This deal freaked me out so bad that I though about not carrying my pistol after carrying for yearsroadrunner4man wrote:I had a situation happen last winter that still shakes me up pretty good when I think about it or have discussed it with my shooting buddies. I left the house to go to the pharmacy to pick up a script for my wife. It is close enough to our house that I can take a shortcut through an alley and then through a carwash and drive through the parking lot from the back, staying off of the main busy street out in front of the pharmacy. It was dark when I picked up her medicine, so I was driving carefully/slowly leaving out of the back of the parking lot. I guess that I was driving too slow for the young man behind me that was using the same cut through route. I scooted over to let him by about the time I got to the car wash. Apparently that was not good enough for him. He drove by me screaming and yelling and shooting me the finger. I just stopped to let him on through, but when he got just past me he stopped. He was at just enough of an angle that when he was getting out of his car my headlights were shining on him as I saw him reaching under the seat for something. I didn't think that I had enough time to put my pick up in reverse and back up. I could see myself getting shot through my windsheild. My mind was going into another gear it seemed like. I put my truck in park and could only think to open the door and get out and get the engine block between him and me. As I was getting out I unholstered my pistol with the full intention of coming over the hood and unloading the magazine. I have laser activated grips on most of my pistols so when I came over the hood the red dot was right at center mass. I still don't know how I kept from shooting this guy, but the chrome object I saw him pulling out from under the seat was a flashlight. He saw the red beam of light coming at him and looked down at his chest. He dropped the flashlight and jumped in his car, driving off as fast as he could. I reholstered my gun and called 911. I told the dispatcher what had happened and she sent a patrol car over. The city policeman that showed up took a report from me. I didn't get a tag number off of the car but it was a very distinctive car, paint job/low rider. I never heard anything from the police. This totally freaked me out. I came so close to shooting a young man armed with a flashlight. I was thankful I was carrying my Glock that night. I had just gotten a new pistol, 1911 .45ACP, but didn"t feel familiar enough with it to be carrying it yet. Knowing the .45 intimatly now, this kid would have been dead if I was carrying it that night. I don't know if he had been in the pharmacy and saw me leave, planning on robbing me or if it was a road rage thing. Not really sure. Have any of you had a close call/situation like this. This deal freaked me out so bad that I though about not carrying my pistol after carrying for years.
IMHO everything worked out right. Your weapon stopped a probable-assault. The great part is that you didn't have to fire it.
Keep carrying!