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On Sept. 19, 2009, I went to Oktoberfest in Addison, TX, with my ex-wife and her best friend. (Yeah, I know, but we've become friends again since the divorce). I had been licensed to carry a concealed weapon for about six months at this point. This recounting of the event is from an account I wrote of it the day after it happened.

I was in the process of recovering from a motorcycle accident a few months earlier that shattered my left knee and broke my leg in five places below the knee. This was my first time out since I was off crutches but had a very pronounced limp and extremely decreased mobility.

As we left the gated area and were walking back to the car, we remembered we hadn't had a funnel cake yet. The girls went back inside to get the funnel cake and I decided to stay outside and sit on a bench just outside the exit. The bench had another bench directly behind it, and the backs of the two benches were touching. On the second bench was a guy, either white or Hispanic, about 25-ish. He was fairly well dressed, but had a type of Mohawk where the hair was in a buzz cut and shaved on the sides, leaving a strip down the center of his head. He had the type of beard that was pencil thin along his jaw line, and a goatee that was also very thin.
I sat down on the bench and took out my iPhone to kill some time while I waited on the girls. The guy then asks me "Where you coming from?"
Me: "Excuse me?"
Him: "Where you coming from?"
Me: "Just leaving here and heading home"
He waited about a minute and said "I need a ride home"
I ignored him. He then reached over and touched me on the arm. "Hey, I need a ride home"
Me: "Sorry, man, can't help you"
He waited a few more seconds, then reached over and touched my arm again. "I need a ride home to Oak Cliff"
Me: "Sorry, going the opposite way"
A few seconds later, he reaches over and touches me again. "I need a ride home"
Me: "Look, I said I can't help you. Leave me alone"

He then got up from the bench. I thought this was the end of things. But when the girls came through the exit, he made a beeline straight for them and said "Take me home". Note that there were maybe two dozen other people also walking out the exit at that time, and he didn't approach any of them. He went straight for the girls I was with. He must have been watching us when we came back to get a funnel cake in order to know who I was with.
The girls ran straight to me and each girl grabbed one of my arms. My ex said to him "Sorry, we're with him". The guy then turned and walked away. I again thought this would be the end of things with him.

As we walked down Addison Circle to the area where the apartments and shops are, we decided to sit on one of the circular benches to eat the funnel cake. As we were sitting, I noticed the same guy sitting on a bench about 15-20 feet from us, glancing our way every now and then. As we were finishing up the funnel cake, he got up from the bench and walked straight towards me. Before he could say anything I said "No. I've already told you no. Leave us alone". He then walked around to the other side of the bench and sat down.

We all got up from the bench, and I decided to walk the girls to their car, as I didn't want them walking alone with this guy around. As we get up from the bench and start walking, the guy gets up and starts following us. I noticed this, turned around and said "Get away from us - now!" He continued walking straight at us, so I said again - louder - "Stop following us and get away. Now!" He continued coming at us with both his hands in his pants pockets. I should mention that he was wearing baggy pants with large front pockets that could easily have concealed a weapon.

After the second time, I reached down, moved my shirt away from my gun, and grabbed the grip of my gun. I then shouted "STOP! TURN AROUND AND WALK AWAY FROM ME! NOW!" He then pulled his hands out of his pockets and put them in the air, but continued walking towards us! I again shouted "DO NOT COME ANY CLOSER! TURN AROUND AND WALK AWAY!" He kept his hands in the air, but continued walking to us. I shouted "GET BACK! TURN AROUND AND GET BACK!" The third time he stopped. At this point he was about 10 feet from me.

By the way, this was in the middle of the area where all the shops are in Addison Circle. It was very well lit. We were on a grassy median underneath three street lights. There was a road on each side of us, with sidewalks, and people who were leaving Oktoberfest were on the sidewalks walking by and watching all this happen. There was not a cop anywhere around - strange since Oktoberfest is crawling with police. I figured if a cop was around he would have come to see what the shouting was about, but nope. Never a cop around when you need one.

Since he stopped, I told the girls to head to the car. I followed them, looking behind me at the same time. He continued to follow us, but at a greater distance. When we got into the parking garage, they were parked on the second level. As we entered, I saw the guy walk by the garage and go down the street. At that point I figured the encounter was over.

We went up to the second level and walked to their car. As we're standing next to the car saying our good-byes, HE COMES UP THE STAIRS INTO THE GARAGE AND STARTS WALKING TOWARD US! I again put my hand on my gun and stared at him, but didn't say anything. He started to angle around us, went to one of the corners about 50 feet away, and stood there watching us. The girls got into their car and left while I kept an eye on him. I then walked back to my car (which was in a different garage) and didn't see him again.

All in all, since I didn't have to draw or shoot and we all made it home ok, I call it a win. However, if I had not had my weapon on me that night I firmly believe I, and the girls I was with, could have been injured or robbed, or worse.