Carjacked!

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CleanSump

Site Donor 2022
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Botswana by the Bay
Well lit parking lot of busy store, busy intersection surrounded by well lit businesses with patrons coming and going in a decent neighborhood.
A guy who appears to be strung out pops from behind an SUV and points gun. Demands keys.
Hand over keys and call Police. Call wife and tell her I'm fine, her toy is gone.
Officers are nice. Detectives from newly formed carjacking squad come. They are nice, take report, have me wait a bit to see if they can catch the thief quickly.
After a while telling me sea stories about their time at Okinawa and MCAS Yuma, they decide to take me home.
I notify insurance.

Things to note:
No telling where or when it could happen. Never been accosted before in my life.
Don't argue with a meth'd-up guy with a pistol.
Police Officers in my county are nice guys.
Insurance people are polite, but ask questions like you're pulling a fraud on them. (have to give permission to pull phone records, insurance claims, search for court records against you, pull credit report, bank records, etc.) Not a problem for me as there is nothing there, but it's so obvious that SOP is to look for fraud. Insurance also wants receipt from store showing time, photos of car for existing damage, any service records from shops to prove condition and mileage, snapshot of phone call to 911 and wife. Geeze.
Get rental car.
Wait- for either Police to say they found it and insurance co to go retrieve it or for Insurance co to decide "X" days have passed and they will make a determination of value and pay.
I wanted the car, not to go looking for another one. But, Police tell me it is probably being sold for parts from a cheesy shop after 2 days.
Thankful that staying calm and complying led to no personal injury. Sometimes what seems like bad luck actually makes you appreciate how lucky and protected you are. Car can be replaced, and most important, no one got hurt.
 
Didn't carry on that day? I'm always watching people and my mirrors. Being in houston with a new escalade isn't fun.
 
I’m glad you’re OK. In the end, that’s all that matters.

While I’m a big proponent of carrying, I’m not certain that it would‘ve made any difference in this case. He had the drop on you. If you had reached, drawn and fired, he could very easily have shot you before you even got your gun out. Hard to know, but I wouldn’t engage in any self recrimination over this - you lost a car and nothing more.

I am thankful for that.

You should be, too.
 
At least you are safe. Cars can be replaced. Once it’s gone I’d rather it just never come back and get paid by the insurance company.

I worked fire and theft auto claims years ago and everything they asked you for is pretty standard. It is intrusive and I always felt bad for the legitimate theft claimants because the dirtbags that set their cars on fire or say it was stolen really make the process much longer.
 
I’m glad you’re OK. In the end, that’s all that matters.

While I’m a big proponent of carrying, I’m not certain that it would‘ve made any difference in this case. He had the drop on you. If you had reached, drawn and fired, he could very easily have shot you before you even got your gun out. Hard to know, but I wouldn’t engage in any self recrimination over this - you lost a car and nothing more.

I am thankful for that.

You should be, too.
problem is these days criminals ,even if you comply with them, often still shoot you . if someone is pointing a gun at me i am going to defend myself
If you carry, you have to realize there are no-shoot situations, even with armed assailants. My first rule of combat, is for my family and I to survive. Carluver, you weren't there, I was not there. But with your weapon holstered and hidden, facing an armed, weapon in hand attacker, the odds are against you.

Even if the attacker only has a knife, within about 21 feet, you are at a disadvantage if your weapon is not in your hand. You can be killed with an edged weapon with in 21 feet , before you can draw and shoot.

The OP survived so he made the right call.
 
Cleansump, you seem to have a good frame-of-mind about this. These kinds of intrusion into one's very personal life are extremely traumatic. Anyone suggesting to attempt to thwart the assailant has probably watched too many movies and are the types I am concerned about carrying guns.

I'm very glad you made the correct decision and are unharmed and alive. Your family and friends appreciate your decision too.
 
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