Approached by a homeless aggressor

1175 Views 44 Replies 20 Participants Last post by brownie, 4 mo ago

brownie

Discussion Starter · 4 mo ago

Scenario:

You've visited someone in the hospital and are returning to your vehicle in the large parking lot that at that hour has very few vehicles parked there. It was full when you parked where you could find a spot, but now it's sitting out on the open with no vehicles near it.

As you're crossing the lot with good SA, you spot what appears to be a homeless man who appears to be in his 40's or maybe 50's hanging around the peripheral of the lot. As you keep an eye on him, you notice you're now the object of his attention as he's now moving to intercept you in the lot or at your vehicle door.

He has no visible weapons on him, he's not carrying anything that could be used as a weapon expediently against you. Before you can get the car unlocked and enter and lock the doors, he's now within 6 feet of you and closing. He's not threatening you in any verbal way, but it's clear he's not going to give up the chance to ask for and get something from you [ usually money ].

What's your response going to be?

Confront him verbally to go away, back off, leave you alone?
What if he continues to aggress on your person?
Will you allow him to get closer than that 6 feet?
How will you enforce that distance if he moves closer?
Threaten grave bodily harm or death upon him by announcing your armed and will defend yourself if he closes on you?
Can you even draw and fire your sidearm before he can reach you and wrestle for the firearm if he decides to?

Now, he's closed to bad breath distance, you're continuing to tell him to move off/go away and he's ignored you and you've done nothing but verbally warn him to not approach. Is he an imminent threat of grave bodily harm or death to your person. If he's not, will you still draw your sidearm and threaten deadly force use if he doesn't back away and leave you alone?

Interested in hearing what others would do based on their strength, infirmities, skills sets or lack thereof.

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Rick McC.

· #10 · 4 mo ago

brownie said:
Scenario:

You've visited someone in the hospital and are returning to your vehicle in the large parking lot that at that hour has very few vehicles parked there. It was full when you parked where you could find a spot, but now it's sitting out on the open with no vehicles near it.

As you're crossing the lot with good SA, you spot what appears to be a homeless man who appears to be in his 40's or maybe 50's hanging around the peripheral of the lot. As you keep an eye on him, you notice you're now the object of his attention as he's now moving to intercept you in the lot or at your vehicle door.

He has no visible weapons on him, he's not carrying anything that could be used as a weapon expediently against you. Before you can get the car unlocked and enter and lock the doors, he's now within 6 feet of you and closing. He's not threatening you in any verbal way, but it's clear he's not going to give up the chance to ask for and get something from you [ usually money ].

What's your response going to be?

Confront him verbally to go away, back off, leave you alone?
What if he continues to aggress on your person?
Will you allow him to get closer than that 6 feet?
How will you enforce that distance if he moves closer?
Threaten grave bodily harm or death upon him by announcing your armed and will defend yourself if he closes on you?
Can you even draw and fire your sidearm before he can reach you and wrestle for the firearm if he decides to?

Now, he's closed to bad breath distance, you're continuing to tell him to move off/go away and he's ignored you and you've done nothing but verbally warn him to not approach. Is he an imminent threat of grave bodily harm or death to your person. If he's not, will you still draw your sidearm and threaten deadly force use if he doesn't back away and leave you alone?

Interested in hearing what others would do based on their strength, infirmities, skills sets or lack thereof.

I’ve had that very thing happen on several occasions, and I’ve handled it with a command voice advising “stop; don’t come any closer,” that they’ll get no $$ from me, and “you need to move along!”
Only once have I needed to move my hand to 3:00 on the outside of my shirt; which caused an instant retreat. I didn't brandish any weapons, or place my hand directly on my carry gun.

I won’t let anyone get too close (still farther away that six feet), and I’ll maintain distance from them, even if I have to play “circle the truck.”

I won’t unlock the doors if anyone is in proximity, and only unlock the drivers door when I do. I don’t have it set to unlock all the doors on entry (unless I press the fob button a second time in quick succession).

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Rick McC.

· #12 · 4 mo ago

Coops said:
You cannot draw on him because hopefully, your gun is in the car. You are not allowed to carry in a hospital.
Technically, a hospital that provides mental health services. But that point is moot since all hospitals provide mental health help of some kind.

I always carry in the hospitals here, and I don’t accept that “moot point” at all. I do so for the same reason that I always carry at Dr’s. offices; their parking lots are target rich environments, with lots of sick and/or injured people coming and going who probably aren’t at their best in defending themselves.

Now; if they decide to have armed guards in golf carts picking up and returning patients and visitors to their cars…

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