imported post
Were you OCing to start with, ML? Yes. I also hadn't eaten lunch, which always seems to not help with decision making (little impetuous).
When did you pull out the gun?Taking the 5th here.How did you present it to the teens? Not politely. I've prior military experience. My wife would say I was using my Drill Sargent voice, which if you are incessant and loud sometimes works to keep them confused and compliant.
What did you say to them? I told them police were on way, they needed to get out and lay on the ground (I used more words than that to keep them from thinking). A guy in a pick up offered to help. I told him, they had stolen my surburban and to call the police (my phone was still frozen-- right until the last 30 seconds before police arrived).
How close were you to them? Initially, a few feet. I figured I only needed one, so I didn't care when everyone started to run. I was sure hoping the one I caught wouldn't run. I certainly wasn't going to fire my weapon unless they had guns and were about to fire on me. I told teen to give me the name of the driver that ran. He gave it up, luckily, and hetold police right away when they handcuffed him.
How old was the teen you detained? Somewhere between 16-18 maybe.
How old did the others look? Driver had glasses and a hat... maybe 17-20.
Were any of the teens armed? I don't know. I was really concerned when they started running; that they were getting cover. It's a bad neighborhood... 60 yards from a parole office... half a dozen thugs were watching it go down. I didn't know if they were armed either. They came out of houses on the street. Had no idea if they were foe... assumed everyone was foe. Took cover between the suburban and mini-van I was driving. Wondering all the while how much longer it would be until the police showed.
How did the arriving cops deal with you when they arrived? They all drew weapons on me. I kept my weapon on the teen, thinking if he had a gun, I really didn't want him to start shooting at me or the police. I put my weapon down as they ordered me to and I was sure they had the teen under control. They asked me to lay on the ground. I pushed my pistol away from me-- evidently, not far enough. An officer kicked it a few feet further away. I was handcuffed. They checked my ID, as I explained both vehicles belonged to me and that I had tried to call police before attempting to take on whoever was in my vehicle. They undid the cuffs right away. Local news KULR8 was setting up their camera. I got my gun back the next day thanks to Randy Pinocci and the MT Sports Shooters Association. He gave me some advice on who to call.
I think the Billings Police Department did an awesome job. It's not often, if ever, they encounter this scenerio. I believe they are true professionals and proud they serve our community. They do the best they can with the resources they have. Truly, looking back, I wish my phone had worked. I really think I put myself in a terrible amount of risk, in a bad neighborhood. But, faced with the thought of following these people and watching them rob or hurt someone while I'm attempting to fix my phone and wait for them to arrive on the scene, is not something I did.Perhaps, if I had to do it over,I'd like to say I'd follow and wait until the last possible moment and step in only if I absolutely had to (like if police weren't responding and people in my suburban were in the process of committing a robbery and someone was possibly going to get hurt by them). But, think about it: why would you step in at the last possible moment? Then they would have the upper hand for sure, their senses sharpened with adrenaline and their judgment completely impaired. No, I really believed I had the element of surprise on my side. They would never expect the owner, or private citizen, would be crazy enough to confront them. That alone confused them, maybe. The driver ran as fast as he could, as did a couple others. The passenger said he didn't have anything to do with it, complied and did what I asked until the police got there.
I wish the teens a better future. I feel for them, wish there was something we could do as a community to make teens feel like they're part of a family here. Wish we took more pride in taking care of one another, looking out for each other. Many folks are trying. I guess just keep trying.
Did they disarm you?
Glad you got your car back, ML..... I'm glad it worked out the way it did. It could have obviously gone way different. I was fortunate. Thank God, we all gota second chance.