Tomahawk
Regular Member
imported post
Over in the Washington forum there is a thread by Chungpy http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/view_topic.php?id=2984&forum_id=55&jump_to=41005#p41005about an aggressive driving situation in which he brandished in order to deter an aggressor. I wanted to relate a similar incident that happend to me last summer for comparison and analysis.
I was in a similar situation last summer, when I was a passenger in the back seat of a small car heading into WV along I64 from Richmond for a whitewater rafting trip. In that case, a guy wearing a wifebeatercarrying a lawnmower in the back of a beater pickup truck (hereafter referred to as "Lawnmower Man" or LM) tried to cut us off as we switched lanes to pass a truck. He had sped WAY up over the speed limit and when he failed to block us in he got all hissy and started gesturing at us and trying to intimidate us by swerving at us.
I was CC'ing at the time, and I discretely reached under my shirt and prepared to draw if needed, but made no other move. LM kept pointing his finger at us making the "shoot you" gesture, but I didn't see him display an actual weapon. His wife was yelling at him, she was apparently embarrassed by his behavior, and he kept reaching across her lap to "shoot" his finger at us while screaming foul language.
I advised our driver to slow down and let him pass, which we did. LM, who only a moment ago was intent on going fast, now dawdled in the right lane waiting for us to pass him on the left. On my advice, our driver stayed well behind him in an effort to wait for him to get bored and go away.
As chance would have it, we were both getting off at the same exit a few miles away, and when we followed LM up the exit ramp, we saw him make a right at the stop sign. We were also going right, but I told our driver to make a left and just U-turn after a few minutes to put distance between us. As we turned left, we saw LM was waiting on the shoulder for us behind us. He must have been thinking about turning around and following us. Finally, he gave up and drove off.
Although, I was prepared to do so, I never seriously came close to drawing my weapon, and I did not get angry or emotional, rather I became very calm and tried to keep my head clear. I was constantly thinking about what might happen in the next few seconds.
Some details:
-Those of you familiar with this part of I-64 know that this is a very isolated stretch of highway up in the mountains. There was very little traffic and lots of trees.
-I did not see a weapon, and I was watching like a hawk.
-Had LM actually had a weapon and pointed it at us, I would have been faced with a dilemma, since his wife was in between me and my target. Also, he was slightly in front of where I was sitting in the back seat, since he was directing his gestures at our driver, not at me. So my line of sight to him was sometimes obstructed by the corner of the truck's cab or his wife's head.
-None of us gestured or blew a horn at this guy at any time. We avoided eye contact as well. This was about as unprovoked an incident as I have ever been involved with. What set the guy off was that he failed to block us in in the first place. One of the biggest hotheaded guys I've ever seen on the highway. Had our vehicles been stopped I'm certain this guy was willing to get out and tangle.
So let's discuss.
Over in the Washington forum there is a thread by Chungpy http://opencarry.mywowbb.com/view_topic.php?id=2984&forum_id=55&jump_to=41005#p41005about an aggressive driving situation in which he brandished in order to deter an aggressor. I wanted to relate a similar incident that happend to me last summer for comparison and analysis.
I was in a similar situation last summer, when I was a passenger in the back seat of a small car heading into WV along I64 from Richmond for a whitewater rafting trip. In that case, a guy wearing a wifebeatercarrying a lawnmower in the back of a beater pickup truck (hereafter referred to as "Lawnmower Man" or LM) tried to cut us off as we switched lanes to pass a truck. He had sped WAY up over the speed limit and when he failed to block us in he got all hissy and started gesturing at us and trying to intimidate us by swerving at us.
I was CC'ing at the time, and I discretely reached under my shirt and prepared to draw if needed, but made no other move. LM kept pointing his finger at us making the "shoot you" gesture, but I didn't see him display an actual weapon. His wife was yelling at him, she was apparently embarrassed by his behavior, and he kept reaching across her lap to "shoot" his finger at us while screaming foul language.
I advised our driver to slow down and let him pass, which we did. LM, who only a moment ago was intent on going fast, now dawdled in the right lane waiting for us to pass him on the left. On my advice, our driver stayed well behind him in an effort to wait for him to get bored and go away.
As chance would have it, we were both getting off at the same exit a few miles away, and when we followed LM up the exit ramp, we saw him make a right at the stop sign. We were also going right, but I told our driver to make a left and just U-turn after a few minutes to put distance between us. As we turned left, we saw LM was waiting on the shoulder for us behind us. He must have been thinking about turning around and following us. Finally, he gave up and drove off.
Although, I was prepared to do so, I never seriously came close to drawing my weapon, and I did not get angry or emotional, rather I became very calm and tried to keep my head clear. I was constantly thinking about what might happen in the next few seconds.
Some details:
-Those of you familiar with this part of I-64 know that this is a very isolated stretch of highway up in the mountains. There was very little traffic and lots of trees.
-I did not see a weapon, and I was watching like a hawk.
-Had LM actually had a weapon and pointed it at us, I would have been faced with a dilemma, since his wife was in between me and my target. Also, he was slightly in front of where I was sitting in the back seat, since he was directing his gestures at our driver, not at me. So my line of sight to him was sometimes obstructed by the corner of the truck's cab or his wife's head.
-None of us gestured or blew a horn at this guy at any time. We avoided eye contact as well. This was about as unprovoked an incident as I have ever been involved with. What set the guy off was that he failed to block us in in the first place. One of the biggest hotheaded guys I've ever seen on the highway. Had our vehicles been stopped I'm certain this guy was willing to get out and tangle.
So let's discuss.
