Could Have been Something, Could HaveBeen Nothing. I'll Never Know

Smoke

Smoke

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I was out walking my dog tonight. I was approaching a T intersection, I notice a young guy on foot turning the corner at the intersection. He looks up at me and cuts straight across the street headed directly at me. I can't tell you why but the hair on the back of my neck went straight up.

I'm wearing a jacket I have my gun in my right hand in the pocket. I turn to face the guy and pull my hand to the edge of the pocket so the back of my hand is showing but no part of my gun is visible or even printing in the pocket.

The guy looks at me turns 90 degrees to his left, walks back over to his side of the street and walks away.

Like I said, could have been something, could have been nothing
 
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Congratulations! Good situational awareness.

It could have been nothing, except for his reaction to your body language. If he were looking for directions, he wouldn't have noticed. One young guy stopped talking mid-sentence and left when I absent-mindedly brushed my jacket open about an inch.
 
You done good. People just need to be aware of what's going on around them at all times.
 
some people always walk with blinders on. i tell everyone in my family always be aware of what is going on around you . just like at a shopping center before u enter your car just look around before u look down to get your keys for it is that moment u are the most vulnerable .
 
That's called "failing the interview". It's something you want to have happen EVERY time.

Thugs don't want to actually WORK for what they're after. If they did, they'd get jobs. At most, some of them like to terrorize and beat (or worse) somebody who can't fight back.

Predators generally avoid other similarly capable predators. This goes for two legged as well as four legged predators.
 
A few years ago my wife & I & another couple we're leaving a restaurant about 10 pm. We stopped to chat just outside when I noticed 2 men walking across the parking lot who looked our way, said a few words to each other, turned towards us and headed our way. They were 20-30 yrs old, we're all 50's & 60's. I turned towards them, made eye contact and put my hand inside my jacket. They changed directions fast. The other 3 in my group didn't even notice. Was I paranoid? Yep. Am I still? Yep.
 
I also posted this another forum and someone over there suggested that the guy just wanted to pet my dog this was my response.

I'm not sure if I can express this clearly enough but I didn't do anything overtly threatening, all I did was turn in his direction (could have just been watching the dog) and move my arm. Unless you knew what you were seeing you wouldn't have known what you were seeing.

If his attention wasn't focused on me instead of the dog he wouldn't have caught it but he did catch it and he did correctly interpret it.

That's why I think he wasn't interested in the dog
 
Several years ago I was shopping in a Kroger store near an area where a lot of recent immigrants, mostly Russian, had settled. There was a young man in his late twenties, whom I had on a previous visit heard speaking what sounded like Russian, standing about ten feet from an in-store branch bank and watching it intently. The only customer at the counter was an elderly black lady I knew had nothing to do with the kid.
The young man was fidgety, pale, and looked taut as a coiled spring. His right hand was in the pocket of his leather jacket.

I watched him for three or four minutes, until he apparently felt my gaze. He turned and looked at me. I made and held eye contact, and slipped my hand into my right front pants pocket, where a holstered J-frame always rides. He turned on his heel and quickly left the store.

Nothing? Possibly. Maybe probably. But I don't believe it. I've thought ever since that I prevented a bank holdup that day.

Trust your instinct.
 
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I believe your body language, as read by the "other guy", is what dictated his reaction. Bad guys look for the low hanging fruit, or those who are unaware of their surroundings, b/c they will offer no resistance. Keep up your keen situational awareness, it will always serve you well.
 
That's the beauty of having the constitutional right to protect yourself. If this were England, you'd either have a split-open nugget, or your pup would be getting scratched behind the ear, but you wouldn't have a whole lotta say in the matter.

If the character did have ill intentions, I'd like to think he's having similar thoughts to yours today.
 
I preach this to my family all of the time be aware of your surroundings. Look around you before getting out of your car, while walking to the store, while in the store, while paying for your items, while walking back to your car, lock the doors and start the car. Once your driving you can stop paying attention Right:D




No but seriously kids pay attention while driving please...
 
I agree that this was good situational awareness.

Like someone said, a bad guy doesn't want to work. So, making eye contact or just letting them know you see them is often enough to dissuade them from further contact.

I've just added the Refuse To Be A Victim NRA certification to my credentials. You did exactly what we teach to not be a victim. Good for you.
 
It was something and you did well.

I've had the same thing happen twice while walking in Niagara Falls Park in NY and while in Paris. I was not carrying because I could not but turning around and facing the potential threat removed the element of surprise and that was it.

I always trust my instincts.

Yiogo
 
Smoke said:
I was out walking my dog tonight. I was approaching a T intersection, I notice a young guy on foot turning the corner at the intersection. He looks up at me and cuts straight across the street headed directly at me. I can't tell you why but the hair on the back of my neck went straight up.

I'm wearing a jacket I have my gun in my right hand in the pocket. I turn to face the guy and pull my hand to the edge of the pocket so the back of my hand is showing but no part of my gun is visible or even printing in the pocket.

The guy looks at me turns 90 degrees to his left, walks back over to his side of the street and walks away.
Like I said, could have been something, could have been nothing
Click to expand...

Oh it was something! It was a "move" that - due to some "fine" situational awareness, you cancelled before it could transpire.:cool: Made him disappear like a puff of....Smoke :)
 
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Could be he was perfectly innocent but your "look" scared him away!!! "His" situational awareness.......

Yep, never know..........;)
 
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