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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.

Good job. Glad it didn't turn into an incident.

Keith B wrote:I quickly walked out ... the whole time keeping my eye on him and my hand in my right front pocket on my CCW.

Another case of a defensive gun use where the gun was never pulled, will never show up in statistics, and yet the predator was quite aware and chose to be elsewhere.

And then there are the anti-gunners who scoff that CHL's are ever able to safely deter crime while armed.

WOW! that could have been scary....heck,that was scary to read.

Glad you were there! With all the purse snatchers lately, I'm starting to think women need to leave their purses at home and keep money and ID in something like a belly band or pockets. My son's MIL stopped by her church to take something inside. She left her purse in her car hidden under the seat, but the window was broken and the purse gone when she came back about 20 minutes later. The police thought the perp was watching and surmised she left a purse in her car since she didn't have it with her.
Was you wife armed when this happened or noticed the guy?

Great job! It seems like you can never let your guard down.

Fantastic situational awareness, Keith B. Kudos for doing a great job without incident.

Jumping Frog wrote:

Keith B wrote:I quickly walked out ... the whole time keeping my eye on him and my hand in my right front pocket on my CCW.

Another case of a defensive gun use where the gun was never pulled, will never show up in statistics, and yet the predator was quite aware and chose to be elsewhere.

And then there are the anti-gunners who scoff that CHL's are ever able to safely deter crime while armed.

So nicely handled! Nobody was hurt, and everyone was safe.

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.

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.

Keith,

It is amazing what a stint in LE will do for your situational awareness. A few close call learning situations also help.

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

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.

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.