TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS

[Rob Pincus]

I received word last night via phone call that a friend's home had been invaded at gun point by 3 men. He had just left the house and his family was at home. They are all safe now.  Here is the email (with minor editing for identity's sake) that he sent out in the middle of the night to a small list of friends in this industry. We all preach awareness and trusting your brain's built in early warning system.... in fact, we train and discuss in order to develop more intuitive ways to recognize attacks and respond to them. Sometimes, when provided with all the pre contact cues, we still fail to act on them for reasons of self-doubt, complacency, peer pressure, convenience or any other number of things. I know that I have been guilty of it as well.... too often. Learn from this.

"My family is safe. No one was physically harmed.

I left my home for an appointment and noticed 3 black males walking up the street - my alarms went off and I watched them continue by my house. I closed the garage, and I had a flash of an attack and dismissed it (with what I do I'm always visualizing scenarios). I watched them continue past the house walking towards the highway - again my alarms went off and I thought to call the cops...then I said to myself, what am I going to say...hi I live in a wealthy area and 3 black guys are walking on the street...if you get here in about 30 seconds, they'll be walking north. I f'n dismissed it thinking, I'm 'profiling' bottom line: I failed gavin debecker 101. [I have studied his book "Gift of Fear" which explains responding] around instincts and intuition and ignored my own.

1-minute after I left my house 3 black males forced their way into my home at gunpoint. My son who was upstairs saw what was happening grabbed the phone and called 9-11. They forced my family into a closet and then began rifling thru drawers...they pulled [my wife] out of the room demanding money she lead them downstairs to her purse she gave them her wallet but thank god for [my son], cops were en route and within minutes sirens were screaming towards my home.

They bolted. They got her wallet and phone. 7 minutes after I left she called me screaming for help.

I still can't believe this. I'm sitting in a hotel room looking at my family. Alive, physically safe. Messed up emotionally.

I thought this was opportunistic - three punks see man of house leave in hummer, wife home, easy target and roll in - we have since learned there was a 4th guy in a car, that my house was targeted - one of the guys works for a car cleaning service that does house visits and they washed [my wife's] car last week.

They caught one of the dirt bags, a 17 year old punk who has starting singing to the cops and they've ID 2 of the other three at this time.

We also learned the 3 other people we know had their cars washed (same company) and were all burgled within days...

I don't know if they were coming in whether i was there or not and I just happened to surprise them when I left or if they waited for me to leave. Gun, daylight, Friday, corner house...they had no way to know I was late for an appointment - I think I left and they were already coming in.

A lot is going through my mind right now. I oscillate from wanting to puke and choking backs tears looking at my wife & kids sleeping thinking about how different this evening could've been.

All that to say...WTF?

Our lives have changed.

Stay safe my friends.

[Pathfinder]

Damn, that is one sobering lesson, Rob. Glad everyone is physically OK, I can't imagine how the begin rebuilding emotionally afer that. Good presence of mind for the son, though. let's hope the scumbags get put away for a long time. Probably won't happen as these days it seem burglars don't get much time or get early released.

Thanks for the object lesson, point noted.

[fightingquaker13]

Definately a lesson to do things most of us don't do regularly, even though we know we should. Things like turning on the alarm while we are at home, carrying a cell in our pockets, maybe a gun. I don't carry in the house unless I've just come home and forgotten to take it off, which happens a lot. It also reminds us that every stranger you invite into your house is a potential security risk, A yard guy, a contractor, a car detailer. Maybe its best to be selective about this. Take your car to the car wash, or one of the guys who do it at mall while you shop (or just DIY), Choose small businesses rather than big companies for plumbers and pressure cleaners and exterminators who have worked for friends before. Don't use the valet parking (your address and keys in their hands). Just stuff to consider.
FQ13

[Hazcat]

I live in a nothin' special, little, lower middle class type neighborhood. Brosometal can tell ya bout it.

BUT my doors are always locked and I am always armed.  I have a gun stashed near the front door (and others around the house).  My son will not answer the door until he looks over his shoulder and sees me standing there at the ready.  He also always has a fire arm within reach.

Paranoid or prudent?  I vote prudent.

[MikeBjerum]

I live in a nothin' special, little, lower middle class type neighborhood. Brosometal can tell ya bout it.

BUT my doors are always locked and I am always armed.  I have a gun stashed near the front door (and others around the house).  My son will not answer the door until he looks over his shoulder and sees me standing there at the ready.  He also always has a fire arm within reach.

Paranoid or prudent?  I vote prudent.

Prudent ... Wise ... Good Parenting ... Prepared ... ETC!!!!

[Sponsor]

[cooptire]

Holy Cow!!!

I am sincerely glad that no one in his family was injured, at least physically. One of the scariest things that I can possibly imagine and something I try to not to get complacent about. It is HARD to not be, especially when someone hasn't had a lot of problems in the past. I think Rob says it right when he says to trust your instincts.



Scary.

[saltydogbk]

Glad everyone is okay.  What a wake up call.

[tombogan03884]

 Paranoid or prudent ?
If you are paranoid and wrong, you are safe with effort and funds tied up in your security.
If you are trusting and wrong you are a victim, possibly a DEAD victim.
Which do you choose ?
(I know the answer here   it's a thought for the GENERAL PUBLIC  )

[shooter32]

Thanks for the post Rob!

+1 Trust your instincts!

[JSC3ATLCSO]

Paranoid or prudent ?
If you are paranoid and wrong, you are safe with effort and funds tied up in your security.
If you are trusting and wrong you are a victim, possibly a DEAD victim.
Which do you choose ?
(I know the answer here  it's a thought for the GENERAL PUBLIC  )

I haven't seen this before.. But I'm stealing it now.  Possibly making it a bumper sticker.