The Best Defense saved my life.

[sksmedic]

 I have been shooting for the majority of my life and am a firm believer in concealed carry.  I listen to the MB podcast without fail every week. The podcast was where I learned of this new show called The Best Defense. I was hooked from the first episode of season 1.   A couple weeks ago MB was talking about the positive feedback for The Best Defense given to him by police officers  during the podcast. Lives have been saved because of this show and he was feeling very proud because of this. I started thinking that simply being proud isn't enough because one of the lives saved was mine.

 It has been several months since my strange encounter and its a hard story to tell. I still get the chills when I think about it.  I am left with as many questions today as the day it happened. A little background, I recently restored a 1972 chevelle. Its pretty sweet and turns heads everywhere I go. (not always a good thing) Several months ago I drove the Chevelle up to the local convenience store. Its only a mile or so from my house. I live in a decent semi-rural  area with a minimal amount of crime. Despite the lack of crime I carry concealed everywhere I go and this trip was no different.

 I parked the vehicle directly in front of the store facing the entrance. After paying for my drink and got in the car. I had just snapped my seat belt (lap belt only) and put the car in reverse. A full size van came to a screeching stop directly behind my vehicle. The van was oriented sideways with its side cargo door about 6 inches from my bumper. The van was so close that I literally had no where to go. I immediately placed the car in park.

The next part felt like it took hours and I lost my color vision. I see a man exit the drivers door and run towards my driver side door. He looks disheveled with long hair. The man has something metallic in his hand, but I cant identify it. The voice inside my head said "go to the gun!" I went to the gun. (I carry a Ruger LCR loaded with Critical Defense in a suede  Blackhawk IWB in the right appendix position. )  I turned my torso towards the guy while laying back and placing my left forearm above my head. I was only able to bring the gun to my chest level pointed at the door panel when the man made it to my window. I shouted "stop, let me see your hands". The man immediately stopped dead in his tracks and starts saying that he is only trying to tell me that my backup lights are out and he doesn't want me to get a ticket. The guy ended up having a metal cu-baton type key chain in his hand.  I told the guy to step back and to leave.  The guy says but... but... and i scream LEAVE!!!

The man then enters the passenger side of the van and it drives away. Fearing another incident, I backed out of the parking spot and high tailed it for the police station. I filed a report about the incident, but never heard back. The officer was cool and said that he may have shot the guy given similar circumstances.  Later that afternoon I checked all of my lights and found nothing wrong with them.

I know that I made mistakes here and am happy that the situation did not escalate further. The part that freaked me out the most is that I failed to recognize the other occupant of the van. It was only when the man hopped in the passenger seat after coming from the drivers seat that it clicked.  Although I did not completely follow the Best Defense mantra of being aware of your surroundings at all times, I did manage to retain the info on car jacking scenarios and seated draw tactics in a car. I felt comfortable taking shots through the door if necessary.

I would like to thank Michael Bane , Rob Pincus, Michael Januch, and the rest of The Best Defense crew. This may have ended differently without their influence. From the bottom of my heart, Thank you. Keep up the good work.

[Pathfinder]

sksmedic, first off, glad everything turned out OK. Second - damn nice set of wheels!! (this from a Ford guy too!)

Don't beat yourself up too much over this - you had tunnel vision, and the other guy was out of your immediate danger zone. You actually did follow the "rules" MB and others laid down - you dealt with the immediate threat. If you had shot the BG, the next thing you might have done was to scan and survey for other threats.

Besides the van rocketed up behind you which actually gave away their intent, so it's not like you had a chance to eyeball them loitering in the parking lot. The fact that the second BG jumped into the driver's seat when the first one left the van means they've practiced this car jacking maneuver before - the second BG was ready to hightail out after the 1st BG has disabled you and gotten into your car.

Scary situation, but I think you did everything right. Next time, maybe get the van's license plate? 

[ronlarimer]

I have tried to be vigilant since I was in high school (it seems that having a policy of only dating girls with boyfriends not only saves you money but tends to bring a mild form of paranoia with it) so I can't say that the Best Defense saved my life, but I have blogged a few times recently about possible situations in parking lots and they are possibly the most dangerous places you can be.

Additionally, I try not to link to my blog in forums, but I don't have time to retype the stories right now, so here are the links.

Less than perfect awareness at Dicks

I thought I was going to have to run over an old lady

[jstm]

Why the 67  window .

[twyacht]

Glad you ended up OK, had a presence of mind, and a situational awareness to know when the "red flags" were all raised in a sudden instant. You did the right thing.

On a similar note,

I had a flower delivery for my wife's birthday last year to my home. No one was home, and the delivery van was unmarked. I passed it on my street on the side of the road, across the street from my house.

As I pulled into my driveway in my chevy work van, the van immediately pulled across my entire driveway and a man jumped out.

I saw all this in my rearview and drivers mirror, and went for my S&W M&P .40 and opened the door and went to the front of my van to put as much engine block, cover, and van between us.

,......and than I saw the vase with the bouquet as he came around the van  ....I did a quick Mexican carry under my shirt and took the vase from the delivery guy.... I told him he needed a sign on his van.....he said something in another language, waived and drove away.....

My heart was racing, and it just was Condition Yellow, to Condition Redin a split second.

Stay in Condition Yellow, especially out and about.

[Sponsor]

[Tyler Durden]

Sounds like you handled it well enough.

Nice ride!

I wonder if the police were proactive enough to go back and look at any surveillance videos... Maybe a license plate could be visible.  Or a good pic of the would be perps's mugs.

[Tyler Durden]

Back maybe about ten years ago there was a black dentist in East St. Louis who had a sweet 68 Camaro.

Two or three thugs kidnapped him.  Stole the car.  Dumped it somewhere, torched it.  Then dumped his body at an abandoned drive in theater.

The car was easily found.  Probably weeks went by before his body was discovered...  An ESL cop was on duty... Had to go take a whizz,  pulled into the old drive in.  He was doing his thing when the smell of decomp struck him.

The dentist might have had gold at his office towns those fancy bling bling grills all the thugs like to have in their mouths.

[kmitch200]

I wonder if the police were proactive enough to go back and look at any surveillance videos... Maybe a license plate could be visible.  Or a good pic of the would be perps's mugs.

In Prescott I doubt it but I hope I'm wrong.  Speed down Hwy 69 though and they're all over your ass.

Ditto on the nice ride!