TexasCHLforum.com

PUCKER wrote:Quick tip for quickly verifying which side the fuel tank fill is on (my daily driver is often a different rental car every week due to quite a bit of travel, so this has been very helpful to me), on the fuel gage, look for a fuel pump icon/symbol and then a little pointer, it points to which side the fuel fill is on.

[ Image ]

Not all vehicles have that marked. Our Suburban does not and I forget sometimes which side it's on since mine it on the passenger side.

RHenriksen wrote:"I noticed the fuel cap was NOT on the side of the pump"

Now, THAT'S awareness!

I myself pull in to the wrong side of the pump periodically. My car has the fuel cap on the passenger side, and my wife's SUV has it on the driver side. But when I pull in I get out do start dealing with getting fuel and quickly realize I need to flip around and address it; I don't sit there locked onto something else and not even look at the pump or show any signs of not doing what I should be doing.

TexasGal wrote:

johncanfield wrote:Alert, oriented, and situationally aware, good job Keith. I was raised in Miami, FL and dear wife was raised in a Leave-it-to-Beaver environment in a small West Texas town. I was street smart and she trusted everything and everybody, the training began after we were married .

Hers or yours?

I know my training started BEFORE she married me and has continued for 32 years.

cb1000rider wrote:Keith, glad that worked out well for you.. And glad you reported it.
Mind if I suggest that you upgrade the dog?

Well, she may only be 10 lbs, but she is VERY protective. I would not want to try and hurt my wife. I seriously doubt she woudl have been able to totally stop a BG when out in the open, but you will be able to identify them from the bite marks.

The Annoyed Man wrote:Keith, I just read this to TAW too......and suggested like Charles that since it came from you instead of me, it's not a violation of Texas law for her to pay attention. She actually agreed that paying attention to little details like what side the gas cap is on is useful. Frankly, I'm not sure I would have picked up on that little detail until after I had twigged to the rest of it.

The location had about half of their pumps blocked becuase due to out of gas in one of their tanks. When I first saw him slowly driving up I thought he was just looking to get into an open lane and would maybe pull the hos across the car. However, it quickly became apparent he was not focused on getting out for fuel or sitting and fiddling with something in the car, but was focused on my wife out by herself in the field. There were several things that just didn't add up and they fell together very rapidly to put me on alert.

C-dub wrote:While they were there definitely. I thought you called after they left.

If I had the local PD number I might have called that to let them know. However, being out of town like you were, maybe I would have called 911 like you did because I would not have had the local PD number.

If I had known the non-emergency number I might have called it. But since I felt there was someone who was out to commit a crime and getting the info to them quickly is critical, I would probably would still dial 911 and not take the time to look it up unless I know it off the top of my head

Oldgringo wrote:Hope, AR? Isn't that the little burg on I-30 that boasts to be the home of Bill, 'slick willie", Clinton?

Hope was his childhood home.

C-dub wrote:Good job Keith.

This is not a criticism or critique. I wouldn't have thought to call 911 either because there was no emergency. I would've thought a call for what you described would have been a waste of time, but it sounds like they appreciated the call.

Actually, IMO it is an emergency. When you have a person out looking to commit a crime, it is critical to let the police know where they are so they can try to prevent a theft, robbery or maybe worse.

mrvmax wrote:Good of you to catch that. I would not have thought of calling 911.

Many people will go 'Oh, maybe I was wrong and he was just sitting there thinking about getting gas, a soda, etc.' It never hurts to call and let them know what you believe you have seen or experienced. They can make the decision on whether to send someone out to check it out or not. In this case they had previous experience with the vehicle and owner and confirmed that she was more than likely being targeted for a robbery if the opportunity presented itself. It also let them get someone out and get some visible police presence in the area to possibly deter him from hitting someone else.

Charles L. Cotton wrote:Good job Keith. I read this story to Martha; since the lesson comes from you and not her husband, it won't violate Texas law if she pays attention.

Chas.

Glad to know it's not just my wife that does that; I was starting to get a complex!!

As a note, when she came back over I asked her what she noticed about the car and driver. She said only noticed him sitting in the car and it running, but not getting out. I told her she had been sized up for a potential robbery and her eyes got pretty big. Maybe this will be one more step to get her to get licensed.

On Sunday we were on our way back home from vacation. We had stopped in Hope, AR to get fuel and grab a bite of lunch. While stopped at the gas station my wife took our little dog out to let her do her business in a grassy area behind the neighboring building about 100 feet away.

As they were walking in the field, I observed an older model gold Cadillac pull up to the pump island at the end of the row. I noticed the fuel cap was NOT on the side of the pump. The driver was a young black guy wearing a dew rag on his head and was sitting in the car with it running and watching my wife in the field. I am sure he was looking to see if she had her purse with her ( she didn't) and was targeting her to drive to the edge of the field, jump out and grab a purse and flee.

I quickly walked out in the drive area between his car and the field, the whole time keeping my eye on him and my hand in my right front pocket on my CCW. When he saw me and realized I was on to him he quickly put the car in drive and pulled away from the pump and out of the parking lot. I got his license number and called 911 to let them know what I had observed and that they may want to get a unit in the area to try and locate him. The dispatcher stated they were very familiar with the vehicle and the subject, and that I was more than likely correct on what he was doing. They thanked me and stated they would get a couple of units to patrol the parking lots to deter any snatch and grab robberies.

In this case I am sure that being situationally aware played a major factor averting a possible attack on my wife.