Appropriate response to threat?

[castelle]

Hi guys - apologies for the long winded note here but I'd love to get some feedback from our LEO's and anyone who has an opinion they wish to share.

My room mate (36 yr old sensible male) was cycling home from work when he passed (in a 25mph residential zone) a driver slowing down for speed bumps/rumble strips. Being that my room mate was on his bicycle he passed between the speed bumps and didn't slow down but didn't exceeed speed limits. He didn't approach the car, near miss the car or otherwise interfere with the car. The driver then sped up and proceeded to scream and generally behave in an irate manner at my room mate. This process was repeated a couple of times with my room mate telling him to $#%^ off eventually as they reached the next series of speed bumps. My room mate then noticed that this driver (approx 45yrs old) had a small kid in a booster seat in the back as he turned into our street and the driver continued straight. Driver then slams on brakes, flips around and hauls after roomie into our street and drives right up onto our drive way. By this stage roomie is pretty much alarmed and concerned for safety and low and behold, from within our garage accesses the Bighorn Gun safe (doesn't actually draw one of the two loaded handguns out but stands in a manner that shows the guy on the driveway that the safe door is open. Driver then backs up and bails out of the area. Event over.

Now, I'm sure I'm not repeating this verbatim but it should be close to the actual event. I should point out that roomie didn't reach for a weapon in the safe as there was a kid in the car.

Any of our LEO friends care to mention on whether roomies behavior was appropriate, came up short or was wrong in any way??

Thanks for reading guys. Oh - and this happened in Oceanside approx 4pm in the afternon.

[P5Ret]

Whenever I see something like this I think of one thing who is going to call the cops first. Opening the safe may have been a bad idea, simply because guy in car is going to get on the phone and say something like "he pointed a gun at me". Never mind he was being a complete jack-off doing what he did. One thing I think we all can agree on if not experienced is that people will lie their *** off to make it seem like they were not at fault in any way shape or form for what happened.

It may have been much easier to close the garage door, place a barrier between he and what he rightly perceived to be a threat. Then arming himself while on the phone to pd.

Of course upon further reflection not going home would have been a good idea too. There are a whole bunch of places a bicycle can go that a car can't.

[ASTMedic]

I don't understand the need to intimidate an aggressor.

Go inside and close the door. If he pushes it to a level where he threatens safety then address it at that point. Walk away, it's always the best choice unless you are given no other choice.

[Falconis]

My opinion is that cyclist went home and motorist followed out of his way. I think the motorist would have a lot more explaining to do. But we only have one side of the story thus far

[castelle]

All valid point guys - once the door is down the barrier is in place and I did see that as an option. Just a note that I should have pointed out - the safe is by the door at the front of the garage and this 'agressive driver' arrived in the driveway before the garage had completely cycled to the top - unfortunately the button to bring it down is by the door into the house itself and not really accessible. It is a valid point though - the option of backing away from the agressor is there! Albiet you leave him in a garage full of potential weapons!

[castelle]

My opinion is that cyclist went home and motorist followed out of his way. I think the motorist would have a lot more explaining to do. But we only have one side of the story thus far

True! and to be honest you guys are hearing this from a third party - I wasn't there so I didn't see it. It does prove that the villages the world over are missing their idiots!!!

[Falconis]

Also something else to think about. The guy was already home. Where is the line in the sand at that point. I've always given more leeway to home owners even though I've been yelled at it before. At the same time conflicts between neighbors means all bets are out the window.

[Fspeed]

Not an LEO

One thing to do is not to engage the person. You want to cruse, scream, and yell, knock yourself out, but I'm not. When you go back and forth with them it encourages them. This only helps them feel that they are in the "right". If your roomate had just ignored the guy he may have sped off or just quit.

[Sakiri]

Also not LEO but the roommate needs to remember he also has all rights to be on the road. Drivers acting like that to cyclists is nothing new. He was probably just po'd that the roommate could pass him over the speed bumps and dared to when he should have been on the faaaar right side of the road like all good little hippy cyclists.

Last I checked, there is no law requiring cyclists to yield for vehicles where there is no bike lane on side streets, and even if there is a lane, if that bike lane is not a safe place to be(parked cars, blind corners, etc) they do not have to be in it.

Do correct me if I'm wrong, but this is what I picked up out of a booklet on assetive defensive cycling(basically, not being a passive, timid, afraid biker, which can get you into accidents from being overly cautious - just like driving in a car).

[kimber_ss]

Stay away from road ragers whenever possible. And never lead a road rager to your home, ever. If a road rager is trying to make eye contact, reduce speed and let them win(in their mind, but you controlled the situation).

Showing any firearm, in these situations is a very bad idea. Unnecessary escalation is always FAIL.

[Ron-Solo]

Stay away from road ragers whenever possible. And never lead a road rager to your home, ever. If a road rager is trying to make eye contact, reduce speed and let them win(in their mind, but you controlled the situation).

Showing any firearm, in these situations is a very bad idea. Unnecessary escalation is always FAIL.

I concur

[TrailerparkTrash]

Only go for a gun when you're a solutely a true "victim.". Just opening the safe door to get a reaction of the thug is dumb. Don't ever fake it like you're reaching for a gun. Only truely reach for a gun if your life really depends on it. Faking or bluffing just doesn't look good to a jury had the situation escalated to a higher threat level. The motorist would have a great attorney that surely would try to make you look like the aggressor.

If you're truely a victim of immenant bodily injury or death, the point which you draw a gun as a last resort will come out through an investigation and hopefully vindicate you.

For example, had a gun come out and the raged motorist never exited his car or produced a weapon himself, may have looked bad for you (aka: your friend).

However, had the guy used his vehicle in an assaultive manner (ie rammed your garage door), breached your garage itself, brandished a weapon (ie gun, knife, tire iron etc...) you'd be more likely in the clear to pull out a gun.

As it stands right now, his lawyer or the DA would say, "he was just going to advise you to say out of the middle of the road... Etc..... Outrageous? Yes absolutely. But if he pressed forward with some obvious assaultive behavior that can be proven (ie he exited the car on foods on your driveway and tried to attack you I side your own garage, it would have looked better for you. This is what I mean by being a "true victim.".

(damn I hate typing with an iPhone!)

[AK all day]

Ride the bike or drive your car the local PD when this happens, usually they stop.

[bob7122]

I don't understand the need to intimidate an aggressor.

Go inside and close the door. If he pushes it to a level where he threatens safety then address it at that point. Walk away, it's always the best choice unless you are given no other choice.

Stay away from road ragers whenever possible. And never lead a road rager to your home, ever. If a road rager is trying to make eye contact, reduce speed and let them win(in their mind, but you controlled the situation).

Showing any firearm, in these situations is a very bad idea. Unnecessary escalation is always FAIL.

Only go for a gun when you're a solutely a true "victim.". Just opening the safe door to get a reaction of the thug is dumb. Don't ever fake it like you're reaching for a gun. Only truely reach for a gun if your life really depends on it. Faking or bluffing just doesn't look good to a jury had the situation escalated to a higher threat level. The motorist would have a great attorney that surely would try to make you look like the aggressor.

If you're truely a victim of immenant bodily injury or death, the point which you draw a gun as a last resort will come out through an investigation and hopefully vindicate you.

For example, had a gun come out and the raged motorist never exited his car or produced a weapon himself, may have looked bad for you (aka: your friend).

However, had the guy used his vehicle in an assaultive manner (ie rammed your garage door), breached your garage itself, brandished a weapon (ie gun, knife, tire iron etc...) you'd be more likely in the clear to pull out a gun.

As it stands right now, his lawyer or the DA would say, "he was just going to advise you to say out of the middle of the road... Etc..... Outrageous? Yes absolutely. But if he pressed forward with some obvious assaultive behavior that can be proven (ie he exited the car on foods on your driveway and tried to attack you I side your own garage, it would have looked better for you. This is what I mean by being a "true victim.".

(damn I hate typing with an iPhone!)

boom! solid advice. just close the door, lock n' load, if he breaks in then who the hell knows what he will do...

[castelle]

boom! solid advice. just close the door, lock n' load, if he breaks in then who the hell knows what he will do...

Solid advice! it really was my roomy! he's been DUI'd out of internal combustion for some time now!