Anyone Have Any Strange Knocks on their door?

[Auburn1992]

I remember when I was really young, before I started getting into shooting, I heard a knock in the middle of the night on the front door. I didn't do anything due to me being little. It all turned out it was my aunt coming to get some of her stuff.

Looking back on it, I was wondering how I'd handle it differently. At this age, I think I would grab my Baby Eagle and wait to see if the knocking persists. If so I'd ask who it is, then (if no answer) I'd probably tell them I am armed and wait to see what they do. If all fails I'd probably call the cops .

Anyone have any interesting "knock in the middle of the night" stories? If not, how would you handle one?

 

[BruceRDucer]

one hot summer night

/

One hot summer night, about 14 years ago, I thought I heard something at the door.

[Having forgotten to lock it before bed]

Sure enough, some drunk guy had opened the door and come right on in. But by the time I had gotten up...he had laid down on the front porch. I urged him to move along, but I think this is why people don't give me awards for intelligence.

Another time, some er....man from another country (shall we say?) was discovered in my backyard going through the sheds. We later discovered he had stolen a 400.00 paint sprayer and who knows what else.

I wasn't inclined to pull weapons though, figuring anyone stupid enough to steal isn't worth throwing down on. I didn't report it to the police either. This renter lived directly behind me. But then, he never came into my yard again. If he had, he wouldn't have ...er....something ....something.....been very happy?

 

[VegasOPM]

About a year ago I heard a knock on the door at 3am... it was the cops telling me that there was someone knocking on doors in the neighborhood. Their point was that someone was seeing if anyone was home to decide which house to break into, but I started giggling when they told me that. They figured it out when I said "you mean other than you two?".

 

[doc540]

1am...knock on the front door, but no doorbell ring

came downstairs "fully dressed"

peeked out the window onto the porch light illuminated front porch

some drunk cowboy I didn't recognize...pickup by the curb

I quickly realized he was looking for the hot, cougar living next door. I quickly called her with a warning that he was going to get himself SHOT by someone not as considerate as me.

He did it one more time, but I called 911 immediately. He was literally "falling down" drunk and drove off at about 20 mph. Cops arrived a few minutes later and I did the proverbial point and "he went THAT'A'WAY!".

 

[exoduster18]

Late Night knocks? If that happens, it's usually family. My place is all lit up at night around the perimeter. So, I have the ability to identify before opening the doors, but generally (due to both of my doors having peep holes) I take my 870 with me. It is never held in a threatening fashion nor is it ever visible to a person outside.

If it is someone that I recognize as peaceful, I welcome them in. If I don't recognize them at all, then they are told to get gone.....If they refuse, 911 is being dialed, (either that, or the State Police Barracks, as it only about two miles up the road.)

 

[rcnixon]

I can remember being awakened several times by someone banging hard on the side of the house once or twice. I believe that it was someone "casing the joint" to see if lights came on or a dog barked. This has happened at four houses in three states. Lights came on. Now, the dog will bark but it hasn't happened since she moved in.

 

[buck00]

I remember running down a quiet suburb street at 11 pm, ringing almost every doorbell. Then I watched several of the occupants come out perplexed and cranky.

Oh wait I was 12 years old and it was right around Halloween.

(glad no one shot me)

 

[Jeff F]

About 3 am some really loud banging on the door. I get up and turn on the porch light and hear sheriff's deputes. I open the door and they tell me that the gate was open and our cows were out on Jackson hwy. I tell them to give me a couple minutes and I'll saddle up a horse and get right on it. They say oh you don't have to do that, we got them all back in the yard all 15 of them and closed the gate for you. I say 15, are you sure there were 15. They say yep 15 we counted them twice, why are some missing. I tell them nope none are missing but I only have 14 cows. Go out and check and find my 14 cows and one neighbors bull. He must have got excited and pushed through the fence when the cows wandered by.

 

[yesit'sloaded]

One of my sister's not so bright boyfriends came knocking at 1 am thinking that because parents were not home that it was cool. He forgot about big brother home from college. He left quickly.

 

[loneviking]

Yep, about 3 weeks ago at 3 a.m. Wife and I thought it was one of our kids teenage friends that was expected for the night and was running late. I had to go to the bathroom so wife went to the door. We live waaaaay out in the country at the end of a good half mile of dirt road with BLM behind us. Somebody was hiding just off the porch and then ran. I zipped up about the time she started hollering for me. I grabbed the .357 , ran downstairs and turned Lady Bird (our Doberman) loose and followed her on out. We didn't catch him as he had too big a lead. But, I doubt whoever the jackass was will try that again! Around my house, trespassers will be eaten and survivors will be shot.

 

[MedWheeler]

Two similar incidents, about three years apart (and at different houses, as we had moved in the interim). First time was a lone male subject knocking at door about 8PM, with an unoccupied car parked in the street. Answered with pistol behind me; subject stated must have wrong house when he saw my face. He did not see the weapon. He was of a different race than I am of, and that may have been what clued him in (if his intentions were not malicious.)
Second incident: vehicle with four subjects of different race than I am of (two males, one female, and one undetermined) pulled into drive. Outer storm door (glass) was closed, inner door open. Driver only started to get out, and I appeared in storm door, pistol held alongside my leg, most likely visible. This was around 10PM. Driver advised probably had wrong house, saying friends had recently moved onto this street. This could have well been true, as the real estate market was hopping then, and at least one household of members of his race had recently moved in. I pointed that house out, and they left, stopping near it.
Third incident, about two months ago, around 3PM. Doorbell rang. Wife was out, and I was changing to "work" clothes to go outside to cut grass. Had left the glass storm door unlocked. Came out of room to find a very attractive young female, about 18-20 years of age, had entered house, calling out "anyone here?" and "is Tara here?". She was from out of the area, coming to "Tara's" house for a party, and had only been given directions that included "look for my car" by "Tara". Tara, the daughter of one of my neighbors, had apparently failed to remember that I live across from and three houses west of her, and have the same vehicle (year, make, model, and color.) I pointed the very-embarrassed young lady in the right direction.

 

[.cheese.]

yes. Somebody was banging on my apartment door at 2 AM or something a few years ago.

I got my gun and just stayed inside. I knew it was nobody I knew.

After a while he/she gave up and left.

btw - I called the cops, but I don't think they came in time.

 

[Regolith]

Couple of years ago someone came knocking at the door around 2 or 3 AM. Being a college student, I was still awake. I didn't have any firearms at the time, but I did have a rather large knife, so I grabbed that and concealed it behind my arm and answered the door. Turns out the guy was looking for the people in the apartment next door.

Life in a college town, I guess. I thought perhaps I was overreacting a bit, until just a couple of months ago some nut job broke into a woman's apartment less than a mile away and stabbed her in the head, then went to another guy's apartment (who happened to be in the same geography class as me) and confessed to the stabbing. He reacted by grabbing his shotgun and holding the guy until the police could arrive.

If the nut job had been intent on killing him instead of turning himself in, my classmate would have not had enough time to grab his gun.

 

[Treo]

About a year ago a guy showed up on my porch at about 9 P.M.. Said he was the paper carrier for our nieghborhood & wanted to give us a free paper so we'd subscribe. Only problem was he didn't have any papers W/him. That's when I decided not to answer the door for strangers.

 

[Myles]

Three times, well after 1am, and I've answered armed each time.

Once a fellow with his family was out of gas. Gave him a gallon of lawn-mower gas.

Another time a man was stealing fence posts stacked at a back corner of my property. He desisted and left, rapidly.

There had been an auto accident on the steep mountain road below; a passerby had no phone and stopped for help. The car, driven by an elderly couple, was perched right on the edge of the road, ready to fall. Called 911 and hooked up a tow strap to pull them up onto the shoulder. Set out road flares until a trooper arrived.

Of course I answered my own door. I felt that it was a good thing, each time, as well.

 

[oldfart]

Several years ago I had a lady and three kids living next door. The lady was always fighting/arguing with her older daughter and on one night the daughter decided to come stay with my daughter to avoid an altercation. The lady called the police, telling them her daughter had "run away" and that I was harboring her. It was winter time and we weren' using the front door so at about 1:30 am I got a knock on the back door. Not knowing who it was, I held a pistol behind my leg until I got the door open. When I saw it was a police officer I laid the pistol on top of the refrigerator while we had a conversation. In the end, the kids slept through the whole thing and the officer didn't freak out over the gun. Pretty good outcome, I'd say.

 

[ilbob]

not a knock, but a doorbell ringing.

about 20 years ago, early one morning the doorbell rings. maybe 3am. i get up, get dressed and take a look out the den window and see a cop car in my driveway. i go to front door and look out window, is cop standing there.

i open door. he is there to ask if i knew anything about the building next door being on fire. sure enough, is half a dozen fire engines out by the street and a bunch of firemen putting out the last of the fire.

most amazing thing to me - neither I nor either of the beagles had a clue there was a fire next door, or there were a bunch of fire trucks there.

 

[grilledcheese]

Oh boy, I've got a unique one...

I rented a small apartment many years ago. Good neighborhood, decent rent. I've always kept a sidearm handy, even though I've never really expected to to have to use it. Three in the morning I wake up to what sounds like someone slamming against my front door. Turns out, it was. My landlord and his boyfriend were having a "spat" and were beating the snot out of each other up and down the alleyway outside. From the hollering and yelling I immediately figured out what was going on, and didn't feel the necessity to arm myself. I thought about calling the cops, but decided to let the two of them work it out as long as neither seriously injured the other.
Turns out the boyfriend had a squeeze on the side, and the throw-down was my landlord's way of breaking up.

Just when you think you've seen it all...



Jeffrey

 

[YankeeRebel]

My mother moved in with my wife & myself after my father died in 1989. In early 1991 my father-in-law died and my wife was already there with him. I left and joined her there in Columbia, SC. One morning I called Mom from Columbia and discovered that she had an occurance of that 0130 ringing of the door bell. Trusting sole she was, Mom went and opened the door. Mom was not exactly alone as her part German Shepard and our Chocolat Lab was also there for protection. She got rid of him; however, he came back. This time she called 911 and our city police rapidly responded. The cops knew this guy. It seems as if the night before he was on his way to his AA meeting and stopped off for a quick one which turned into more than one. Mom told one of the cops that she was fearful that her dog was going to go through the storm door and take apart this guy. The cop told her that that was what this guy needed to straighten him out.

Sometime after both my wife and mother passed away, I had that 0300 door bell ring. This time I responded with protection, and proteciton wasn't the dog. I know that some of those that pull this kind of thing will post one of their accomplus on either side of the door out of your sight. So this was was on my mind as I responded. There was just one person and he was standing in the yard. He said that his car broke down and he needed to make a call. I told him to stay there and I went inside and called 911. Again our local city cops rapidly responded, with two cars. It seems this person was drunk and an illegal alien. My city is one of those sanctuary cities, although they will not admitt it. The cops took him off and for me that ended that. Having decided that this presented no potential harm, my proteciton was in the house when the cops arrived. I did not want to present them with an altercation possibility.

My brother-in-law is a retired LEO and chewed out my behind in that I should have called the cops before I opened the door. He said to let them handle it. Just something to consider.

 

[Guns and more]

That reminded me of an incident 30 yrs ago. My girlfriend and I were snuggled up at her house, when someone knocked on the back door. They asked for "Ralph" or someone who didn't live there. It was odd they came to the back door, but we forgot about it and left for the day. When we came back, her home had been robbed, TV and jewelry gone. I think the knock was to see if anyone was home and get a peek inside. Now I'm not so friendly to strangers at the door.

 

[Zach S]

It happened in suburbia a time or two. Usually a neighbor, and they announced themselves when knocking because they knew me.

Family will call if they need to come out here late. As a general rule, if its after dark, we call first.

Although none of them knocked, I do have some short, boring, stories about strangers around my house late at night, most involve someone "testing" the doors to see if they're locked or looking in windows. Used to happen every three to four months. Most moved on without persuasion, a few needed some visual persuasion, and it came to a halt when I hung a target up in my window....

 

[Library Guy]

My, what knockers...

Gosh, this used to happen all the time when I lived in a row house in Baltimore.

Once it was a drunk and when I didn’t open up he decided to nap on my porch. His daughter (About 15 years old and a little shaky herself) got there to lead him home before the police arrived.

Usually the late night knocks were people looking for the drug dealer who lived two doors down. Most of the time they went away when the voice of an enraged white guy seeped through the door.

Once the knocker would not go away until I went into full metal R Lee Ermy mode: Get off of my porch! Get the bleep off of my bleeping porch now or I will bleep your bleeping guts out with my bare bleeping bleeps!

What they never saw or heard from was Mr Mossberg. But he was there just in case.

And no, I don’t miss living in Baltimore.

 

[PATH]

No knocks except during the day and usually religious folks of some sort or another. I did have the cops come into my backyard at night without announcing themselves. The dog was going beserk. It seems they were checking out reports of a woman screaming.

THere I am standing near my back door with a P99 at my side while this young officer is wandering about with his flashlight and making more noise than a trash truck picking up a 5 AM! Scared the heck out of me.

Otherwise I have lived an uneventful life so far!

 

[highfive]

Yes about three months ago.. I got a knock on my door around midnight...grab my gun, my wife called the cops and I went to check it out. Got to the door there they were, 2 cops asking if we have seen anything that night that apparently some teenagers, kicked in somebody's door in and did it in like 2 houses. Right there when i was telling them no problems and that I haven't seen anything another patrol car showed up. Checking on my wife's call...lol i called the cops to check on cops lol

 

[Len S]

Whoever named the streets in my town is a "genius" for the sake of privacy on the forum say one is named lakefront, then riverfront, then lakeside. Al three have a cul de sac in the same number zone. So I have had process servers,police, pizza delivery, and chinese delivery. THis can happen anytime the latest so far was a pizza delivery at 0200 on a sat morning. Nothing bad has happened and I am probably getting complacent.


Len