Had to use my gun this weekend.

I was driving in Phoenix this Saturday in the early afternoon on my way home.  Was on a side street heading towards the intersection when I saw two cars on the other side of the road had pulled over (going the other way) and the drivers were squaring off facing each other shouting.  As I passed them they started throwing punches.  Maybe it's been a while since I've been in or seen a fight but these guys were pounding each other. 

My honest thought was, well whatever, not my fight. 

Now to further the story I need to explain 1 of the guys was a thirty something Mexican guy, he got out of the car in front (white older POS) by himself.  The other driver was a young twenty something white dude, shaved head (driving about an 04/05 Chevy pickup).  As I drove past I noticed that another shaved head white guy got out of the truck along with a pretty blonde girl both of whom joined in the yelling. 

  Watching from the intersection just past them I noticed the other white guy trying to move around behind the Mexican guy and I saw something in his hand.  Could have been a knife, brass knuckles, and a cell phone.  I didn't and still don't know what it was. 

My thought now was this doesn't seem like a fair fight.  I grabbed my cell and hit 911 and flipped a U in the intersection and came back behind the truck about twenty feet behind it where I had a decent view. 

Talked to dispatch, gave license plate numbers and descriptions giving her a bit of a blow by blow as the first two were still circling throwing punches.  I had my Sig239 at my side but just sitting there.   

The buddy of the one guy sees me and starts shouting "This isn't your business!  Get the F**K out of here!" 

So I did the reasonable thing and waved my phone so he could see I was talking to someone. 

He didn't like that.  He starts towards me, not walking and not running I hate to call it jogging but about that speed.  He kept yelling at me.  Still couldn't make out what he was holding.

I picked up my Sig and held it against my chest.  Not towards him but high enough he could see me and more importantly it. 

He then decided it was time to leave.  He jumped in his truck and started yelling to the other guy it was time to go!  "He's calling the F**KING COPS!" 

The fighting white guy realized it was time to go and jumps in the truck with his buddy and pushes the girl in too.  They then peal out and leave.  The Mexican guy looks around, quickly jumps in his truck and leaves too.

I told dispatch, "Everybody's gone now."

Dispatch: "Officers will be there in a few minutes.  Did you see which way the truck went?"

Me: "Yes" told her. 

Dispatch: "you're not following them are you?"

Me: "Why would I?" 

Dispatch: "Just wait there sir, officers will be there in a few minutes."

ME: I look around and realize I'm parked alone alongside an empty street.  "But everybody's gone.  Do I need to wait around?"

Dispatch: "well you don't have too." 

ME: "I've given you everything I know.  I wasn't involved.  How about I give you my phone number so if they officers need me they can find me?" 

Dispatch: "ok"

Gave number.  Went home. 

hind sight is 20/20.   


Actually if I redid it I'd have parked further away too! 

Good samaritan to the rescue!

Well played good sir.

Can't imagine it working out any better.

(Maybe a night in the tank for the party's concerned)

You did good, Sir.

Trouble.

Yeah, but only the best kind of trouble.   

Good on you, good thinking and good acting. 

I worry, perhaps too much, of getting set up in an ambiguous situation by a bad person sometime.  Something not right (perhaps like the fight you witnessed), but not yet rising to the level of needing to draw a gun.  But what if the bad guy is just disguising his motives so he can get in close?  I'm not a hand to hand fighter and don't want to, and I can't yet pull a gun because he's not (yet anyway) threatening me that severely.  But I have to do something, something isn't right with the way this guy is acting and I can't just sit back and do nothing.  What to do?

I think the way you did it is a good way to resolve that.  Pull out the phone and call 911 if something's in progress, or even if something may be getting ready to go down (I say anyway).  If the suspicious or bad person tries to forcibly stop you from calling the police, that helps clarify his motives pretty quickly.  If he's not really up to something bad, he may mouth off but he won't try to stop you from calling the police.  If that guy had not been persuaded to break it off after seeing you're armed, you're not going to get a better self-defense setup what with being on the phone with 911.  You can still loudly warn him to stop coming towards you (especially for the benefit of the 911 call being taped should you need a legal defense).  Should the worst happen and you can't avoid having to draw or even shoot, you'll have hard evidence in the taped call that you were trying to stop the situation, not make it worse.

hind sight is 20/20.   


Actually if I redid it I'd have parked further away too! 

That would be my only 20/20 comment. One question, from where you were parked, could have been possible to beat a hasty retreat without endangering yourself and others?