Was something bad about to happen or am I just paranoid??

[Donnie]

Last week the family and I went on vacation. Everything went well while we were there in St. George Island Florida. On the way back something happened that was unusual. It was about 10pm on a lonely stretch of road between Tallahassee and I-75. A car came up behind me and started flashing it's lights at me. I ignored it but it kept doing it. I had alot of stuff in the back of the truck like beach chairs, umbrellas, coolers, etc. and thought that something might have blown out. I pulled over, hit the cargo light, and hopped out. My shirt came up over my gun while I quickly got out of the vehicle and stayed behind it exposing my pistol. There was a guy already at the back of the truck when I got there. He was coming right at me fairly quickly. I took up a bladed stance and told him to stop and what was the problem. He kept coming and I told him to stop once again and put my hand on my pistol. He then stopped and staired at me for a second. I asked him what he wanted and he hesitated and stumbled over his words for a second or two and then asked me how to get to the interstate. At this time I saw the drivers door and one of the rear passenger doors of the car open up. This guy turned around and put up his hand to his friends and shook his head at them. I told him to keep following this road and he'd find the interstate. He turned around and ran back to the car and they took off like a bat out of hell. I didn't get their plate number, but noticed that they had Florida tags on the car. When I got back in the truck, my wife was sitting there with her gun in her hand. She had been watching the whole thing and got a bad vibe about it. The car sped off and I couldn't keep track of it. I mean, why would someone from Florida pull someone over with out of state tags and ask THEM for directions after acting suspecious. There were plenty of signs directing people towards the interstate and gas stations every few miles. My wife got an uneasy feeling watching from the truck and pulled her gun. If something bad was going to happen, they weren't going to get to her or the kids without a good fight.

[TGO David]

I think you handled it properly... and yeah, reading that it makes me think something wrong was about to go down had you not been visibly armed. Congrats on living to tell about it!

[saintsfanbrian]

Donnie,

This was a very bad situation about to happen that was averted by an armed citizen. Congrats on living to tell the tale, and I am glad that your wife is also prepared to defend her self. Will she talk to my wife about getting her permit?

[Guest Hyaloid]

Sounds like another use of a firearm to prevent a crime, that will never show up in statistics.

Well done, by you AND your wife.

[Marswolf]

I'd call the sheriff's office down there and tell them what happened. They probably have a good idea who it is and might act with a reasonable car description and one of the perp. It's not unusual for out of state cars to get stopped by thugs. Happened to my brother many years ago in North or South Carolina. He had a gun with him and the BGs got back in their car and left.

[Guest Fuel]

Wow. Scary stuff there.

I vacationed on St. George a few years ago. There's a whole lot of nothing down that way. I didn't know there was an area that untouched left in Florida.

[molonlabetn]

Glad you all made it home safely. I shudder to think what may have happened if those thugs had stopped someone less prepared than your family.

I second the suggestion to contact the authorities in that area, even if they can't track down those specific individuals, they need to know that is going on, so they can watch for it. That didn't sound like a one-time incident for them.

Florida needs open-carry!

[Donnie]

I'll probably call the Sheriff's office down there later on in the day. I didn't think to do that. It might help someone else out.

[shaftbass]

Well played.

I wouldn't have pulled over, though. I think I would have called 911 and let them know where I was and that there was a car flashing at me, trying to get me to pull over. Have them send a car out and pull the guy over to see what was wrong, pull over a little ways up, and find out what they wanted that way.

[Guest c.a.s.]

Good job. I can't believe that he atually kept walking toward you while you had your pistol VISIBLE and even a little bit after you put your hand on it...

Similiar story about idiots not stopping, When mom was little, my great-aunt was sick. Mom had to take care fo her while waiting for my great0uncle to get back from somewhere. Some people were drinking at the bridge donw the road, and one of them's truck broke down while trying to leave (drunk driving no less...). He decided to go pay my great-uncle a visit, though to him it was just a random house out in the middle of nowhere. He walked up (through three "posted" signs and a very long, uphill walk) and started bangin' on the door, saying he "knew the guy who lives here" (*no name*) She did the right thing and of course grabbed a pistol, warned him, and called my better-armed grandfather to come down. He got there and stepped out of his truck (or SUV, at that time), gun already in hand. Okay, the drive way goes right next to the porch, and the door is right next to the steps up the porch. It was a really old break-open shotgun. He put a shel in it and clossed it, with the usual click and another for pulling the hammer back. He told the guy to leave, and this idiot started walking towards him. He told him once more and shouldered the weapon to prove his point. The guy stopped, blinked a couple times, adn it got through the drunkeness that he was walking toward a loaded shotgun aimed at his chest at nearly point-blank range. He left, and we haven't seen him since.

[Guest Phantom6]

Its been a little while since I took the family down to that area for a vacation and I hoped that it may have changed by now but it seemed to me like it took a loooooong time to get from St. George's Island and Appalachacola back out to the interstate. Sounds to me like you missed being a FDLE statistic by using your brains and trusting your gut instincts. Congrats. You live to pay taxes again next year and that is definately a good thing (except the taxes part, of course ).

[jgrauman]

i'm truely glad to see that you and your family weren't the cover story of the national news. after reading this i immediately called my buddy who is driving to richmond va from ktown this weekend. his wife is on the ropes about him getting his permit so i wanted him to share your story with her. I will share your story with everyone who is not armed and should be. Glad you and yours are safe.

[Guest jackdog]

Glad you and the family, are all in good health.

[Mike.357]

I am glad you are safe and it ended up really being a non-incident.

One thing that concerns me is if the man would have kept coming. How close would you have allowed him to get before you pulled your weapon, and also if you had shot how would you have proved imminent fear for your life.

This whole having a gun for protection is a dangerous double edged sword. By this I mean he could have just been an idiot, on drugs and or drunk and not meaning any harm. Or of course he may have intended great harm. Did you see any sign of a weapon, or was he a physically massive person? Did he act in a threatening manner?

You mentioned that there are gas stations every couple of miles. I might have been inclined to continue on to one of these lighted areas while dialing 911. Just another option rather than pulling over on a dark part of the road.

You did good though as nothing happened. It easy for me or anyone else to offer advice while in the relative safety of our computer desks.

I hope if I am ever in a similar situation I can think clearly or act bravely with restraint like you did. I have no doubt there may be some people who would have shot. You are to be congratulated.

[fury2neon]

Glad your OK donnie

I thought Florida had open carry? I know Florida was the first state with the Castle Doctrine and it has a lower threshold to pass before a civilian has the right to use deadly force. I don't remember the exact wording but it puts your right to defend yourself ahead of someone else's right to "get-into" your personal space.

[Marswolf]

I thought Florida had open carry?

Florida does have open carry without a permit - but not while in a car.

Go to http://www.opencarry.org/ and click on Florida.

[Guest GlocKingTN]

Glad everyone is OK! Had it been me, I probably wouldn't have pulled over. At least until I had got to a lighted gas station or something that was lit!

I had a friend who pulled out in front of a car a few months ago, and the guy in the car flashed a badge at him, while motioning him to pull over! My friend didnt pull over until he was in front of the local police station. And of course he couldn't read the badge at 65 mph on a 4 lane road. That is why he waited until he got to the police station. The only reason for him pulling over then, was that the guy showing the badge, was actually an off duty LEO. The off duty officer called the local sherriffs office and had them set up a road block to stop my friend. That is the only reason he stopped when he did. It also didnt help that my friend was in a 18-wheeler when this occured. The off duty officer thought he was running, but of course he wasn't. He had no idea who this guy was flashing the badge. As you well know, you can get a badge at alot of places. Anywho, they got him pulled over, arrested him, and off to the pokey he went. But was bailed out that afternoon. I havent heard what the outcome of court was yet.

Point being, you never know who your dealing with on the highways, especially these days!

So, glad everything worked out for you and yours!

[Guest Hyaloid]

God bless cell phones... in a situation like ththe one GlocKingTN outlines, perhaps a call to 911 to explain the situation while driving to a station would save some court fees.

I've never been in a situation like that, your mind probably goes through a million things, and could easily forget something simple like that.

[Marswolf]

In our area, we have had some problems with people trying, and sometimes succeeding, in pulling over motorists by impersonating officers. We had one rape not too long ago in Hawkins county that happened that way.

Here is another incident.

Fake police officer tries to pull over Jonesborough woman motorist

Published 05/18/2007 By KRISTEN SWING

Carl Joseph Robinson faces a variety of charges and is scheduled to appear today in Sessions Court. His car was painted black and had flashing lights in the window.

Dave Boyd photo.

_______

A Jonesborough woman was safe Thursday, thanks to her keen eye, after a man posing as a police officer attempted to pull her over.

Debbie Morris, 47, was driving east on Sugar Hollow Road around 7:15 a.m. Thursday when she came up behind a black Ford Crown Victoria traveling at a slow pace. Morris passed the vehicle and as she pulled in front of it, the driver, Carl Joseph Robinson, 48, turned on flashing lights as if he were a police officer traveling in an unmarked car.

Morris noticed the vehicle had Florida tags and no blue lights so she decided not to pull over for Robinson. Instead, Morris called 911 and dispatchers told her no officer from the area was trying to stop her and they were sending out the real police to investigate.

But Robinson quickly disappeared.

“He had a 800 megahertz scanner programmed with all the local police frequencies in the car,†said Washington County Sheriff’s Office Investigator William Gregg. “He heard them dispatch his vehicle information over the scanner and got scared so he drove away.â€

A short time later, a Jonesborough police officer spotted the car and stopped the vehicle. WCSO authorities arrived on scene and arrested Robinson after discovering the scanner, strobe lights, other police lights, a CB radio, an emergency equipment control box and a copy of police 10-codes inside his automobile.

“It looked just like an unmarked police car, except it had no blue lights. His were all clear,†Gregg said. “He said he bought it at an auction in Florida. He bought the lights and the control panel and installed all that himself.â€

According to reports, Robinson, 119 Jasper Edwards Road, Jonesborough, had the vehicle painted black in February.

“I think he had it painted because he had done this before when it was white and he knew we were looking for that vehicle,†Gregg said. “We notified Johnson City police because they had a couple reports a while back about a white car trying to stop people.†Authorities say fake police make it that much harder for real officers to do their job. “It makes people hesitate when any unmarked car tries to pull them over,†said Gregg, who commended Morris for her quick thinking Thursday. “If you have any doubt, you should call 911 and ask dispatchers.â€

Robinson allegedly admitted to police he tried to pull over Morris because he was mad she had passed him.

He was charged with criminal impersonation of a police officer, light law violations, reckless endangerment and felony evading arrest. He was being held in the Washington County Detention Center on $7,000 bond and was scheduled to appear in Sessions Court today.

Meanwhile, another man was arrested Thursday after he allegedly impersonated a police officer while passing a forged check this week.

Johnson City police arrested Charles Robert Smith, 3406 W. Walnut St., on warrants charging him with forgery, theft under $500 and criminal impersonation.

On Wednesday, Smith allegedly identified himself as a police officer to a clerk at Quick Stop Market, 1501 W. State of Franklin Road, where he then passed a forged check. Smith was being held in the WCDC on $3,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Sessions Court Monday.

[Guest GlocKingTN]

I feel that those things mentioned above, were his exact reasons for not pulling over until he felt it was safe. No matter what the guy in the car done!