MrRoboto

Ha, good call. So am I that transparent that even my weirdness seeps into my posts?

You know, I never in a million years would consider myself material worthy of inspiring others, I'm just a 27 year old kid still trying to figure out life...but thank you for the compliment. If anything, I hope this thread makes everyone a little bit more conscious about the potential dangers out there.

You know, I do hope this incident stays with me in the sense that it makes me even more aware of my surroundings. My father always taught me to be aware if my surroundings, but I guess there's no teacher quite like experience. However, beyond that, I'm not going to let this affect me any more than it already has. The way I see it, I will not let the actions of a low-life mugger negatively affect me in the long run; no one will have power over me like that. No way, no how. He's just but one man who means nothing to me. I'll take what I can from this and throw it into my bag of stories. Hang in there I will.

I hope not. I really hope the police catch the guy, they spent a good hour with me getting a lot of details, etc. I have to say, this is probably my first positive experience with law enforcement (I'm usually behind the wheel when the officers and I have our little chats). Emeryville PD is decent, for sure.
Dummy wallet! Genius! I think I'll put one of those together. I have a drawer full of darn unactivated credit cards! Now to dig out a cheap ol' wallet.



Again guys, thanks for chatting with me and sharing opinions and experiences. The gun carrying conversation is an interesting one. As goofball so kindly pointed out, yes I'm not normal (are any of us?) but at least I'm feeling a bit more like my normal, abnormal self. Thanks again guys.

TX Silver

...or the bad guy might not be so lucky either.

Frank

Ash

Jimmy....glad to hear that you're okay...in the grand scheme of things, it could have been far worse than losing your wallet. Just out of curiousity, was this in front of the Starbucks at 65th and Hollis? I know Emeryville fairly well...have friends that live just up the street from there. Hope they catch the culprit.

Best,

~A

MrRoboto

Exactly the place. I have friends that live in the apartment complex right next to it AND across the street from it. And I live just two blocks away on 66th and vallejo. It still surprises me that this happened where it did.

goofballdeluxe

Emeryville. I only know it because of all the amazing cars they have at Fantasy Junction on Park Avenue...

Kein_Ersatz

Jimmy, glad you came out safe. This is a very interesting thread and cross section of thoughts.

In the karma of things, I want to believe the perp has and or will get the short end someday.

Closest I have come to such an incident is pick pocket in Paris, a home garage (un attached) break-in in which I my tools were stolen, and multiple car break-ins (radio, Escort) back in the day.

Would I be able to escalate to possibly taking a take a human life, even a scumbag, over my wallet, tool box, or such (at gun point)? Not sure I could but I would also not fault those who would. Crime at gun point crosses the line.

But if the scumbag was to escalate to harming me or someone I hold near and dear, (Cactus, pistol whip crosses the line) then bringing a gun to a gunfight is a comforting though. If it comes down to me or them, then I want a dog in that fight. Who can really say if deterrents work, but they are a comforting thought to the horrific what ifs of life.

NC TRACKRAT

KraZy007, glad you're o.k. It will take a few months for you to let this pass but you'll never really forget it. Many years ago, we lived in an eclectic neighborhood and were burglarized twice. Same feeling of being violated. As for weapons, I've been a Life Member of the NRA for 47 years, was in charge of my Navy base's armory and Rifle & Pistol Team. Both wife & I have our CCP's. We never leave the house w/o our pistols. We're not paranoid, just prepared. Being retired jewelers, we know about living with stress. Fortunately, we were never "hit" but came close. BTW, really like the tip about the dummy wallet! Also, if any of you have a home security system and don't have cell phone back-up, you're wasting your money. You aren't really protected unless you have cell phone back-up. Check it out!

Canyon56

Jimmy, I had a gun pulled on me by a drug dealer when I was doing a documentary in downtown LA. I know exactly how it feels. I empathize completely.

Carrying a gun myself wouldn't have helped, it would have made it worse. I was able to talk my way out of the situation. I've been working in similar situations before (in countries with a war going on) and how you react seems to make a big difference. I was trained by an ex-cop to "shift your thinking to the position of the perp" if that makes any sense. But the first reaction is always fear from the initial rush of adrenaline.

Nonetheless, it's not fun.

cabman4007

Sorry to hear your story.

I never leave home with my Glock but in your circumstance when someone has a loaded shotgun in my face a firearm is useless. Acting calm and letting the perp get your material things is the way to go.

Maybe in the future especially at night check out your surroundings more carefully and notice anyone nearby your car. I have a built in radar in my head at night and use all my senses to scope out the area I am in.

You did well.

cabman

ppashley

Sorry that you had this happen to you.
But you got through it in one piece.
Glad you are ok.

justinsrx7

Glad you made out okay Jimmy!

I totally agree with those that say carrying a gun yourself would not have helped you. If you did have one, probably your only option would have been to shoot the guy in the back as he ran away. Is it worth another persons life and the guilt you will feel for a stupid wallet and cell phone. I think not. If it happened to me, I would be pissed off like you are, but in the end would be happy that in my rage, I would not have access to a gun to do something I would most certainly regret.

I live in Canada where we just don't have the option to carry a gun. Yes, guns do make it onto our streets, but for the most part, it is usually criminals killing each other and not the public. I hope it stays that way. Not to mention I don't really need another accessory to carry around on my belt...lol.

nile13

Jimmy, glad that you are OK. It'll be tough to get over for a while, I think. But the important part is that you are intact and unhurt.

Marv

In that instance I would have uttered "Cop" while looking back behind him in an effort to distract him, then shot him. However, I probably would not have walked away, returned, and shot him again multiple times.

But that is just me. I tend to hold up well under extreme stress. It's hard to predict how people react when adrenalin is maxed out and you have not been trained for the instant. So, I really don't know what was going through the store clerk's brain.

However, the best rule of thumb (armed or not) is never pick a fight you can't win.

Glad the original poster was okay.

eloyex

I lived in southamerica all my life so i am familiar on having a gun against my head. Good all resulted fine. Situation seems to be getting rude. Last week we were downloading 3 x 40' containers at our warehouse here in Miami, and somebody broke 2 or 3 times in our offices and took my notebook, 2 industrial hammer drills, some tools and so ...

taking in mind we were 5 man and a BIG truck driver inside the building, 50 feet away from the front desk , is a risky move to be done by the bulglar.

i think many desperate people doing stupit things for few bucks ....

MrRoboto

Yeah, I'm definitely grateful I'm here sharing this with you guys. I play difference scenarios in my head and even if I had a gun, I'm not sure how I'd be able to distract the mugger long enough to pull it out and fire a shot that would totally incapacitate him. I mean, If I shot him and he fell down but was still able to fire back, I'd be screwed since I'd still be stuck between him and my car. All my actions would have to be so well calculated that the chance of escaping unwounded in a gun fight of such close proximity is very slim.

What's weird is I pass the location where it happened almost every day. It's so busy and teeming with people during the day that you'd never be able imagine something like this happening there. I mean, the spot I had my car parked in when this happened is reserved for police parking during the day! Really mind-blowing.