TexasCHLforum.com

2K_Kid wrote:In addition, in the situation the which the OP found himself, by staying in the vehicle, any fire directed at him (if the road-rager was actively hostile and shooting) would be in the general vicinity of his wife and son.

OTOH, it gives you a clear advantage from a legal standpoint; if the agressor attacks from a distance, you're clear to use deadly force. Same if he tries to enter or remove you from your vehicle. Of course, if there are others in the car, you still have the justification if he tries either of the above against them, but do you want to be shooting back towards them?

I think the other lesson that occurred to me is that the OP mentioned that after the truck slowed down to keep pace, he sped up and passed the truck, placing it behind him. Based upon the following events as related in the OP's story, I probably misunderstood but regardless, I think a lesson is in similar situations try to never let the bad guy get behind you. With the bad guy behind you, you have to do some pretty amazing contortions to engage him (unless you exit your vehicle)

Once it gets to that stage, traffic laws are out the window, so short of boxing myself in, as long as he's behind me he can't make me stop in the first place. I also get to pick the route, and will do so to the advantage of my vehicle and the detriment of his. If he's drunk, that's just more to my advantage. If he's better than average, I may have to sacrifice a little paint in the venture, but I'd still feel good about my odds of keeping him back there while I get 911 on the line and arrange an intercept.

If he's in front, all I can do is hope that I have an opportunity to turn off before he forces a confrontation, and that he doesn't come back and follow if I do turn off.

If he ends up in a pasture or ditch before I can lead him to a deputy, then he's no longer a threat to me, and I can just give them his last known location.

bridge wrote:

Captain Matt wrote:You can wait in the parking lot until he leaves and get his license plate and a description of the car and call the police to report a drunk driver.

Man, that's cold. A good revenge tactic, but cold.

When I worked for a motel, I did it for every obnoxious drunk I tossed out.

Sometimes it was a bit more literal tossing...

Fangs wrote:In the end it's only going to cost me $50.

Dude, the no-fault replacement plan is worth every penny of the $5/month.

CHLSteve wrote:Maybe someone with more knowledge or experience of the law will chime in here on the man attacking the car vs. the man attacking the family/trying to get into the car.

Well, if it's nighttime, you've got criminal mischief during the night as justification.

Depending on how much damage he's doing, you could argue that he's trying to disable the vehicle to trap you there, but either way, if I'm not already blocked in, I'd prefer to use the nice big car rather than little-bitty bullets.

CHLSteve wrote:You are at least the 2nd person that brought up the possible use of a flashlight in this situation. I think like that option for nighttime encounters. At the very least, they won't be able to see what you are doing, and it puts them at a distinct disadvantage.

I have three taclights, (Surefire G2 with the upgraded lamp assembly - 120lumens/20minutes, Brinkmann MaxFire with the Surefire's original lamp assembly - 60lumens/40minutes, and Pelican M3 Xenon - 135lumens/30minutes(3CR123s in the Pelican, 2 each in the others)) and I'm toying with the idea of one of the Fenix lights. I've heard good reviews on all the Fenix products, the prices are reasonable, and the strobe mode is particularly tempting. I keep the Pelican in the car in a cubbyhole by my left knee, and one of the others in my right, inside vest pocket. I've used all three to keep a visibility advantage, but I would like to have to option of going to the 200+ lumen strobe for extra disorientation factor if the situation goes downhill.

dewayneward wrote:Maybe I can retorfit my truck to let me drive on the right side...

It's not that hard to find right-drive cars. I've often wondered why more rural postal carriers don't get them instead of the rather screwy arrangements they often have to convert left-drive cars to dual-drive.

They're usually cheap in the used car listings, too.

Locksmith wrote:In this scenario the news story will instead say: "BREAKING NEWS: Angry "road raged" aggressor blocks a family in on their way home from church, and get out and attempts to attack the driver" "The potential victim driver swiftly shot the attacker and stopped him cold before he could harm him or his family" Officers familiar with the case expect no charges to be filed, Texans have a legal right to defend themselves and their families"

Or "Out of control legislature protecting psychotic religious fanatics."

This *is* the media we're talking about here.

CHLSteve wrote:I pulled over to one side to let him pass, but he slowed and kept pace with me, so I sped up and went past.

This is when you should have had your wife calling 911. There are a lot of bad things he could have started at this point, and several of them can't be effectively countered with a handgun.

As for during the stop, if it's after dark, use that to your advantage; concealed by darkness is still concealed, so get the gun out and keep it low. Roll the window down just enough to use a tactical light to keep the assailant blind to what's going on in your car. Forget using pepper spray from inside the car; if any wafts back in, you're going to have a hard time seeing well enough to use the car for an effective escape. Foam or the Kimber LifeAct might be an option, though I've never tried either of those from a car to be sure.