I got "Interviewed" this evening

[Maxem0815]

Run if you can fight if you have to good advice. ONE more don't wash your car after dark, one guy down here got killed doing that over $10.00.
Mace

[Onward Allusion]

bullethole1
The delinquent who hit your car is pretty darn brave to hit your car because some people on this earth can loose it from stuff like that and point their gun and shoot

More like pretty darn stupid. Catch someone on a bad day and the idiot could have ended up under the car. Same for his cohort on a *bicycle*. I haven't seen a bicycle outrun a car from zero yet.

[BlackFeather]

I too, agree that the OP did a good job, but here's my hypothetical question.

If they had positioned themselves so you would have to hit one of the to get out, and they didn't want to move, what would be done?

They could say he hit him. He could say he felt he was in danger, or does he pull out his phone right in front of them?

Not wanting to hijack just exploring opinions on how the situation could have been worse and resolved just as well.

[MLeake]

BlackFeather, I'd have locked the doors, ensured my weapon was ready (IE ensure my shirt not snagged in seat belt), and called 911 on my cell. I'd only run them over if one produced a weapon, or tried to force his way into my truck. But in that case, squashing them like bugs would be an acceptable side-effect of vacating the area.

[ZeSpectre]

If they had positioned themselves so you would have to hit one of the to get out, and they didn't want to move, what would be done?

Personally, I had already made the decision that I was leaving the scene, PERIOD. That being the case it was, as I said before, still astoundingly hard to make myself press down on the gas pedal and make that commitment.

[Neal_G.]

I'm with Maxem0815, the real lesson is that theres just no reason to go to a car wash after dark. Just because of the layout and general location of the things the odds are stacked against you in an encounter. A dirty car can always wait.

I actually live a mile down the street from a car wash in a more 'urban' area were two years ago a guy was mugged and killed while he was washing his car at night. They still have the little cross and fake flowers sitting in the grass beside the place. Just not worth it, but glad you acted quickly!

[secret_agent_man]

You called the cops first. That generally makes the caller innocent unless there is some real outstanding evidence to the contrary. Bad guys don't call cops.

[orionengnr]

I understood exactly what you meant by "interviewed", especially since you put it in quotes.

You did just fine. Those "disadvantaged youts" will meet their demise in a future thread...just be glad it didn't have to be you that made it happen.

I just have to wonder...if the car wash "magic wand" was still active...if you could have blown one/both of them off their bikes with high pressure water/soap.

[SurplusShooter]

Your actions were professional and you did the right thing.

[youngunz4life]

As for the rest of the "suppose" scenario you mention, I understand what you are saying, but overthinking stuff like that is precisely what paralyzes folks until it's too late to act.

exactly,
sometimes one must use one fluid motion. there is no need to rush or panic, but sometimes it is best to just keep it going.

result: you still have game

[ClydeFrog]

The best way to stay safe is to AVOID conflicts & problems first!

Some local LE officers here call it an "avenue of escape". If you spot trouble & the balloon hasn't gone up yet, then by all prudent means, un-a#* the A/O(area of operations) and call the local law enforcement.
Sometimes that may not be possible or safe but keep in mind that lethal force is the LAST resort!

ClydeFrog

[egor20]

"avenue of escape"

You just read my mind

[Kevin Rohrer]

"Live at Yellow,
Die at White".

DVC

[AZAK]

the real lesson is that theres just no reason to go to a car wash after dark.

Not always possible.

In the Winter in Alaska, when your rig is covered in dirty snow, the oncoming lights light up your dirty windshield, your headlights are but a dim glow with light fighting to get through the grime and it is dark for twenty plus hours of the day (sometimes closer to dark twenty-four hours a day) sometimes one needs to use a car wash in the dark; my hose at home doesn't work too well at -20 and colder, there is a reason that we have some heated car washes up here. (And there have been more than a few occasions that after washing the rig, having to sit in my heated garage waiting for the ice to melt after the car wash so that I can even open my door to get out.)

Real lesson is that SA is pretty darn important, as is acting on it.

[Geezerbiker]

I have to honestly admit that if it was me in my truck, I would have at least acted like I was going to run them down. The worthless trash deserved to get the crap scared out of them.

Tony

[skoro]

If they had positioned themselves so you would have to hit one of the to get out, and they didn't want to move, what would be done?

I'd think a shot of high pressure soap in the face would give him cause to move. It's a car wash and he's on a bicycle.

[ZeSpectre]

I'd think a shot of high pressure soap in the face would give him cause to move. It's a car wash and he's on a bicycle.

Skoro, I saw the "smiley" and am aware that you were speaking "tongue-in-cheek" but lest someone take that as a tactic to think about I do want to point out that these two boys were both about 6ft, 180lbs and fit and somehow I don't think that tactic would have been terribly effective except to escalate the situation.

That said, if I had nothing else to use at the time and been backed into a corner, then high pressure water would have come into play at least as a distraction.

[skoro]

Seriously, it sounds like you took the best course of action available. Everyone goes home and no one ends up in jail. That's a good outcome.

[Powderman]

Mighty difficult to lose the fight if you're gone when it starts.

I like that!!!

To ZeSpectre: Well met, sir--and well done!

[Lost Sheep]

First, some observations.

Sorry, I have used coin-operated car washes before. The time on the wand runs out at the most inopportune times.

To those who suggested the OP get his weapon ready. I did not see where the OP said he was armed.

Did the police really take the situation seriously? I notice there is a palm-print on a freshly cleaned surface. Did they?

Good for you for keeping yourself safe and doing what seems to me to be EXACTLY the right things at the right times under the circumstances. You were vulnerable and took steps to mitigate that condition. Has the experience changed your behavior?

When I first read the title of the thread, I took another meaning of the work "interviewed", that of being questioned by the police, either as a suspect or a witness. Despite the meaning of the word mentioned in the link http://www.self-defense-mind-body-sp...ent-crime.html as stage 2 to my mind, what you experienced was being stalked (as in a lone sheep by a pair of wolves). A smart and savvy sheep, though. (edit) Lest anyone take my use of the word "sheep" as insulting, let me be clear. I think you behaved as a Ram to be reckoned with.

Your experience reminded me of what happened to Zarmineh Moody in July 2010 in Yuma, AZ. The Yuma woman was the victim of an attempted armed robbery at the Fry's parking lot on 24th Street and 4th Avenue.

http://www.yumasun.com/articles/mood...rse-knife.html

Your story won't make the newspapers, but demonstrated the better tactics, nonetheless. She was lucky and nervy. You were smart. Thanks for sharing.

Lost Sheep

[Chuck Dye]

I've long thought of it as listening for the "cello."

Years ago some Scottish musician was telling Johnny Carson about diving a reef in the Caribbean and how, suddenly, "all the wee fishies disappeared, just vanished, and I wondered di' they hear the cello and I di' not." Carson looked confused, so the Scot vocalized "duuhdunt... duuhdunt,duuhdunt."

Cue Jaws theme.

Cue commercial.

[valleyforge.1777]

OK, so in Alaska you might have to use the car warsh in the dark. For the rest of the free world, I think it is a good idea to avoid that kind of place near dark or in the dark.

[WANT A LCR 22LR]

"" You called the cops first. That generally makes the caller innocent unless there is some real outstanding evidence to the contrary. Bad guys don't call cops. ""

I don't buy that theory at all.

Say GG does not have a cell phone , no pay phones are around and the GG isn't sure BG is following. GG runs and doesn't slow down until he is almost to Arkansas.

When he is in more a familiar area / home / things calm down a bit, he makes the call. Still think the second call is the BG?

[Skadoosh]

"" You called the cops first. That generally makes the caller innocent unless there is some real outstanding evidence to the contrary. Bad guys don't call cops. ""

I don't buy that theory at all.

You may not buy it, but 99% of the time the initial 911 caller is logged as the complainant...a label that sticks in a very good way.

BTW, perfect job, ZeSpectre. That is exactly how situations like these should be handled from the start.

[45Gunner]

I think the point made by the OP is to always maintain SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. By knowing what is happening around you and utilizing your gut instincts, gives you the ability to maintain control, escape and evade, and most of all, keep you out of a corner where you may be forced to take actions that no one really wants.