Stalked at Wally World

[KD5NRH]

He later said he made eye contact with one guy and held his gaze until the guy looked away.

You were supposed to use that distraction to get behind the kid, knock him out and take his wallet.

[MechAg94]

Another idea other than making eye contact is to try to get a photo. My cell phone a lot of them these days have that feature. If you are concerned about that, I'm sure you could set it up so you are taking a photo of your sig. other.

[randomoutburst]

Mojo - We didn't know the car was just idling, we assumed it was someone who had either just pulled in or was about to leave. But you know what happens when you assume...And normally I would agree about not stopping to go to the bathroom, but when we went towards the bathroom (90 degrees right turn from the entrance) the guys kept walking straight and didn't look back so we thought maybe a coincidence and just kept our eyes open for any more strange behavior which, as you and I now know, was to follow.
I agree - the long line idea was pretty abnormal and therefore useful in this situation. Congrats to my hubby for thinking outside the box. And yeah, I'm only 20 so I must wait until next year....

MechAg94 - Good idea, I hadn't thought of that. My phone camera sucks so I doubt it would have done us much good getting an actual photo but it might have been another good deterrent. I imagine if they had moved any closer my hubby would have actually said something to them along the lines of, "Why are you following me?" or "You seem lost, can I help you?" but they were never closer than 15 feet or so, so it seemed a better idea to observe and make deliberate actions to see their reactions. :) I'll keep the cell phone idea in mind next time now that you made me aware of that possibility!

And KD5NRH - ......

[MoJo]

Y'all did really, really, good, especially to be so young. I see so many young and not so young walking around texting, talking on the phone, etc. totally obvlious to what is going on around them that I'm convinced that God loves the simple man - - - He made so many of them.

Take an NRA Personal Protection Outside the Home course it will instill new skills and sharpen those you have. Read some books on the subject by writers like Farnham, Ayoob, Cooper, and Givens these guys know how to walk the walk as well as talk the talk.

Personal safety is your responsibility. "When seconds count - - - Dial 911 - - - the police are only minutes away"

[Keith B]

To play the flip side, a lot of people have said they would pass up the business. You can't be so paranoid that you are afraid to go anywhere because something might happen. Wal-Mart is almost always busy. Restaurants and movie theaters are usually crowded. People are coming and going from the mall and you have to park way out. But then, sometimes you have to stop at Stop & Rob's when there is only one other car there and it is late at night.

Bottom line, keep your senses about you, and just as Mr. & Mrs. Randomoutburst did, keep a vigil on the suspicious folks and make sure you have a plan if something does start going bad. If your 'Spidey Senses' start tingling, then it is a good time to look at an alternative option.

[suthdj]

I think making note of make,model, lic plate could be added as something to pay attention to. I also liked the idea of going to talk with the security ppl. Otherwise smart maneuvering.

[rlr]

If you do not mind me asking which Wal-Mart was it in McKinney. I have family in that area and they have a Wal-mart they frequent quite a bit.

[randomoutburst]

rir - The Wal-Mart at 75 & 380...the "green experiment" one with a huge turbine (hah!). I don't shop there much but this is the first time I've ever had a problem or unsettling situation at that location. I usually shop at the Target directly across 75 from that Wal-Mart...less riff-raff. :)

suthdj - Would have been good to get the make/model but by the time we both felt things were beyond "coincidence" as we were walking to the entrance, the car wasn't in plain view. Will keep in mind should it happen again, though. The more information I can provide the better should something happen.

Keith and MoJo - Thanks much. :) Before my hubby got me interested in guns, I probably would have had my nose in my phone (eek) but he's always been the alert, on-guard type. He's changed me for the better. ;)

[TxDrifter]

good, you clicked to your first tactical error parking at night a long way from the store.

Not if you don't have much choice. I gave up a long time ago parking close to the store. Every parking lot buzzard in existence wants them and I don't feel like competing, nor mind the walk, when it will take be a bit to squeeze into the tight spot with my dually anyway. No I'm not going to drive a "coffin on wheels" just to park closer either. The fact you were driving an Expedition is likely more a reason than where you parked. Ford Trucks are Number 1 on the top 10 list of stolen vehicles in Houston during the month of July and an Expedition falls in that category. Ford Cars were number 5. http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?secti ... id=6961709

Always be wary and prepared.

[Excaliber]

Really good situational awareness (SA), and I like that your husband met and HELD the young gentleman's gaze. Well done you two!!

I agree, you did everything right, including delaying your steps to force them to wait.

One possible comment about eye contact, though: Eye contact is a good move inside a busy store, where they can do nothing about it and they can be easily recognized. However, if you're on a dark street with a stalker (as Mrs. OS and I were, in a very similar situation while overseas last year), making eye contact may precipitate action after confirming to him that he has been spotted (particularly if there may be someone else I haven't yet seen). In that case, I prefer to keep that person off-balance and wondering, until I've reached a safe haven (worked for us).

(Apologies if this is a re-post, something seemed to happen to the first one.)

I agree about making eye contact only when in a busy place, not when in an isolated area. I make a point of not putting myself in situations where I could be in isolated areas and have even gone back inside stores or my work to get an escort to my car when things don't feel right. I'd rather be preparanoid ( ) than hurt or dead. Women can want to be equal all they want, but the fact remains that most of us are smaller and weaker than most men, and therefore easy targets. Guns can be a great equalizer, but common sense is often a good prevention measure.

In my experience with predators, eye contact at a distance (25 feet or more) will often cause the BG's to abort their attack approach because it's much more difficult to successfully deal with an aware target. In the final stages of an attack approach, eye contact causes an immediate go / no go decision - they either break off the approach or launch the attack.

I agree that randomoutburst and her husband handled this situation in stellar fashion.

One thought for next time would be to call the police once you are certain you are being stalked. Store security personnel are not selected or trained to do anything useful in situations like this, and you certainly had enough good reason to believe you were being actively targeted. Folks who engage in this behavior don't do it just once - they commit the same crime the same way over and over. When you recognize the situation and avoid it, you have personal and vehicle description and operating method information that may be exactly what investigators are looking for to solve multiple crimes. It's very worthwhile to take the few minutes to call it in, meet with an officer, and get the info on record. You may well end up saving others from becoming actual victims.

[Rex B]

One thought for next time would be to call the police once you are certain you are being stalked. Store security personnel are not selected or trained to do anything useful in situations like this, and you certainly had enough good reason to believe you were being actively targeted. Folks who engage in this behavior don't do it just once - they commit the same crime the same way over and over. When you recognize the situation and avoid it, you have personal and vehicle description and operating method information that may be exactly what investigators are looking for to solve multiple crimes. It's very worthwhile to take the few minutes to call it in, meet with an officer, and get the info on record. You may well end up saving others from becoming actual victims.

Good job all around, though. I wish I could get my wife's SA ramped up a bit.
She's pretty good, but still naive. And she thinks I'm paranoid sometimes.
I'll use our new word next time she plays that card

[ExMarlboroMan]

Y'all did good!

And the only thing I have to add is....When you leave the range, take those guns HOME and store them. No matter how inconvenient it may be, It's better then if those two guys had just been lookouts while their buddy who followed you from the range broke into your expedition and stole those 6 pistols!

[USA1]

Y'all did good!

And the only thing I have to add is....When you leave the range, take those guns HOME and store them. No matter how inconvenient it may be, It's better then if those two guys had just been lookouts while their buddy who followed you from the range broke into your expedition and stole those 6 pistols!

Good point.

Theses days the bad guys follow people from banks , grocery stores , and maybe even the range.

[randomoutburst]

Y'all did good!

And the only thing I have to add is....When you leave the range, take those guns HOME and store them. No matter how inconvenient it may be, It's better then if those two guys had just been lookouts while their buddy who followed you from the range broke into your expedition and stole those 6 pistols!

We live a good drive (40-50 minutes) from the range so I think this scenario is a little less likely, but good point.
We usually go straight home after the range but as noted in my OP, we remembered that hubby needed new work pants for the next day. "What if"s aside, I'm not going to go 15 miles out of my way for no reason, just to get my guns at home before I go out somewhere. It's not just cars that are broken in to - homes are targets, too. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. I'd hate to see my guns end up in a criminal's hands but IMO they're no safer at home than they are in my car. The safest place is on my hip, but I'm not 21 yet so that is a moot point as well. Not to mention hiding 6 guns on this tiny frame is near impossible unless I want to trudge around in a trenchcoat all year.

[TLynnHughes]

Y'all did good!

And the only thing I have to add is....When you leave the range, take those guns HOME and store them. No matter how inconvenient it may be, It's better then if those two guys had just been lookouts while their buddy who followed you from the range broke into your expedition and stole those 6 pistols!

We live a good drive (40-50 minutes) from the range so I think this scenario is a little less likely, but good point.
We usually go straight home after the range but as noted in my OP, we remembered that hubby needed new work pants for the next day. "What if"s aside, I'm not going to go 15 miles out of my way for no reason, just to get my guns at home before I go out somewhere. It's not just cars that are broken in to - homes are targets, too. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. I'd hate to see my guns end up in a criminal's hands but IMO they're no safer at home than they are in my car. The safest place is on my hip, but I'm not 21 yet so that is a moot point as well. Not to mention hiding 6 guns on this tiny frame is near impossible unless I want to trudge around in a trenchcoat all year.

Yeah, my husband thinks I'm kind of paranoid, but I just cannot leave the guns in the vehicle. If we have to make a stop on the way home from the range, one of us goes into the store and one of us stays with the guns. If we travel to the range that's 60 miles from us and stop to eat on the way home, we only stop to eat where we can see the truck at all times. Our truck got broken into right after we got it, so I just can't get over the preparanoia about it.

But you are so right...if someone wants what you have, they're going to try and take it.

T.