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2nd Close Call...
Christian B.
Member Posts: 218 ✭✭✭
Just when I was considering downsizing my collection of guns, an event has made me a buyer again.
I'm far from the type that goes looking for trouble, but last night, for 10 seconds, trouble found me. My car was in the shop, so last night I had to take my scooter into mainland Miami, to the area of Biscayne and 23rd (not a wonderful area) to help a friend load a moving truck. After loading, me and the others were ready to head out. This is about 2:00am.
Not 20 yards from my friend's place was one of the crazy homeless people we call the "crafty's" (not to their face... but amongst ourselves). I had just started my scooter and started buzzing toward the main road, and in the direction of the crafty. It's not uncommon for people to cross the street, so I didn't think anything of him being in the middle of the street. As I got closer, I noticed that despite my movement outward in the street, the crafty was closing in to intercept.
My headlights hit his face. He was as dirty as the pavement. His hair was forming dreadlocks and there was visible dirt on his face. He wasn't as frail looking as most of the crafty's. He was about 6'2 and over 200 lbs. His eyes were glossed and bloodshot. The worst part was the trenchcoat. Wearing a coat like that in Miami heat, isn't normal, even for a crafty. Dirty canvas coat. He was angleing his body so that his left was facing forward and I couldn't see his right hand. I hesitated on the gas.
So I started up on his left and hit the gas. A scooter is by no means a real motorcycle with power acceleration. Though my condition was "orange", I didn't think this person would actually attack... more like a pain in the * for kicks. The scooter started up in the direction of his left, and at about 7 yards from him, I shifted to the right and went wide. Just as I was passing on his right I heard a whoosh past my right ear and then heard the slap of running feet against the pavement. My hand went off the gas and into my pocket holster. There was traffic on the street ahead and I had about 10 yards before meeting traffic... in other words.... he could catch me. I drew my .38 out and turned awkwardly on the seat of the scooter. I was ready to let the scooter fall under me to prepare for a shot. He was coming at me. Again, I couldn't see the right hand.
I had just gotten the revolver above my waist when I heard the scream of a Toyota 4 cylinder hitting high RPM's. My friend from the moving group, had watched and saw the right hand. He was behind both of us. When he saw the crafty following me and swinging at me, he gunned his truck straight at him. The man saw headlights and ran into the parking lot, then behind the building, and was gone.
"Dude. I thought he hit you. That was a big pipe." My friend said after pulling up beside me. He watched me put the .38 back into the Kramer pocket holster and then back into my pocket. He smiled "I figured that was coming, but I was gonna run him down if he got too close."
I didn't think much about it on the way home... there were even more freaks and drunks on the road before making it back to the Beach. Rob followed me back. When we got back to my place, he told me what he saw. That pipe must have been centimeters from my head, my friend had a profile view and thought I got hit. This is really the first time I've stopped to think about the event.
10 seconds of trouble. I must have been kinda numbed after that, because I didn't think to call the police. I figured the event was over and just went on my way. God only knows how it could have turned out had the pipe hit my head. The pipe, the impact from the scooter crashing... perhaps in traffic. The gun went from ready to "finger on the trigger" without hesitation... I was prepared to do defend... for real. I've got stuff to think about.
Figured this was the right place to vent this. Like minded people.
christian
christian
I'm far from the type that goes looking for trouble, but last night, for 10 seconds, trouble found me. My car was in the shop, so last night I had to take my scooter into mainland Miami, to the area of Biscayne and 23rd (not a wonderful area) to help a friend load a moving truck. After loading, me and the others were ready to head out. This is about 2:00am.
Not 20 yards from my friend's place was one of the crazy homeless people we call the "crafty's" (not to their face... but amongst ourselves). I had just started my scooter and started buzzing toward the main road, and in the direction of the crafty. It's not uncommon for people to cross the street, so I didn't think anything of him being in the middle of the street. As I got closer, I noticed that despite my movement outward in the street, the crafty was closing in to intercept.
My headlights hit his face. He was as dirty as the pavement. His hair was forming dreadlocks and there was visible dirt on his face. He wasn't as frail looking as most of the crafty's. He was about 6'2 and over 200 lbs. His eyes were glossed and bloodshot. The worst part was the trenchcoat. Wearing a coat like that in Miami heat, isn't normal, even for a crafty. Dirty canvas coat. He was angleing his body so that his left was facing forward and I couldn't see his right hand. I hesitated on the gas.
So I started up on his left and hit the gas. A scooter is by no means a real motorcycle with power acceleration. Though my condition was "orange", I didn't think this person would actually attack... more like a pain in the * for kicks. The scooter started up in the direction of his left, and at about 7 yards from him, I shifted to the right and went wide. Just as I was passing on his right I heard a whoosh past my right ear and then heard the slap of running feet against the pavement. My hand went off the gas and into my pocket holster. There was traffic on the street ahead and I had about 10 yards before meeting traffic... in other words.... he could catch me. I drew my .38 out and turned awkwardly on the seat of the scooter. I was ready to let the scooter fall under me to prepare for a shot. He was coming at me. Again, I couldn't see the right hand.
I had just gotten the revolver above my waist when I heard the scream of a Toyota 4 cylinder hitting high RPM's. My friend from the moving group, had watched and saw the right hand. He was behind both of us. When he saw the crafty following me and swinging at me, he gunned his truck straight at him. The man saw headlights and ran into the parking lot, then behind the building, and was gone.
"Dude. I thought he hit you. That was a big pipe." My friend said after pulling up beside me. He watched me put the .38 back into the Kramer pocket holster and then back into my pocket. He smiled "I figured that was coming, but I was gonna run him down if he got too close."
I didn't think much about it on the way home... there were even more freaks and drunks on the road before making it back to the Beach. Rob followed me back. When we got back to my place, he told me what he saw. That pipe must have been centimeters from my head, my friend had a profile view and thought I got hit. This is really the first time I've stopped to think about the event.
10 seconds of trouble. I must have been kinda numbed after that, because I didn't think to call the police. I figured the event was over and just went on my way. God only knows how it could have turned out had the pipe hit my head. The pipe, the impact from the scooter crashing... perhaps in traffic. The gun went from ready to "finger on the trigger" without hesitation... I was prepared to do defend... for real. I've got stuff to think about.
Figured this was the right place to vent this. Like minded people.
christian
christian
Comments
PC=BS
"Not as deep as a well, or as wide as a church door, but it is enough."
When you load the mag for your carry gun, wear latex gloves and don't leave fingerprints on the shells.
NIKLASAL@hotmail.com
"What we have here... is Failure to Communicate"
This is the stuff nightmares are made of. It can stay with you for years, more so than close calls in accidents.
My thoughts while posting earlier were the same as the forum members that responded. I was pissed off and wanted to hurt that guy... really bad. Last night, I saw danger come and go. Luckily that was it. I would hate to be stuck in a position where I'd have to defend myself in a courtroom, when the situation could have ended like it did. I don't want to kill anyone... but last night I found that I was prepared to.
christian
ps. The first situation was the guy with Touretts Syndrome at the grocery store. I posted about it a while back, about a year ago.
christian
christian
christian
If the situation happened as told it would have been perfectly justified to shoot. Some of the advice reminds me of the old wives tale about if you shoot the burglar outside the house, drag him inside. How lame is that???
If you are justified in using deadly force then do so and TELL THE TRUTH.
"We become what we habitually do. If we act rightly, we become upright men. If we habitually act wrongly, or weakly, we become weak and corrupt" - *ARISTOTLE*
**Like Grandad used to say--"It'll feel better when it quits hurtin"
Clouder..