Attempted carjacking?

[jmra]

We were recently in Little Rock for a family members wedding. We attended the rehearsal dinner and then visited with family.
Heading back to the hotel at about 11:00pm the low tire pressure light came on for one on the tires. I exited the highway and pulled into a well lit gas station which had closed for the day. I pulled up to the air station and started inspecting the tire indicated as needing air.
While I was bent over I noticed an older SUV enter the gas station lot faster than you would expect. The SUV driver then turned on his bright lights pulling in behind our car blocking us in.
As I stood and turned to the SUV, both passenger and driver doors flung open. It was obvious at this point that I was not dealing with law enforcement and was pretty sure they were not good samaritans looking to lend a hand. Once both doors opened I used my right hand to slide my sport coat back to both reveal and access my previously concealed Glock. Both doors closed immediately, driver threw the SUV into reverse and left the lot quicker than they had entered.
I got back into the car and looked at my wife. She had been searching for information on her phone regarding resetting the tire sensors and missed the whole thing. That’s when I realized just how quickly everything happened.

The never again part of this post:
1. Never again will I pull into an empty gas station lot in unfamiliar territory unless I have absolutely no choice. I have run flat tires so this could have waited.
2. Never again will I put us in a situation where the car could so easily be blocked in. I could have positioned the car where we would have had more than one way out.
3. Never again will I exit the car in that situation leaving my wife in the passenger seat with me on the passenger side of the car. Next time I would have her move to the drivers seat in case a quick exit was necessary.

All in all, I believe this was the best outcome I could have hoped for given the situation I put us into. I didn’t panic, training kicked in immediately. I knew if it came down to it the passenger would be the first I would engage since he was direct line of sight with no cover. I would then have turned my attention to the driver using the car as cover. I had already started counting/mapping out potential shots and determining what was beyond the potential targets.
Thankfully they made the decision to leave and everyone left unharmed. I didn’t report the encounter to police since I was operating off intuition and never actually saw a weapon and never actually unholstered my weapon. In hindsight I probably should have reported it. Perhaps video could have been pulled from the gas station that would have shed more light on their intentions.

[03Lightningrocks]

We were recently in Little Rock for a family members wedding. We attended the rehearsal dinner and then visited with family.
Heading back to the hotel at about 11:00pm the low tire pressure light came on for one on the tires. I exited the highway and pulled into a well lit gas station which had closed for the day. I pulled up to the air station and started inspecting the tire indicated as needing air.
While I was bent over I noticed an older SUV enter the gas station lot faster than you would expect. The SUV driver then turned on his bright lights pulling in behind our car blocking us in.
As I stood and turned to the SUV, both passenger and driver doors flung open. It was obvious at this point that I was not dealing with law enforcement and was pretty sure they were not good samaritans looking to lend a hand. Once both doors opened I used my right hand to slide my sport coat back to both reveal and access my previously concealed Glock. Both doors closed immediately, driver threw the SUV into reverse and left the lot quicker than they had entered.
I got back into the car and looked at my wife. She had been searching for information on her phone regarding resetting the tire sensors and missed the whole thing. That’s when I realized just how quickly everything happened.

The never again part of this post:
1. Never again will I pull into an empty gas station lot in unfamiliar territory unless I have absolutely no choice. I have run flat tires so this could have waited.
2. Never again will I put us in a situation where the car could so easily be blocked in. I could have positioned the car where we would have had more than one way out.
3. Never again will I exit the car in that situation leaving my wife in the passenger seat with me on the passenger side of the car. Next time I would have her move to the drivers seat in case a quick exit was necessary.

All in all, I believe this was the best outcome I could have hoped for given the situation I put us into. I didn’t panic, training kicked in immediately. I knew if it came down to it the passenger would be the first I would engage since he was direct line of sight with no cover. I would then have turned my attention to the driver using the car as cover. I had already started counting/mapping out potential shots and determining what was beyond the potential targets.
Thankfully they made the decision to leave and everyone left unharmed. I didn’t report the encounter to police since I was operating off intuition and never actually saw a weapon and never actually unholstered my weapon. In hindsight I probably should have reported it. Perhaps video could have been pulled from the gas station that would have shed more light on their intentions.

Sure sounds like they were up to no good. I have heard that car jackers will sometimes do things to a vehicle while it is parked to create a diversion that allows them the opportunity to catch a driver off guard.

[jmra]

If they had been smarter about it and not come in so hot...
Maybe they were counting on the intimidation factor?

[03Lightningrocks]

I had a similar situation going through Arkansas 8-9 years ago when I drove around the country drag racing. It was late, like 1 am when I decided to get some gas and find a hotel for some sleep. While getting gas I noticed a vehicle with three young guys in it. They were looking at my Truck, trailer and talking. I pulled out to head to a row of hotels. They pulled out behind me. I made three right turns and they were still behind me. I them decided to get back on the highway and go to next stop. After turning left onto entrance they headed back to the gas station they started at. Driving a 40K truck with a 25K trailer hauling a 60K vehicle in it makes one very aware of people around you in strange areas along the highway.

[RoyGBiv]

It's not too late to call the police. Please.

[PUCKER]

It's not too late to call the police. Please.

Agreed. Please do. My cousin is a Lt. Detective with Little Rock PD. Any suspicious contact is worth reporting, the more details (and location) you remember, the better.