Had an unusal incident this morning

[Daniel964]

I was approching my workplace this morning about 4:10-4:15AM. As I was approching the parking lot at work I noticed a guy walking down the sidewalk by the lot.

Nothing unusal about this in that neighborhood. As I was turning into the lot I noticed he stopped and turned to watch me pull in. I started slowing down so I could keep a better watch on him and I noticed he stepped into the bushes by the lot to watch me. As I turned into a parking space he started walking toward me.

I could hear him saying something and waveing his left arm around. He had a bag in his right hand. I looked directly at him and made a pushing away motion whith my right hand as thats the direction he was coming from. He kept coming toward my car so I kept moveing and headed back out of the parking lot.

This all took less time than what seems like 20 seconds.

I went down the street about 3 blocks and pulled into a grocery store parking lot which was open at the time. I waited about 5 minutes debating on weather to call 911 or not. I decided to drive back by my work place and see if he was still around. If he was I Planned on calling 911 to report what was going on.

At the time this was occuring I didn't know if he was a bum that was going to ask for a handout. If he planned on mugging me or what the plan was. Thats why I left the area.

Is their anything I could have done better in this situation?
I usually try to be aware of my surrondings and check out the area before I get out of my car.

Also their was supposed to be a security guard in the lot at 4:00 AM but one never showed up till about 5:30 AM.

 

[JohnKSa]

Hard to say what was going on, but if you can avoid an undesired encounter easily, that's obviously the best approach.

3 worth blocks of gas and 5 minutes cost you NOTHING.

Calling 911 might be overkill, but if your gut tells you something's not right, it's worth paying attention and taking the kind of action you did.

 

[coma]

Hard to say what was going on, but if you can avoid an undesired encounter easily, that's obviously the best approach.

3 worth blocks of gas and 5 minutes cost you NOTHING.

Calling 911 might be overkill, but if your gut tells you something's not right, it's worth paying attention and taking the kind of action you did.

+1

 

[MrTwigg]

I'd have done the same thing.

I could hear him saying something and waveing his left arm around. He had a bag in his right hand.

Coulda been gun.
Coulda been a beer.
Coulda been a Mcmuffin.

+1 on leaving, next time call 911 anyway before a co-worker pulls in.

 

[chaim]

I used to work in a few workplaces where if we were the first to work we had to wait for a second person to show up. Then one was to go in while the other waited outside to be sure everything remained OK. We were also supposed to leave and call the police if anything looked off. But then, I was working in banks at the time.

Anyway, you never know what is on a person's mind. You never know when something might occur. I am certainly on higher alert to anyone out and about around 4am. I think you did just about right.

 

[Hikingman]

Street People

My experience on-going was mostly in Memphis in the 1980s-1990s, and now I live North of there where life is somewhat more predictable on the sidewalk.

There's more typical panhandlers (who often seemed to avoid me - in my 20s and 30s at that time, with average build and combed hair) and then there's folks that really (also) need to stay on their medication. My usual view is to not feel threatened if they are 10 feet away or more in passing (daytime), and to also keep one peripheral (eyeball) on their movement and not allow them to come up behind me. Calling 911 to report a suspected bad guy sounds like a plan.

 

[MudPuppy]

Sounds like you did good. Next time call 911. When in doubt, always call 911.