austinrealtor wrote:Why did you continue down the same road with the "gun car" in front of you for 25 minutes after initial call? Surely there was some place to exit or turn right (not clear if this was an expressway with exits or a highway with stoplights and turns in each town you passed). By my count you were transfered to at least three different PDs on the trip, why not turn off this main road in one of those towns. "Gun car" is in front of you, so you could exit/turn at last second and they would have continued on until they realized you had turned. Gives you time to avoid/detour and you likely couldve been on your way again shortly. Also, did you give the "gun car's" license plate number to any of the PD's you talked to?
I think in this situation there may be several reasons to stay on a heavily traveled highway vs. off at an exit.
1. There are a lot of witnesses on the highway and staying in close with other vehicles and people around may deter the assailants from actually doing anything further.
2. Exiting off can sometimes put you in a bottle-neck if you are unfamiliar with the streets and area you are traveling. It may also potentially put you into an area where the suspect vehicles occupants have additional 'friends' they can get to help engage you.
3. A four - six lane highway may offer the opportunity for you to put some distance in between you and the suspects, depending on what you are driving and your driving skills. You have to do it safely, but there are also various maneuvers you can perform to place obstacles in between you and the potential shooter.
Every situation is going to be different, so it will all depend on various things, but the big thing is to keep a cool head and think quickly. Anything you can do to distance yourself form the other vehicle and allow you an escape path is your best option.