Attempted mugging while driving my FJ

So last week I was dropping off a uhaul trailer after hours at an autorepair shop in Kannapolis NC. It was around 9:30pm, dark and cold outside.
This place was located off main street (old 29) south of downtown Kannapolis in an area known by locals as Midway. The street is only two lanes with aging buildings on either side and a railroad running along one side behind the buildings there. The trailers were all parked out behind the shop building in an empty lot. There was an orange uhaul drop box for after hours returns on the outside of the front of the building.

Thats the set up info.
Here is what happened. My wife and I drove the FJ to the shop and pulled around back and I got out and unhitched the little trailer. Then I drove back around to the front of the store, parking just beside the building, about 30 feet from the door with the truck facing the main street ahead. Its deserted, lights are all out, very cold outside and getting a bit late. I saw no one out or about anywhere near us.
I pulled out the rental paperwork and began reading the fine print trying to figure out which copy I leave and which I keep, etc. My wife is on the phone with her mom talking. When I notice a man in a dark coat walking across the main street and coming toward us. I lower the paperwork to my lap and study this fellow. He's white, older, long dark hair braided in a pony tail. He is pretty tall but a bit overweight. As he gets closer I can see he looks, how should I put this, "bummish". His coat is dirty, pants worn out, wearing old work boots. Just a scraggly mut of a man. BTW, this may sound like I sat there a long time watching him, I didn't. From the time I first saw him in the road to the moment he approached my truck was maybe 5-10 sec.

He walked up to within about 10 feet of the driver side so that I could see him standing just above/behind my mirror when he slowed down and waved cautiously at me as if, "hey. see me here?" He took a few more steps up toward the truck slowly as I cracked my window about 3-4 inches, but NOT all the way or even half way. I was already getting major bad vibes from this dude.

He says, "Hey do you work here?" and points to the auto repair shop.
"No." I reply.
"Oh. ... Ok. ... Well, Well HI! My name is blarblar." and he shoots his hand up to my window inviting me to shake hands with him. He said his name which I can't even remember now because seeing his hand up an inch from my window made my eyes go wide and I put my right hand on the shifter while pressing the brake with my foot. I also grabbed the door handle with my left hand thinking in an instant he might try to force open the door which wasn't locked. ( I was about to step out and go up to the orange drop box)

I heard my wife hang up the phone, but I locked eyes with the dude and in a calm but as commanding a voice as I could produce saide, "You put your hand down and step back away from my vehicle, now."
He took two very quick steps backward and put both hands up in the air while stuttering and stammering out something along the lines of, "Whoa hey, no problem sir. I am a Christian man and just wanted to introduce myself and ask you a question." blah blah blah.

I never took my eyes off him. I repeated a little more loudly, "Step back away. Keep moving back." He took a couple more steps back while rambling. I then said, "You stay there and don't move." Simultaneously I pulled the shifter down and pressed the gas. VRRRRRMMMM! The engine roared, but the truck just lazily rolled forward an inch. Shifting without looking, I had only dropped from park in to Neutral. I felt my face get warm, sensing that if the guy was armed or desperate, this split second of my shifting goof up, might trigger him to pounce and either pull a gun or charge. He was still only about 10 or so feet away.

But he remained stationary, and still without looking away from him, I pulled into Drive and there was enough engine torgue left to jerk us forward when the transmission engaged and we then jumped out and back onto main street and I floored it, putting distance between us. In the rear view mirror I saw him lower his hands and turn around and walk toward the repair shop. I then lost sight of him.

My wife stared at me. "What just happened?" she asked.
"We just had a near miss with a bad guy babe." I replied.
"Do you think he was wanting money or what?" she asked.
"Oh yeah at the least he wanted money, and maybe had wanted to steal the truck too." I informed her. My mind was on overload at that moment replaying the whole thing again and again.

We drove the eight or so miles back to our house, mostly we were both very quiet as we both considered the possible outcomes of the situation. I'm telling you all that in my mind, we were very lucky. I was unarmed. I had my wife with me. My doors were unlocked. In short, I felt very vulnerable the more I thought about what might have happened. I told my wife as we approached our home, "Babe, there was a real good chance that situation could have turned out bad back there. Of all the possible outcomes, us driving into our driveway now, safe and unharmed is a miracle."
She agreed.

Now I have to say, maybe its because I'm a guy and I see myself and my role as a husband and a man to be the strong protector of my family, but I had a tough time dealing with this even at first because I kept feeling ashamed of not being better prepared to both avoid or defend against that dude. I kept thinking to myself, if he had actually went for the door, or drew a weapon, or reached through the window and grabbed me, I don't know what I would have done to protect my wife. In my imagination I can see the dude driving off in my truck with my wife screaming while I lay shot or stabbed on the pavement. It gives me chills even now to think about it. Like I said, maybe its just that is what all guys do when something like this happens. I don't know.

I know one thing. I don't want to feel vulnerable like that again. Ever.

I'm considering buying and installing a pistol and holster within easy reach of the driver's side. I'm also thinking of installing a night stick in easy reach of the passenger if needed. Honestly right now I'd like to install side mounted machine guns with motion tracking night vision and then hunt that bugger down and waste him for scaring the crap out of us.

From an FJ standpoint I noted a couple things:
1. The shifter is notched in the automatic, one pull down from Park is Neutral, not Drive.
2. We know the windows on the FJ are big, but they feel massive when a baddy is standing right outside.
3. I knew that if the SHTF and I had to go urban off-roading that I could handle any curbs, fences, ditches that stood between me and safety. That was a good part.

Should've called me he just wanted to play...

ncorn38 wrote:

Should've called me he just wanted to play...

LOL...

Yuri, Im glad it all turned out for the best. Glad noone got hurt in the process. You arent alone in your dark alley/suspicious person adventure. I have had the same thing happen to me and in fact had it happen to me right in my own driveway in front of my own house. While i was living in Texas after i had moved down to be with Angie. I was sitting in my Tundra doing something that i cant remember now but i did have my H&K USP.45 in my lap. The neighbor from next door who was a major drunk and basically just an unsavory type walked up to the truck and started asking me for money. I didnt see him so it gave me quite a start. My first instinct was to go for the gun. I pointed it right at his head before i even realized that it was him. Basicaly scared him right back to his house after telling him to get away or "else"...after letting the adrenaline flow back to where it came from and starting to suffer from the subsequent headache i started to think i could have literally blown this guys head off in that quick of an action and probably could have gotten away with it.

"backstory"...this guy had actually let himself into my yard (everyone has privacy fences in Texas), had accosted one of my employees, had bothered my wife on many numerous occasions, and scared the hell out of pretty much everyone in my neighborhood. Drunk , wife beater, low life, (and i cant say the other things to describe him)

i agree it really makes you wonder what would happen if the poop hit the spinning blades!!

i have carried my "personal protection device" on many occasion based primarily on "where" i may be going. i would like to get my CCH. i wonder if there may be a way for a "group buy" on that. wonder if there is enough interest from with in this group.

Glad no one was hurt. I hate to even think about stuff like that happening, but it does.

Yuri definately glad it turned out like it did and you and your wife are ok.

Society is going downhill fast and its only going to get worse.

Another "good" to come out of this is the wife will probably ok a firearm purchase! On top of that, I would highly recommend some professional training on its carry and use.

Any one know why car manufacturers are now making shifters with all the jagged turns and notches on them?
The FJ automatic goes like this:
Park -->
|
\/
Reverse
/
Neutral
/
4th---Drive
3rd
2nd---Low

Why not just a straight row like they used to be?

ok that totally didn't post with the spaces I added.....

Yuri...i think its because its an eloctronic shifted tranny...other than that i have no idea..lol

I really dont like mine...everytime I throw it in "drive" it ends up in "3" and I have to go back and put it up two into "D"....the zig zags dont work as "stops" at all...

Because of accidental shifting or breaking when moving through the gears I would guess. Damage prevention of sorts. Even though it might not work as planned.

Drive a manual, problem solved

Twice in downtown Winston-Salem, I've had someone come up to me wanting my wallet, watch, etc. In hindsight, it was a good life lesson for me in really observing your environment and how I handle pressure situations. Both times I was okay because I was bigger than the guy and better armed, but it really makes you think about how easily things can go wrong. I'm now married and I would handle things much differently because, like Yuri said, that protective part comes out much more now. If I'm with family, I'm much more likely to go directly in to offensive mode than defensive mode.

It certainly does open your eyes though and I'm glad everyone is okay.

That is pretty creepy. I would be really on edge if it were to happen with my wife and/or my kids. I always have a knife on me, and my wife has an expandable baton. Not necessarily the best but better than nothing.

Yuri, when was this? I was working I would have went and talked to him for you!! you know that! hahaha