i drew my weapon tonight

[03Lightningrocks]

To the OP: Excaliber's advice is always pretty spot on in these situations. I would add one further comment. . . . . once the other guy stepped out of his car and started walking toward yours, he was walking away from the most powerful weapon he had, while you were still inside the most powerful weapon you had. A car will hit someone orders of magnitude harder than a bullet will. Good for you that you got your sidearm drawn and available, but just remember that it wasn't the only weapon you had. The high-beams, like Excaliber said, could have been used to good effect too, but I think we can sometimes have the attitude that because we carry a gun, that gun is the best choice for self-defense in a given situation. It might just be. . . .but as in your case, you might also have other weapons you may not have considered. . . . .

. . . . .just something to think about. . . .

Funny you bring up the car issue. It is true!

[Texas_Blaze]

I always worry about announcing "I have a gun", for the exact reason the OP experienced. The bad guy called the cops and cried MWAG. To me, gun comes out only when it is time to fire. In this case I probably would have stayed in the car, if I were blocked in, and called 911, telling them I am armed and feel threatened. If bad guy comes to your car and attempts to enter you are justified to use force. Maybe honk your horn if he starts to approach, get attention of homeowners, distract him, I like the high beam recommendation I read earlier. Just my thoughts. I wasn't there, it is easy to make statements online about what I would do, living it real time is a different matter, but thanks for posting, we need to always think of our response to situations.

[WildBill]

I always worry about announcing "I have a gun", for the exact reason the OP experienced. The bad guy called the cops and cried MWAG. To me, gun comes out only when it is time to fire. In this case I probably would have stayed in the car, if I were blocked in, and called 911, telling them I am armed and feel threatened. If bad guy comes to your car and attempts to enter you are justified to use force. Maybe honk your horn if he starts to approach, get attention of homeowners, distract him, I like the high beam recommendation I read earlier. Just my thoughts. I wasn't there, it is easy to make statements online about what I would do, living it real time is a different matter, but thanks for posting, we need to always think of our response to situations.

[Oldgringo]

I always worry about announcing "I have a gun", for the exact reason the OP experienced. The bad guy called the cops and cried MWAG. To me, gun comes out only when it is time to fire. In this case I probably would have stayed in the car, if I were blocked in, and called 911, telling them I am armed and feel threatened. If bad guy comes to your car and attempts to enter you are justified to use force. Maybe honk your horn if he starts to approach, get attention of homeowners, distract him, I like the high beam recommendation I read earlier. Just my thoughts. I wasn't there, it is easy to make statements online about what I would do, living it real time is a different matter, but thanks for posting, we need to always think of our response to situations.

...and the HOOORRRN.

[Divided Attention]

Thanks for sharing this situation. We must "train" in our brains. Going over these "what if" and "how would you handle" situations are vitally important. Visualizing and creating pathways in our brains. This will give us something other than a blank slate to draw upon should we ever be faced with a similar situation.

[kingpinGT]

Thanks for being so supportive, everyone. I know i take my chances sharing my story but i'm fairly confident the situation was over and done with last night.

Again, I'm just happy noone got hurt.

[gigag04]

I'm torn.

It worked. You and your fam came away unscathed. That's awesome IMO.

With my wife and kids in the car, and my EDC plus mag, I'm looking for a lot of other options before going for a gun. Backing away and leaving being #1 choice. While bringing the gun into the equation is probably reasonable, I'm not sure I'd want to go there.

Here's my reasoning:

1 - family has no business near a gunfight. They are my priority, and not giving some moron a lesson in etiquette.

2 - my EDC is minimum firepower I can carry as a last resort and still be effective as that last resort. If I should opt for a confrontation, it would be with something much bigger, badder, and longer.

Not leaving, is choosing the confrontation. In this scenario. I'll stand my ground elsewhere.

[03Lightningrocks]

I'm torn.

It worked. You and your fam came away unscathed. That's awesome IMO.

With my wife and kids in the car, and my EDC plus mag, I'm looking for a lot of other options before going for a gun. Backing away and leaving being #1 choice. While bringing the gun into the equation is probably reasonable, I'm not sure I'd want to go there.

Here's my reasoning:

1 - family has no business near a gunfight. They are my priority, and not giving some moron a lesson in etiquette.

2 - my EDC is minimum firepower I can carry as a last resort and still be effective as that last resort. If I should opt for a confrontation, it would be with something much bigger, badder, and longer.

Not leaving, is choosing the confrontation. In this scenario. I'll stand my ground elsewhere.

Some morons won't let you get away. I had an idiot chasing me all over Plano. I was armed and could have shot him dead but really wanted to avoid a third episode of defending myself. It costs way to much money. I use an earpiece and was on the phone with the Plano cops the whole time, giving them a constant update on my location. We have all heard the old saying, where is a cop when you need one. It's true!! They could not get a cop to me and would not tell me where to go to find one. Plumb frustrating. I got away by turning right off legacy onto Preston, stomped the gas and drove like a crazy man with the moron in pursuit, slammed on the breaks and made a quick u turn at hedgecoxe. He could not make the turn in time and I was able to get away. I told the dispatcher on the phone... Good job... As sarcastically as I could and hung up.

All of this to say... There are crazies out there that simply won't stop. Then what??? If my family were in my truck with me, I would have been putting them at great risk of an accident.

[TexasCajun]

Glad everyone went home safe & unharmed. It's a lot easier for us to Monday morning qb your situation since we weren't there having to make the million & one calculations & decisions that you had to.

Since I've already decided that my gun is a last resort, I'm going to avoid & evade if at all possible. That would include taking a quick & unplanned right turn, accelerating quickly, getting in the next lane or pulling over & slowing down, backing up if blocked, etc. I'm even more adamant about avoiding a confrontation when my family are in the car with me.

Again, this is not criticism. It's simply observation after reading this thread from the warm and comfy confines of my living room with my beagle snoring on the couch beside me.

[RoyGBiv]

The OP can file a public records request with the agency that responded to the call. Unless there is an active investigation/charges pending, the report from the officer re: his conversation with the road rager is public record and a copy should be given to anyone who requests it through normal channels. Nominal fees are typical. I believe my local LEA charges $5 to process an open records request.

ETA:
As for advice.... I'd have asked my wife to call 911 the moment I was cut off.
Certainly by the time the other guy was out of his car.

I'll second others advice to start backing up. If the guy follows on foot, keep backing slowly until he's far enough from his car that you have time to execute a K-turn and get away. Or back into a driveway to make the turn in 2 moves. Or take a class and learn to "J Turn". (that was a fun class )

Overall... I wasn't there so I'm not second guessing... just considering other options.

[ELB]

I think you done good overall.

Yes driving off would have been a good outcome if it was possible, but that also depends on the exact circumstances at that exact moment. A guy who bulls through 3x being told to back off is not really interested in discussing driving etiquette, he wants to intimidate and punish, and seems unlikely that is going to stay "verbal."

Aside from you and your family coming out safe and no legal entanglements, Another positive outcome is that having experienced an OMG moment you will likely be less amped up if something similar happens in the future.

Best wishes.

[RKirkwood]

I'm glad things work out well.

Its hard to say what I would do with out being there. I might have tried to go another direction once he drove around me quickly but I'm not sure if that was an option here. Once the road was blocked ahead quickly reversing may have put you into a car coming up from behind.

I would not have wanted to wait inside the car until he came up beside me because I would know what he was carrying and he wasn't coming for a civil discussion. Opening the door and warning him was a good idea and from what was said your gun was not visible at the time being behind the steering column.

This is something good to consider.

[DaveT]

Not going to get into the drawing a gun and having it at the ready, that has already been discussed numerous times. We can all armchair quarterback the situation after it is over, but the bottom line is that the OP made a decision and it worked out for him.

One thing to keep in mind when talking about calling 911 is to call immediately, then keep the dispatcher on the line while you are addressing the road rage idiot. All 911 calls are recorded and that can be valuable to you at a later date if legal problems arise.

[WildBill]

Not going to get into the drawing a gun and having it at the ready, that has already been discussed numerous times. We can all armchair quarterback the situation after it is over, but the bottom line is that the OP made a decision and it worked out for him.

One thing to keep in mind when talking about calling 911 is to call immediately, then keep the dispatcher on the line while you are addressing the road rage idiot. All 911 calls are recorded and that can be valuable to you at a later date if legal problems arise.

Dave - I agree as long as you can safely call 911 without giving up your tactical advantage and full concentration.