What would you do?

If it were me, I'd like to think that the story would have ended after "the guy took off". Instead of chasing, I'd jot down the license plate number, call the cops, and then drive to the nearest police station to file a report. No way am I chasing someone, and no way am I getting out of my car to confront some unknown lunatic face-to-face.

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Yes...I'd agree that this would be the sensible recourse...and not to follow and confront.


Around here, (Las Vegas) there are many fender-benders of 3rd World immigrants running into other people's Cars, then flee the scene in desperate panic, and have no insurance any way.

Chasing them to confront can be dangerous in many ways...including one's own liabiliy legally or civilly...and in my opinion, is not worth the risks.

I would be tempted to follow the hit and run driver, but the better choice would be to get the license plate number and call the police. Once your friend made the choice to chase him down, he's part of the fight.

I would have gotten the plate number and called the cops.

[11:47] friend: i said ***[11:47] friend: he headbutted me in the face and my nose is broken

sounds like your buddy got in the dudes face and learned a valuable lesson in range and distance.

Yep; plates, cops, insurance. The guy is a hit and run idiot to be sure, but chasing him for a fender bender - just not worth it.

What would you do?

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The next time this so-called "friend" offers to give you a ride somewhere, TAKE THE BUS!

Scott

I have to admit while it would be tempting to follow that vigilantism is not the answer. call cops, give description, plates.

I would add the possibility of using a cell phone to video the guy and license plate and damage to the vehicles, last thing would be to get into a confrontation, I might have once, but the repeated "thats a good way to die" from the many kind members here as help me curve my passions.

The video can be turned over to the cops and help in prosecuting the guy for hit and run.

I got rear ended myself. The guy took off. I followed to get plates. It was raining and hard to see. Police operator stayed on phone the whole time i followed. This guy's hood kept flying open when he got to 45mph. He stopped 3X to close it. I stayed with him until he finally stopped for good. He approached my truck, stopping just short of my front bumper and asked me what happened. His face covered in blood from impacting the windshield. I was armed and ready, but in hindsight should have got the tag and backed way off. result: He got ticketed, and I learned a few lessons...He could have pulled a gun....and I could have been shot.

I can sympathize with your friend's reaction to the encounter (I've done far, far dumber things), but be ready for the fight if you're going to do that sort of thing. A reasonable person would get the license plate number, call the police non-emergency number, and his insurance company. That's what I'm recommending.

I got a guy's plate once; and I immediately called the police. The plate turned out to be stolen; so it did me no good. Following someone like this can cause more trouble than it's worth. That's, 'Why' you should always have your own auto insurance.

Good ideas... get the plate number and call the cops. but I would add this one line of thinking... "don't do anything that you would not normally do if you did not have a gun and was outnumbered five to one"

Would your friend have pursued AND CONFRONTED the bad guy in the above situation?

by the way, since your friend had a gun....there is no such thing as "just a fist-fight" anymore. If a person carries 24/7, then there is always a gun present in any altercation. Any physical altercation will then have the potential of being a gun fight, considering that the bad guy may inadvertently gain possession of your friend's weapon.

by the way, since your friend had a gun....there is no such thing as "just a fist-fight" anymore. If a person carries 24/7, then there is always a gun present in any altercation.

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Was he carrying? If he was I completely concur w/ TheProf's quote above. I do always carry and do my best to avoid altercations.

Also, why was he texting you instead of dialing 3 numbers: 911? It sounds like he wanted to settle a score but bit off more than he could chew.

Being a CHL does not make you some kind of cop. Call them and let them do their jobs.

If you're carrying a weapon avoidance, at times, is the best policy.

Oh, and it sounds like your friend may need to take a self-defense seminar or two. As another poster said, he learned about one of the fighting ranges the hard way. At least it's a lesson he shouldn't forget!

A 'head-butt' should be another whole level of crime.
People see it on tv and the movies, thinking it's like a punch.
Way back, before it was ever on a movie screen, my TKD sensei told me in his broken english, something to the effect - "the damage is terrible" - referring to a properly executed head-butt.

Don't EVER let a person that close.
The potential damage borders on mayhem.

I think you are absolutely right. If you use deadly force, you must be able to convince a jury that you had no other choice. If your story includes the detail, "He took off and I chased him", they won't buy that.

People have to learn the 12 foot rule. Any closer then that its hard to react fast enough to not get hurt. If you let somebody get that close your in trouble if your not prepared.

Photograph license plate, call it in as a hit-and-run....DO NOT try to overtake, just follow until you are certain they are not simply trying to find a safe place to pull over.

I got into a vehicular incident earlier this week...some lady didn't realize there was a lane to her left , with me in it and proceeded to turn, which of course caused some bumper to bumper contact.

Well, at first I thought she was hit-and-running...so I took a camaraphone pic of her plate. Then about 5 blocks later, she pulls over in an area with a fair amount of people...it was at that time I realized it was a woman. Smart thinking on her behalf, since some people are honestly very aggressive when it comes to fender-benders. Well, we got it sorted out, I helped pop her bumper cover back into place, and we were off.

Thing is, expect an action, but don't do anything to exacerbate it. Just follow until it's obvious they aren't pulling over, document it all and be the first to call it in.

You should definitely pursue to get the license number and call the police. To do nothing would just solidify your place in the sissification of society. Us, as CCWers, have a responsibility to do something when evil is upon us. Im not saying we should shoot everybody who looks at us crosseyed and I am not saying that a hit and runner who is probably slung out on drugs is inherently evil but I am saying we have to do something even if that something escalates into a life and death situation.

That is the nature of doing something in the face of wrongdoing. Minding your own business and looking the other way allows evil men to prevail. I want to see a thief in the city do a pursesnatching on lady who is on her morning commute and then see the people in front of her clothesline the thief give him a few kicks to the ribs and return the purse to the lady.

That should be the social contract of our society. It will escalate in situations that are more dangerous but if we rely on the military or the police to fix things for us when the bullets start flying.

Taking action against the hit and runner was a good idea. It showed him and maybe society that he will not be a victim without retribution. The consequences of taking action was getting a broken nose and hopefully he still got the plate number. It will happen soon enough where society will not care about getting sued or insurance rates and will stand up to the criminals for what they are. They are miscreants of society and must be dealt with by society.

he should have followed, but not confronted.

What happened after the headbutt? Your friend should have called the police right then and filed charges.

Seattleimport said:

... If it were me, I'd like to think that the story would have ended after "the guy took off". Instead of chasing, I'd jot down the license plate number, call the cops, and then drive to the nearest police station to file a report. No way am I chasing someone, and no way am I getting out of my car to confront some unknown lunatic face-to-face...

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Agree completely.

The ONLY way I would have followed would be if he had hit/injured a person (not property) and run... and even then it would be at a safe distance, and on the phone with the police, not in any effort to catch nor confront. I'm not LEO and don't even play one on on TV.

Chasing down and confronting a hit and run driver is a good way to get killed. As others have said,license plate,cops and file insurance. The guy ran for a REASON. For all your friend knew the guy was fleeing a murder.

My brother in law had something like this happen years ago. My brother in law was a Army Ranger back then. This guy rear ended his car while talking on the phone. My brother got out of his car and then walked up to the guy calmly. No one was hurt but his car was totaled. My brother in law ask if the guy was ok. The guy gave him a funny look and no response. He then ask the guy if he had insurance. The guy turn around and sucker punched him, he shouted here my insurance. Now my brother in law is stuck defending his self. The police pull up as my brother inlaw is now in control of the situation and is getting some licks in of his own. The police towed both cars and took my brother inlaw to jail. My brother inlaw suffer a broken nose from this sucker punch.

A month later they went to court and the judge drop the case. This guy knew someone in the court and the judge didn't want to hear it. After court this guy started making threats to my brother inlaw. My brother inlaw had enough. The phones calls started and the guy kept making threats. One day we were driving around and quest who pulled up in front of us. Yea thats right ! this dummy did. We both ran up to his car and dragged him out of it. We gave him a nice beating right in front of everyone. My brother in law felt a lot better after that. No more phone calls after that.

My brother inlaw was never paid for the damage on his car. Thank god he had good insurance. The point about keeping your distance from a stranger is a good one. You just never know.

I would not "chase" the car/driver, but I definitely would follow them while on the phone to police. I doubt I could get the plate number when they 'took off', much less an adequate description of the vehicle and driver while it shrinks into the distance.

Follow for good descriptive info, yes. Chase to confront, no.

Never get out of the car in this situation.

mr slow ,just suppose the guy you and your b-i-l dragged from his car and gave a "nice" beating to "in front of everyone" was the wrong guy? What then?