The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - All hands stand by to repel boarders! (Do you lock your car doors?)

Chuck Dye · December 18, 2008, 07:19 PM

On the freeway, traffic stopped.

The guy at the open passenger door is pushing the car in the center of three lanes of a busy free way…Great! Hope he …wups! The car is accelerating. The guy hangs on until running fails him and he falls, log rolling three or four times over a car length or more. Okaaaay, the guy lost that argument with the wife, girlfriend, or whoever, and decisively, too. Noooo, now he’s up and wildly trying doors on other cars and looks panicked. Wonder what drug or psychosis is operating here? Wonderful! NOW the guy is alongside my driver’s door trying to open the doors of the sedan next to me. Ahhhh! Not drugs, not psychosis, just plain old criminal flight: here comes John Law, apparently Officer Paul Staley, Glock drawn. The guy, apparently Jose Angel Dominguez, gave up trying to enter the car next to me and ran to the center divider and jumped the K-wall. Officer Staley followed, crossing right in front of my truck. Seeing no reason not to, I caught a gear and left the scene. My last view of note was of Officer Stanley on the other side of the K-wall talking down to someone apparently lying at his feet.

I suppose that I could have moved on Dominguez as he attempted to enter the car stopped along side my truck. At a couple of points he seemed within reach of a violently opened door (potentially lethal where lethal force could not be justified,) and I think he might have had difficulty achieving his ends with 350 pounds of trucker dropped on him from a height, but the window of opportunity opened and closed without Dominguez becoming an immediate threat to anyone. Certainly Officer Staley’s appearance punted such possibilities into the realm of Monday morning quarterbacking. As it is, I had a brief bit of entertainment.

It is pleasing to note that all but one of the drivers whose cars Dominguez tried to board had their doors locked, less so to admit that my driver’s door required locking as Dominguez approached.

It is also less than pleasing to think that I had Dominguez as helpful passenger, argument loser, and 5150 before I recognized him for what he is, a criminal willing to attempt carjacking and kidnapping rather than get caught.

Best of all, despite some brief thoughts, I didn't do anything stupid.

http://mantecabulletin.com/news/article/110/

December 18, 2008, 07:19 PM	#1
Chuck Dye Senior Member Join Date: June 28, 2002 Location: Oregon-The wet side. Posts: 949	All hands stand by to repel boarders! (Do you lock your car doors?) On the freeway, traffic stopped. The guy at the open passenger door is pushing the car in the center of three lanes of a busy free way…Great! Hope he …wups! The car is accelerating. The guy hangs on until running fails him and he falls, log rolling three or four times over a car length or more. Okaaaay, the guy lost that argument with the wife, girlfriend, or whoever, and decisively, too. Noooo, now he’s up and wildly trying doors on other cars and looks panicked. Wonder what drug or psychosis is operating here? Wonderful! NOW the guy is alongside my driver’s door trying to open the doors of the sedan next to me. Ahhhh! Not drugs, not psychosis, just plain old criminal flight: here comes John Law, apparently Officer Paul Staley, Glock drawn. The guy, apparently Jose Angel Dominguez, gave up trying to enter the car next to me and ran to the center divider and jumped the K-wall. Officer Staley followed, crossing right in front of my truck. Seeing no reason not to, I caught a gear and left the scene. My last view of note was of Officer Stanley on the other side of the K-wall talking down to someone apparently lying at his feet. I suppose that I could have moved on Dominguez as he attempted to enter the car stopped along side my truck. At a couple of points he seemed within reach of a violently opened door (potentially lethal where lethal force could not be justified,) and I think he might have had difficulty achieving his ends with 350 pounds of trucker dropped on him from a height, but the window of opportunity opened and closed without Dominguez becoming an immediate threat to anyone. Certainly Officer Staley’s appearance punted such possibilities into the realm of Monday morning quarterbacking. As it is, I had a brief bit of entertainment. It is pleasing to note that all but one of the drivers whose cars Dominguez tried to board had their doors locked, less so to admit that my driver’s door required locking as Dominguez approached. It is also less than pleasing to think that I had Dominguez as helpful passenger, argument loser, and 5150 before I recognized him for what he is, a criminal willing to attempt carjacking and kidnapping rather than get caught. Best of all, despite some brief thoughts, I didn't do anything stupid. http://mantecabulletin.com/news/article/110/ __________________ Gee, I'd love to see your data! Last edited by Chuck Dye; December 21, 2008 at 10:58 AM. Reason: Spelling, see reply #22. Thank you, Tamara.