bit more time to evaluate whether his is a threat or if he is someone in need of help.

I asked him to repeat himself. At this point the light is still red and I have cars in front of me, to the side of me, and in back of me so I can't go anywhere.

He says it again "My wife is having a baby. Please give me a ride!" He then tries to open my door again. This time he tries more aggressively, repeatedly pulling on the door handle.

I think to myself "Maybe he really really needs to get to his wife and needs my help?"

BUT...

2nd red flag = I took a quick look around me and noticed that the car in front of me was a TAXI CAB. The car to my left was a TAXI CAB. And the car behind me was a TAXI CAB. WHY WOULD HE CHOOSE ME for a ride?!

At that point the light turns green and I give him a look of "I'm sorry, i can't help you" and I drive away. His expression on his face when I started to drive away was "shit, that didn't work".

Anyway... I wasn't afraid... just caught off guard. He didn't seem threatening necessarily... just a bit devious... as if he was trying to trick me into letting him into my car. I'm glad I had the door locked.

What if my door wasn't locked though? He would have just gotten into the car and at that point he could have simply waited for me to drive him to the hospital... or he could have pulled a gun/knife. Who knows.

It just didn't make any sense that he would pick me, over the plethora of taxi cabs right there if he needed a ride to the hospital.

I live in Cambridge and the Chief does not give out unrestricted LTC A's. It bothers me... but now it bothers me even more. I can only go target shooting and hunting. But I can't be prepared to defend myself. Great.

I'm not saying this situation warranted me drawing a gun. It definitely did not. But if my door was unlocked and he got into my car... who knows what that situation would have warranted.

[thinking]
 
"He says in a louder voice "My wife is having a baby. I need ride!" And without waiting for my response, he goes for the passenger door handle and tries to open the door. Not aggressively though."

Smells bad to me. Too many other options, besides jumping into a car of a random that you don't even know if heading towards the hospital.
 
Hanwei said:
Chief does not give out unrestricted LTC A's. It bothers me... but now it bothers me even more. I can only go target shooting and hunting. But I can't be prepared to defend myself. Great.
Click to expand...
Join the club I know how you feel, put some OC on your person
 
I wouldn't want a cabbie seeing my wife have my kid either. Plus, cabs are filthy!

Then again, early 60's?
 
I think if they're going to kidnap you, they're going to kill you. The wife knows to put up a fight if anyone tries to force her into a car.

Yeah, I agree with the OC spray. I carry it sometimes too because my license is neutered. I was watching videos on you tube of people getting sprayed with it, however it doesn't always work well. Be prepared with your fists or knife or heavy flashlight or whatever in case you can't get away.

I'm surprised a police officer wasn't standing right there to protect you.
 
evan9201 said:
better yet get a nice mag light and a nice little assit opening carry knife.
Click to expand...

M16LEGRP07.jpg


I keep the top knife with the tanto blade in my glovebox and I alternate the middle and bottom knives as my EDC knife.
 
He says it again "My wife is having a baby. Please give me a ride!" He then tries to open my door again. This time he tries more aggressively, repeatedly pulling on the door handle.
Click to expand...
Give the same response the police will give if you ask them for a ride for a medical emergency - offer to call an ambulance. There are *way* too many things that can go wrong (medically speaking) to leave it to amateurs. Although the ambulance may not get the patient to the hospital as quickly, it will generally result in faster medical care (patient arrives with vitals taken, EKG if applicable, etc.)
 
Sounds like the guy was trying to hook you up for his next
carjacking. If he really DID need help (im not betting on
this) he was an idiot. (In my book f***ing with some guy's
door handle in traffic is a recipe to get a loaded gun pointed at you,
"law" notwithstanding).


-Mike
 
I hadn't encountered that one before. When I used to live in the Boston area, I would get the old scam all the time where someone was begging for "gas money" because their car ran out of gas and their two 5 year old children were in the car (by themselves, waiting for mommy/daddy to return with gas). My response was always "You left your two small children alone a mile away in a car by themselves in the city? I'm calling the police on you right NOW." Made them leave real quick...
 
Jesus...Restricted LTC's...I've never had one, (mine have always been ALP), but it would make me nuts....I'd go for the OC then - at least it's something, but shit will it ever ruin your day if you blast away in an enclosed car, (ask me how I know)...Better than a carjacking I suppose. I'd keep a 4D Maglite on a mount up under your dash. Grab it, swing it, then light up the scene for the ambulance crew and the PD....
 
I always have this on me...Kershaw Leek (Assisted...but mine has the black TiNi finish)

damascusleek4.jpg


And I have these two in the car at all times...

macecanhand.gif

policestuff_1968_95671735',300,300);


However I was in the rental car... and I did not have the baton nor OC on me. [thinking]
 
Hanwei said:
So I'm driving the 1.2 mile commute home from work... and was stopped at a red light right outside of Harvard Square...

I'm enjoying my music and suddenly I hear a loud rapping at my passenger side window... there's a man in his late 50's early 60's standing there saying something that I can't hear/understand.

People stop you for directions all the time since this is a pretty touristy city (Cambridge). So I figure he needed directions or something.

I go to press the window button but I realize that i'm in my rental car that has power-NOTHING (my car is in the shop because it was broken into this past weekend). So I shrug at him letting him know I'm not going lower the window manually.

He says in a louder voice "My wife is having a baby. I need ride!" And without waiting for my response, he goes for the passenger door handle and tries to open the door. Not aggressively though.

1st red flag. He didn't wait for my response and tried to open the door.

At this point I'm now on guard and I try to stall him by acting like I didn't hear him so I could give myself a little bit more time to evaluate whether his is a threat or if he is someone in need of help.

I asked him to repeat himself. At this point the light is still red and I have cars in front of me, to the side of me, and in back of me so I can't go anywhere.

He says it again "My wife is having a baby. Please give me a ride!" He then tries to open my door again. This time he tries more aggressively, repeatedly pulling on the door handle.

I think to myself "Maybe he really really needs to get to his wife and needs my help?"

BUT...

2nd red flag = I took a quick look around me and noticed that the car in front of me was a TAXI CAB. The car to my left was a TAXI CAB. And the car behind me was a TAXI CAB. WHY WOULD HE CHOOSE ME for a ride?!

At that point the light turns green and I give him a look of "I'm sorry, i can't help you" and I drive away. His expression on his face when I started to drive away was "shit, that didn't work".

Anyway... I wasn't afraid... just caught off guard. He didn't seem threatening necessarily... just a bit devious... as if he was trying to trick me into letting him into my car. I'm glad I had the door locked.

What if my door wasn't locked though? He would have just gotten into the car and at that point he could have simply waited for me to drive him to the hospital... or he could have pulled a gun/knife. Who knows.

It just didn't make any sense that he would pick me, over the plethora of taxi cabs right there if he needed a ride to the hospital.

I live in Cambridge and the Chief does not give out unrestricted LTC A's. It bothers me... but now it bothers me even more. I can only go target shooting and hunting. But I can't be prepared to defend myself. Great.

I'm not saying this situation warranted me drawing a gun. It definitely did not. But if my door was unlocked and he got into my car... who knows what that situation would have warranted.

[thinking]
Click to expand...

A flare pistol is pretty nasty at close range.
 
I do think this situation would call for drawing a gun. I would have drawn, though I would not have presented the weapon to him just yet.

Waiting for him to open the door before going for a weapon is too damned late.
 
Prepper said:
I hadn't encountered that one before. When I used to live in the Boston area, I would get the old scam all the time where someone was begging for "gas money" because their car ran out of gas and their two 5 year old children were in the car (by themselves, waiting for mommy/daddy to return with gas). My response was always "You left your two small children alone a mile away in a car by themselves in the city? I'm calling the police on you right NOW." Made them leave real quick...
Click to expand...

[laugh]
 
Don't leave the OC in the car on a hot summer day either.

Mass courts will never let you get away with drawing a gun from your car, no matter what the threat is.
 
You should at the least call the police and let them know what has happened so the word can get out if there is some lowlife out there attempting to carjack.
 
For cryin' out loud you are a Cambridge resident - your only proper response would be curl up in a ball and cry for somebody - anybody - to come help you. If he still persisted you should have put your hands over your head and screamed something about not wanting to get hurt - then jumped out of the car and handed over the car keys and your wallet. [wink]

On the serious side - you would be amazed what a really pissed off look - and telling somebody that if you have to step out of the car they are going to take a beating will accomplish. Ask the guy where his pregnant wife is - when he hesitates in the least to answer logically and correctly tell him to back the f*** away from your car and go screw himself.
 
Last edited:
The only problem with the ASP is that it is almost impossible to deploy inside the car. How about one of the old "Club" steering locks, separated into its component parts? I figure that someone decided to put the finger-grips on the heavier piece for some other reason than to facilitate the locking function. Besides, in the eyes of the law (probably), it is not a "weapon" until it becomes a weapon (i.e., is used as such).
 
ASP collapsible batons are kosher in MA? I was under the impression they weren't. But if they are, I might have to get one.
 
Prepper said:
Mass courts will never let you get away with drawing a gun from your car, no matter what the threat is.
Click to expand...

That's a pretty big chunk of disinformation there- I can think of
several occurances offhand where deploying a gun inside a car
would be legally justifiable, even under MA law. Just because one
is in a motor vehicle doesn't mean the rules change, although it may
force you to look at the situation a little differently- eg, if you can
still move the vehicle you can probably atttempt some sort of
escape or use the car as a weapon. Either of which is probably
going to be "cheaper" than using a firearm. (or in some cases,
may be more effective.... cars have a pretty good amount of
stopping power. )

-Mike
 

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