Combat Mindset - Decision Making
Since 12-26-08
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Posted by an anonymous USCCA Member on our Members Only Forum.
I had a serious decision moment a couple days ago, and I've been reflecting
on it since. Thought I'd lay it out for the group.
I was in a Walmart parking lot of all places. Honestly, I'm not making this
up. It really did happen in the often imagined place.
I'd just parked my truck, and as I was getting out I noticed a young woman
walking across the parking lot talking on her cell phone. Next I noticed a
young athletic man, dressed in a hoodie, with the hood up, running up behind
her. I though it might be legit, but it could be a purse snatch. I knew I
wouldn't engage a purse snatcher, but I was trying to get as good a
description as possible of the guy even though I couldn't see his face.
When he got to her he reached out, grabbed her by the arm and forcefully
swung her around. I heard her tell him to get his {expletive deleted} hands
off of her. Her tone of voice was forceful but not fearful, she obviously
knew him, so I slowed my pace. I'd been approaching rather rapidly from an
angle that would prevent the young man from seeing me around his hood.
The young man didn't get his hands off of her, he rather began forcefully
"escorting" her back toward the store. She didn't struggle with him, but it
was clear that she was offering token resistance.
When they got back to his vehicle, he opened the door and "assisted" her
into the passenger seat. She was resisting but not strongly. It didn't
appear that he was abducting her, just "apprehending" a ticked off woman.
I had to make several decisions in a very rapidly paced few moments. When I
first saw him running toward her, I had to decide how to be the most
effective without knowing even what his intentions were. I couldn't sweep my
vest back to uncover my primary weapon, so I gripped my backup, which is a
J-Frame S&W located in my strong side pocket. I got it far enough out of the
pocket that it could be rapidly deployed without snagging in the pocket, but
not so far out that it could be seen. Then I starting moving as rapidly as
possible without running myself. I was able to approach the young man from
the rear. I knew I wasn't going to shoot him unless he produced a weapon or
attacked me when or if I decided to tell him to leave the girl alone. I also
had pepper spray on the "Key Defender" in my left hand. So I had a choice
between lethal and non lethal response.
When I heard that her response to him wasn't fearful, I had to decide
whether to respond at all. Yeah, my macho bravado wanted to "teach him how
to be a gentleman" by telling him that was no way to treat a woman. I
decided that since I was capable of a lethal response, and he would be too,
if he decided he didn't want the lesson, and elected to knock my block off,
and take my pistol from me, my response would not be direct. I just drew my
cell phone, caught both of their eyes, and flipped it open. I reasoned that
this gave her the opportunity to yell "help" if she wanted or needed it. She
didn't, so my response was to give him a "dirty look" and head into the
store while observing him from the corner of my eye in case he decided to
violently address the "dirty look". He didn't.
I guess "All's well that ends well", and I've reviewed my actions several
times. I think the only thing I'd change if I could would be the "dirty
look", but I don't know if I'm capable of not at least giving a man who's
muscling a woman around in public "the look".
I'd like to get some input from the forum if I could. Someone may come up
with some ideas I don't have, that I could use if I'm ever in a similar
situation again.
One observation I do have to share from the experience is that the pace of
the event was much faster than I expected it to be, and there was very
little that I did on a "conscious" level. The actions that I took and the
decisions I made were almost entirely spontaneous. I think that reading and
discussing some of the scenario's here helped tremendously as I'd prethought
a number of things. Before joining this community, I might have chosen a
bolder course of action that could have induced a violent conclusion.
Thanks "guys"