I knew better than to stop for gas that time of night

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evan price
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I knew better than to stop for gas that time of night

Post by evan price »

This happened about an hour ago.

I was at work and decided I didn't want supper from the Wheel of Death vending machines. So I knew the Taco Bell was open late and jumped into my truck. Heading out I noticed I was low on gas, the fuel light was on, I had meant to fill up on the way home from work. So I pull out the cellphone and log onto Gasbuddy to find a good price. Most of them are $2.19 but there was one not far that was $2.05 and it was on my way sort of. But when I got there it was closed. So I decide to take the big circle back towards work and Gasbuddy shows a Shell station at $1.99 still, at the corner of Morse and Cleveland Ave.

Now I am intimately familiar with this area, I grew up out here and have lived here all my life. I used to go to Rosie O'Grady's bar across the street when I worked up the block. The Shell station is closed but the fuel area is 24-hour self-serve and well lit so I figure I just will be careful. Morse Road is the northern border of the hood zone that is creeping north towards 161. So I pick a pump in the middle, pull up my hoodie, leave the driver door unlatched, and start pumping fuel with my head on a swivel.

Sure enough, not fifteen seconds after I start pumping, an individual walks out from the parked cars at the Miracle Motor Mart and heads for me in a straight line. When he gets into the lights of hte gas station lot he stops and starts talking at me, rapid fire, "Hey, yo, man, I know you don't know me, I'm a good guy-"

"Stop right there, man. I'm not interested."

"OK, hear me out. I aint no trouble, cuz, I ain't got nothin'" and he pulls his jacket and shirt up around his ribs and turns to show his waistline is empty. Like that matters to me. "I'm just talking to you here, i know maybe can help me out, Im not gonna-"

"Don't come any closer" I bark, "I got nothing for you. Take off. Get going. NOW."

Guy starts looking offended "You aint got to talk like that, i been nice to you, you got no cause to not be nice to me-"

"Get F____G going. Bye. Good night. Have a nice day. I am not going to help you."

Guy gets louder now, and he's still walking slowly forward. So I reach into my slightly ajar truck and put hands on the Keltec PF9 but keep it in the truck. "Get the F___ out of here, I've got nothing you want."

Guy starts screaming "I AM F___G HOMELESS, MOTHER F____ER I JUST WANT SOME F____G HELP YOU G-D M____F____R You GOT NO REASON TO TALK LIKE THAT! I WILL LAY YOUR A__ OUT M___ER F____ER!"

So at that point I'm now looking every which way to see if he's a distraction for some other guy coming behind me, nope, seems to be alone. So I very clearly say "You come one more step you'll get something you really don't want." And I slip the KT from the holster, but it's still in the door and he can't see it, but he can see I am reaching for something.

He stops walking forward and pulls his upper clothes up over his ribs again and sort of spins a little to show he's got nothing in his waist- "I got nothing, man, you f---g reaching? You reaching? Why you reaching on me?" then he walks towards the front of my truck, towards the store. "You ain't got nothing in there. You got nothing. Show it, m----er f---er show it to me. You got nothing. You all talk. I f--- you up if you got something, AIIIEEEEEE! I am HOMELESS, you got NOTHING!!!!AIEEEEEE! " (He is literally making loud screaming sounds like a woman in terror. "AIIEEEE! You got NOTHING! I TALKING NICE TO YOU! YOU NOT GONNA HELP ME! AIIEEEE!!!"
At that point he's now far enough away I let the gun go and grab my cell which was plugged into the charger in the center console, switch it to my left hand, step into the doorframe of the truck and grab the Keltec again, and dial 911.

"Yeah, you got a PHONE M___R F___R! YOOOOU GOT NOOOTHIINNNNNNNNG! I'LL F--- YOU UP!" he yells, and keeps circling so now he's on the passenger side of me, by the other set of pumps.

At this time, I discover that when you dial 911 in Columbus, it dumps you to an AUTOMATED CALL DIRECTOR. "If you need assistance, press One.. For Spanish, Press Three.." Etcetera. I am literally standing there trying to comprehend a phone robot in an emergency. So I fake it. "Yes, I am pumping gas at Cleveland and Morse, there is an aggressive panhandler, he's not leaving, he has threatened me-" and I gave a description of the guy and his outfit loudly. Once he sees I am "talking to 911" he cuts and runs out in the middle of the street and starts taunting me to come and get him, which I ignore. Still, the phone is telling me to press some buttons for something, and something else, and I keep narrating the guy's actions to the imaginary operator.

Finally he cuts and runs behind Rosie O'Gradys. About that time a real person comes on identified as "tech XXX" with a number I don't remember. I tell her what happened and that the guy ran away,
"Oh, so you don't need the police then? Call us back if you need us." And she hangs up.

Lessons learned:
1. When you know someplace is bad, don't go there. Not for any reason.
2. When things look bad, leave. Don't finish pumping gas. Just go.
3. Crazy people act crazy. Be firm. Don't escalate, don't respond to their taunting.
4. Be aware they may be a distraction for the guy sneaking up behind you. Know what's going on, don't focus on the immediate threat so much you lose sight of the ambush.
5. When seconds count, the police may be minutes or a phone robot away.
"20% accurate as usual, Morty."

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sd790
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Re: I knew better than to stop for gas that time of night

Post by sd790 »

What did you do right?
What could you have done better?
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Re: I knew better than to stop for gas that time of night

Post by Chuck »

Chilling,
ALWAYS look for the second guy,,,,
Ain't activism fun?

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What I can do, I should do. And what I should do, by the grace of GOD, I will do."
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Re: I knew better than to stop for gas that time of night

Post by GlockMan27 »

Though I am not sure I would have even thought of it at that moment, option two seems like it would have been the best bet to me.

Your call reminds me of a situation I was in a couple years ago when I called 911. I was in town and an issue arose where I needed to call for the police and a squad. After making the call from my cell phone and starting to explain the need for assistance, the dispatcher, hearing where I was, forwarded my call to another center. I was beyond frustrated with the delay and having to talk to two different dispatchers during an emergency call.
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Re: I knew better than to stop for gas that time of night

Post by Pops Fun »

Sorry you had to go through that.
I hope if I get in that situation I handle it as well. It really doesn't matter what area, panhandlers are everywhere.
Since he showed he was unarmed he had run into problems before with a concealed carrier before.
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Re: I knew better than to stop for gas that time of night

Post by BobK »

Enjoyed your anecdote, sir. If one is going to consider your points 1 through 6, I'll also add that actually being armed and aware is a strong mitigating factor.
evan price wrote:Morse Road is the northern border of the hood zone that is creeping north towards 161.
I think you are an optimist. The hood has already crept up past 161 in certain places. :lol: :lol:
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Re: I knew better than to stop for gas that time of night

Post by Brian D. »

BobK wrote:Enjoyed your anecdote, sir. If one is going to consider your points 1 through 6, I'll also add that actually being armed and aware is a strong mitigating factor.
evan price wrote:Morse Road is the northern border of the hood zone that is creeping north towards 161.
I think you are an optimist. The hood has already crept up past 161 in certain places. :lol: :lol:
How far north do the city buses run now? That helps establish hood zone parameters. Often as not--best I can tell--the metro transit authorities don't throw riders off when they refuse to pay, it's much trouble with little benefit, so it is basically free for the "less fortunate" to be transported miles out from the urban cores, and back.
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Re: I knew better than to stop for gas that time of night

Post by deanimator »

evan price wrote:5. When seconds count, the police may be minutes or a phone robot away.
And that's why "you don't need a gun"...

I once called 911 to report somebody passed out in a gutter. I gave a full report to the 911 operator... who passed me on to ANOTHER 911 operator to make the SAME full report. The latter, to whom I'll refer as "Kelly Bundy", needed a five minute dissertation regarding the difference between a gutter in the street and a gutter on the roof.
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Re: I knew better than to stop for gas that time of night

Post by deanimator »

Brian D. wrote:How far north do the city buses run now? That helps establish hood zone parameters. Often as not--best I can tell--the metro transit authorities don't throw riders off when they refuse to pay, it's much trouble with little benefit, so it is basically free for the "less fortunate" to be transported miles out from the urban cores, and back.
When I was living in Chiraq, I once saw a bus driver offer a wino a free ride in return for throwing another disruptive wino off the bus. The wino then dutifully knocked the other wino down, grabbing him by the cuffs of his pants and dragged him off the bus, the evictee's head bumping each of the the steps on the way down and out. The wino got back on and got his free ride.
Life comes at you fast. Be prepared to shoot it in the head when it does.
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Re: I knew better than to stop for gas that time of night

Post by carmen fovozzo »

There is no way I would be pumping gas in that area, been there many times over the years, and not being CC my gun.....If it's just one nut job, I'm not leaving till my tank is full....I would of said nothing to him at all.......my actions would speak for themselves....and the mooch would surely get the visual message..

So how many Tacos did you get ? :)
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evan price
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Re: I knew better than to stop for gas that time of night

Post by evan price »

carmen fovozzo wrote: So how many Tacos did you get ? :)
Combo, 2 chalupas, 1 soft taco
And a large Mt Dew Baja Blast.

Shouldn't have stopped. Shouldn't have left the pump running. Figured the guy would back down once he knew I wasn't a mark. By the time it went sideways it was too late.
The moment the guy stepped out if the car lot the little voice in my head said "told you so."
The rest of the encounter part of my brain is wondering what I tell my boss about why I didn't come back from break, if I had to shoot this guy.
"20% accurate as usual, Morty."

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Re: I knew better than to stop for gas that time of night

Post by deanimator »

carmen fovozzo wrote:There is no way I would be pumping gas in that area, been there many times over the years, and not being CC my gun.....If it's just one nut job, I'm not leaving till my tank is full....I would of said nothing to him at all.......my actions would speak for themselves....and the mooch would surely get the visual message..
It often depends upon the vibe you give off.

I once had a panhandler in the Cleveland Amtrak station hit me up after previously scaring money out of several White women. I just looked up at him with a perfect imitation of my avatar's expression and said, "I've got nothing for you.", followed by the continued stare and absolute silence. He couldn't get away from me fast enough. I wonder if he noticed my "NRA Handgun Instructor" ball cap or the copy of Ayoob's "Combat Handgunnery" I was reading...

In the same station another guy (schizoprhenic? bi-polar?) was hassling women and the Amish. He turned away from a young Amish couple started to say something to me, looked in my eyes and INSTANTLY moved on to the next "customer".

You just have to know how to deal with people...
Life comes at you fast. Be prepared to shoot it in the head when it does.
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Re: I knew better than to stop for gas that time of night

Post by carmen fovozzo »

Dino...That's easy for you to do with the face you have.....I'm to pretty for that look... :)
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Re: I knew better than to stop for gas that time of night

Post by deanimator »

carmen fovozzo wrote:Dino...That's easy for you to do with the face you have.....I'm to pretty for that look... :)
If you can't do Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men", maybe you can do Jessica Walter in "Play Misty for Me"... :wink:
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Re: I knew better than to stop for gas that time of night

Post by JustaShooter »

carmen fovozzo wrote:Dino...That's easy for you to do with the face you have.....I'm to pretty for that look... :)
Time for a new mirror, Carmen... :mrgreen:
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