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I live alongside an offramp of CA 73. Last night a police chase ended about 150 meters from my home.
I heard sirens and a heli, which was unusual, and happened to be looking out the window at the right time. The suspect was on 4 rims, a fireball of sparks bigger than his car flying behind him while he was flying down the offramp. He fishtailed and struck the guardrail correcting momentarily before slamming into the K Rail on the other side of the lane, stopping the momentum of the vehicle immediately.
The heli was overhead and the fleet of 12-14 cruisers were about 5-10 seconds behind. The officers from the 3+ jurisdictions handled the situation professionally and with safety in mind, and the arrest was made without a hitch.
My initial thought after shaking off the shock of seeing what I just saw was the line of fire. Luckily it didn't come to that, because there were two lines. Down the offramp, or if they were forced to flank, bullets would have been coming into my neighborhood due to the car coming to rest alongside the K Rail of a bridge. So I stayed back in my home for the first few minutes until I was sure the suspect had not left the vehicle and fled on foot, possibly towards my place.
My second thought was, should I get my gun in case the situation gets out of hand as quick as I watched it develop? I was confident with my gut instinct of no, stay and watch the suspect and see if there is a threat first. The right decision.
But, all stories aside, these are the times I begin to think about how I should react, and the legal ramifications that come with possible actions, in unpredictable circumstances.
I've got to say, it's nice to have the CalGuns brain trust to deliberate with.
Worst case scenario considered, what is my legal right, in California, in a situation such as this where a suspect was on the loose?
What if the suspect had bailed, not crashed, and came banging down my door. I own a condo, where my patio is considered public space. If the suspect had jumped the fence into my community and came to my door, do I have legal right to hold him at gun point from inside my home, through a security screen door?
What if he had somehow escaped the eye of the police and was banging down one of my neighbors doors (all elderly and/or single women)?
Off topic, but we had a forced-entry burglary in the neighborhood before Thanksgiving where a legally configured .308 was stolen. What is my legal right to react in the situation like that? Both if the suspect was holding a weapon, or rifle case in his hands, during or while walking from the premises to their vehicle, as well as just encountering a robbery in progress with no weapon present? If I held them at gun point, technically I would be in possession of a firearm on public property, a Misdemeanor, but what about under circumstances such as these?
I'd just like to learn from the situations I have recently encountered. Thanks!
I heard sirens and a heli, which was unusual, and happened to be looking out the window at the right time. The suspect was on 4 rims, a fireball of sparks bigger than his car flying behind him while he was flying down the offramp. He fishtailed and struck the guardrail correcting momentarily before slamming into the K Rail on the other side of the lane, stopping the momentum of the vehicle immediately.
The heli was overhead and the fleet of 12-14 cruisers were about 5-10 seconds behind. The officers from the 3+ jurisdictions handled the situation professionally and with safety in mind, and the arrest was made without a hitch.
My initial thought after shaking off the shock of seeing what I just saw was the line of fire. Luckily it didn't come to that, because there were two lines. Down the offramp, or if they were forced to flank, bullets would have been coming into my neighborhood due to the car coming to rest alongside the K Rail of a bridge. So I stayed back in my home for the first few minutes until I was sure the suspect had not left the vehicle and fled on foot, possibly towards my place.
My second thought was, should I get my gun in case the situation gets out of hand as quick as I watched it develop? I was confident with my gut instinct of no, stay and watch the suspect and see if there is a threat first. The right decision.
But, all stories aside, these are the times I begin to think about how I should react, and the legal ramifications that come with possible actions, in unpredictable circumstances.
I've got to say, it's nice to have the CalGuns brain trust to deliberate with.
Worst case scenario considered, what is my legal right, in California, in a situation such as this where a suspect was on the loose?
What if the suspect had bailed, not crashed, and came banging down my door. I own a condo, where my patio is considered public space. If the suspect had jumped the fence into my community and came to my door, do I have legal right to hold him at gun point from inside my home, through a security screen door?
What if he had somehow escaped the eye of the police and was banging down one of my neighbors doors (all elderly and/or single women)?
Off topic, but we had a forced-entry burglary in the neighborhood before Thanksgiving where a legally configured .308 was stolen. What is my legal right to react in the situation like that? Both if the suspect was holding a weapon, or rifle case in his hands, during or while walking from the premises to their vehicle, as well as just encountering a robbery in progress with no weapon present? If I held them at gun point, technically I would be in possession of a firearm on public property, a Misdemeanor, but what about under circumstances such as these?
I'd just like to learn from the situations I have recently encountered. Thanks!
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