I'd like to believe this incident actually occured

[DontBurnMyFlag]

for all intensive purposes, I want to believe what this guy told me was true. Its a home invasion type story that ended up with the good guys winning. Anyway, I met this guy last night and we start talking guns of course. He starts telling me about this incident that occured in his apartment complex, and since I first met him, I dont exactly know what to think, but it raises some interesting questions.

He says that he and his girlfriend are sleeping one night when he hears a crash in the backyard. He gets up and looks out the window to see a bunch of guys hanging out by his shed. He thinks they are going to steal his motorcycle or burglarize the shed, so he grabs his Rem 870. He then overhears one of the guys talking about "going in." And he can only assume they mean his house/apartment. So he ups and grabs his baby son and actually puts him in the gun locker. He doesnt close the door or trap him in, but hides him in an armored little bunker. He tells his girl to stay put and then he goes outside. He said he dialed the police and stated "Im the only white guy with a shotgun, dont shoot me!!" All the while the dispatcher is telling him not to do anything. So he creeps around his house with his shotgun and sees a few guys looking in the windows trying to see whos home. Well he then turns the corner and shouts the following "ITS GO TIME" and racks the slide. Holds the guys at gun point on the ground for the police to show up. End of story, everyone goes home safe, no charges for the homeowner or anything.

The questions that I raised were:

Do you go outside to confront the threat? Or do you remain indoors and wait it out?

Surely you have the advantage by lying in wait. You have the tactical and legal advantage.

However, what if you dont know if they are going to send guys in from the front and back doors? What if you feel they might reach your son or wife before you can get to the intruders, due to the fact they came from different entrances?

What would you do?

The most important question I can think of, is: Did he really yell "Its go time!" ? lol

 

[Kentak]

While your purposes for wanting to believe the incident might be intensive, the phrase you wanted is for all "intents and purposes."

Anyway, if the story is true, and it turned out well, that's great. I'm more of the opinion he should have stayed on the phone with the cops and made ready to defend against a breach of the home. Nothing wrong with yelling out the window something like, "Time to go home, the cops are on the way and I've got more shotgun shells then there are you." Turn on the yard lights. Crank the stereo full blast to draw attention. Chances are the miscreants would make scarce.

Suppose the yard intruders had called his bluff and made a move. Perhaps he has to shoot someone. Now he's used deadly force after leaving the safety of his home and initiated a confrontation. Or, he could have been blind-sided and neutralize. Now, who's going to defend the wife and kid?

Better to stay behind locked doors and call the cops.

If this kind of thing is a common occurrence, it's time to move.

K

 

[RoadkingLarry]

Depends on where he was. My opinion the best idea would have been to bunker down and protect the wife/SO and kids and stay on the phone till cops show up. Home alone is a whole 'nuther story.

 

[Clyde Nocar]

Bar talk is cheap. IMO he should have stayed inside.

 

[LarryS.]

RoadkingLarry...
Perhaps I'm wrong but I've never heard "bunker down" ???
Isn't it usually "hunker down" ???

I, too, would recommend staying inside especially with family present.

 

[lamazza]

^^Absolutely. I would never go outside in that situation.

 

[Deacon Blues]

Going outside was not a very smart move; if he had actually shot any of the intruders, the court may not have looked favorably on him for that. It's also hard to protect your family when you're not with them. If the story is true, then the guy was lucky that things worked out as they did.

I wonder what would've happened if he suddenly got attacked by a bunch of white guys with shotguns?

 

[Mavrick12]

Yeah He shoulda stayed with his family. Hard for him to defend something thats 10 yards away and behind walls.

If he said "ITS GO TIME" and the story is true, thats the funniest thing EVER.

 

[Leeroy697]

I think because of what he said its suspect but if it was me I would definatly stay inside. You dont know if someone is already around front as you confront then and he is a half step away from your kid/wife while your holding these guys at gunpoint outside. Could end up real bad.

 

[dralarms]

Stay in side and protect your family, If the dopes steal your cycle it can be replaced. Nothing I have on the outside of my home is worth my life or my family's lives.

Does NJ have the castle doctrine? if not he would be SOL if he did shoot someone outside of his home.

Shoot they (the cops) even charged a guy here in TN with assault on a police officer because they were beating on his house and woke him up from a sleep and he thought he was in danger so he armed himself (just as soon as they identified themselves the disarmed).

Right now he has real problems unless he can find a good lawyer.

 

[DontBurnMyFlag]

Well dralarms, the incident occured in PA, so Im unaware of their laws. However NJ has no castle doctrine to my knowledge and exiting the house to engage or confront those guys would definately land you some jail time without an amazing lawyer.

Im sure some of his story was exaggerated, but I still find no reason for leaving the house. I was merely playing devils advocate with questioning it. However, I personally would stay inside.

"its go time!" has now made it into my regular rotation of phrases. Now I only have to find the right situation... haha

 

[Pax Jordana]

In -my- version of this particular fairy tale, the protagonist grabs the baby and sticks him in the bed, where the wife proceeds to do by instinct exactly what she's supposed to (i.e. shut the dern thing up and keep 'im warm and safe!)

Then he calls the cops and turns on the yard lights. After that, and with the cops on the line, he yells out to the fellas by the shed that he's awake and got cavalry comin'.


Then if they *do* go in, he's got a pair of sawed off Remington 1100's, and he's covered in olive oil and wearing a loin cloth. Freakin.. conan the barbarian style. Boss.

And he yells it's go time right before he opens up!!

And the bad guys aren't bad guys, they're secretly witches. And he's a warrior prince. OK, somehow, the moral will be "good guys stay in their houses, where it's a darnsight harder to be ambushed."

 

[Deacon Blues]

If you're going to yell something at the intruder, make it a useful diversion. "It's go time" might do it, but you want to be sure to confuse them and put them out of step. E.G., if they hear "they can take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom," they will instinctively try to recall when and where they've heard it before (Braveheart). All that time watching movies pays off for you; for the bad guys, not so much.

As for me, if I ever find it to be of tactical advantage, I'll howl "tonight we dine in Hell!!!"

 

[DontBurnMyFlag]

I believe there should be a thread completely devoted to "things to yell at bad guys."

"this is my boomstick" comes to mind. etc etc

 

[TonyB]

top 10 things to yell at the bag guys:
10)say hello to my little friend...
9)me and my 2 friends..smith and wesson aren't gonna let you just walk out of here
8)let's dance M....F....
7)that's not a knife..this is a knife....
6)onlya moron would bring a knife to a gun fight
5)do you feel lucky punk?
4)EAT THIS
3)make my day
2)stop in the name of love
1)it's go time(bound to be a THR classic)

 

[glockman19]

Bar talk is cheap. IMO he should have stayed inside.

+1

 

[xsquidgator]

top 10 things to yell at the bag guys:
10)say hello to my little friend...
9)me and my 2 friends..smith and wesson aren't gonna let you just walk out of here
8)let's dance M....F....
7)that's not a knife..this is a knife....
6)onlya moron would bring a knife to a gun fight
5)do you feel lucky punk?
4)EAT THIS
3)make my day
2)stop in the name of love
1)it's go time(bound to be a THR classic)

Number 10 1/2: "Yippee kai-yay you *&$##@*!!"

 

[MrPeter]

7)that's not a knife..this is a knife....

You spelled it wrong; it should be, "That's not a knoife..this is a knoife!"

 

[Pax Jordana]

I believe there should be a thread completely devoted to "things to yell at bad guys."

Edit-- I dunno where it would be appropriate to put a thread like that.

1-800 dial-a-mod, please hold...

Edit to my edit: New thread in strat/tactics. See here: click

 

[Fred Fuller]

I'd as soon not see this thread veer off into some sort of bad Hollywood scriptwriting seminar/favorite movie hero monologue recitation, so please leave go of the current trend in that direction.

Verbal communications in times of severe stress tend to be short, loud and not terribly subtle. If you are going to practice lines for use in such a confrontation, I suggest you stick to something very much to the point:

STOP!
BACK OFF!
DROP YOUR WEAPON OR I WILL SHOOT YOU!
DO IT NOW!

I have heard various instructors suggest using 'street language' in such communications in order to perhaps get the point across in words with which an assailant might be more conversant. If you can use such language forcefully and in proper context without making the situation more volatile, it might be an option. But IMHO the focus should be on simple, short words or phrases that get the message across clearly.

lpl/nc

 

[Duncan223]

While Florida does have the so-called "castle doctrine" I'm not sure I would feel comfortable leaving the house to chase down a bad guy, for several reasons.

Nevertheless, If the story is true, then I hope the homeowner comes out on the right side of the law.

 

[strambo]

From a legal perspective...and usually, a tactical one, staying inside is usually best. There are no blanket "always" answers though.

There is something to be said for taking the fight to the enemy on your terms, while they are all in one place and in planning mode. Complete surprise, high likelyhood of breaking their will before it starts. I don't know how many "a bunch" is, but a bunch of armed men in your home doing things on their terms isn't good. And if "a bunch" rush into the bedroom, things will get interesting, shotgun or not.

Of course, I'm not advocating going out to confront people either, just saying there are plusses and minuses to every course of action. There is no, always right or always wrong way.

STOP!
BACK OFF!
DROP YOUR WEAPON OR I WILL SHOOT YOU!
DO IT NOW!

Saying what Lee suggested above from inside with good visibility on them and adding that the police are on the way would probably be best. Still confronts them on your terms with surprise, you don't leave the house/cover or your family.

 

[telkontar]

"It's go time!" may have been self-motivating or an attempt to convey the idea that he was not alone. From my own home, I'd should "Freeze! Or we'll shoot!" I'd have ths shotgun and the wife bunkered or hunkered down with the .357 with the kids in the closet. BG don't need to know I'm alone. (Of course, I'm less than a mile down the road from the police station, so response would be near immediate unless there were another call.)
Probably best to stay inside, of course, but there may have been reasons to keep them outside and away from the family.

 

[Sir Aardvark]

He should never have went outside.

He just put himself in a position where he might have have to shoot somebody for the simple fact that they were only trespassing in his yard.