A BG at your window at night.

threefeathers · 07-21-2012, 19:56

a friend lives in a rural situation with the nearest neighbor hundreds of yards away.
He was home and at 0 dark thirty his dog began barking. My friend grabbed his flashlight and handgun and began searching. He saw movement near a window of his home. Wallking stealthfully he slowly opened his rear door and began to creep around the house. He did not light his flashlight because he could hear someone at the rear window that was around the corner.
He rounded the corner and saw a large fellow trying to life the window open. My friend quickly lit his 100+ Lumen flashlight that was in his left hand and pointed his handgun in his right hand, the crook reached in his belt line but quickly showed both hands empty when he realized my friend was armed.
It was then that my friend realized that he had left himself in a position he couldn't call for help, with both hands filled he couldn't use his cell phone and the nearest neighbor couldn't hear him.
The BG began to back up and suddenly broke into a run. My friend did not see a weapon on the BG so he didn't shoot and he was barefoot so he couldn't chase.
My friend backed up into the house, locked up and called the sheriff. My firend went to the neighbors houses the next morning and one or two told him they had also found someone on their land. One of the neighbors identified the fellow as someone he knew and the BG turned out to be quite a dangerous guy.

**janice6** · 07-21-2012, 20:02

Another time a gun stopped a crime without shooting someone.

I'm not criticizing, I understand the circumstances and applaud the action.

This will not make the good use of a gun statistics list either.

RYNOCG201 · 07-21-2012, 20:10

Scary, I'm glad your friend is ok. Definitely a good argument for a weapon mounted light. I also live in a rural area where neighbors would likely not be within shouting distance and many nights I am here alone. Tough call on what to do, in that situation it seems your friend handled fairly well with a cool head though.

RYNOC

Bruce M · 07-21-2012, 20:19

I would say a good argument for calling 911 first and maybe waiting for the bad guy from behind good cover.

racer88 · 07-21-2012, 21:00

Yeah... going outside to confront?? Yikes. That could have gotten much uglier. I say it's a good and fortunate thing that the BG ran.

RedsoxFan4Lyfe · 07-21-2012, 21:24

Going outside is a bad idea. The BG could well have a friend or two with him. I would call 911 and get the Calvary rolling and stay in a safe spot.

sierrafast · 07-22-2012, 00:57

Good to know your friend is fine. Like it was previously mentioned, it was a bad idea to go outside. Call 911 and create "the funnel of death"

Lior · 07-22-2012, 06:38

Glad to hear that nobody was hurt in this incident, and I hope the BG does not start using heavy body armor and artillery support while doing BG stuff.

Chesafreak · 07-22-2012, 06:51

I'm glad your friend is ok. I think it was dumb to go outside. The BG could have had others with him who could have been behind him. Besides, if he had waited for the BG to come through the window he could have saved us all on prisoner room and board.

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rhikdavis · 07-22-2012, 07:07

Send the dog out first, that's how you find out if you are facing an armed bg.

220-9er · 07-22-2012, 07:13

Your friend is lucky a lot of things didn't happen. Going outside in the dark to check out a prowler, weapon in hand, by yourself, is setting yourself up for really bad luck.
Besides the possibility of several burglars, suppose the neighbors had called this in earlier and police had gone to the back of his house following the trail. Your friend shows up with gun in hand as police are approaching with guns in hand.
Just one of many things that could have happened.

IndyGunFreak · 07-22-2012, 10:45

I can't say I really blame your friend, but it wasn't the smartest thing to do to go outside.

Glad the guy was caught and he wasn't hurt.

The Hawk · 07-23-2012, 07:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by 220-9er

Your friend is lucky a lot of things didn't happen. Going outside in the dark to check out a prowler, weapon in hand, by yourself, is setting yourself up for really bad luck.
Besides the possibility of several burglars, suppose the neighbors had called this in earlier and police had gone to the back of his house following the trail. Your friend shows up with gun in hand as police are approaching with guns in hand.
Just one of many things that could have happened.

I realize it is easy to "armchair quarterback" this. However, I agree with calling 911 and waiting inside with weapon in hand. I am glad your friend was not hurt.

pipedreams · 07-23-2012, 07:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Hawk

I realize it is easy to "armchair quarterback" this. However, I agree with calling 911 and waiting inside with weapon in hand. I am glad your friend was not hurt.

Yes it is easy to "armchair quarterback" this. I agree call 911 but remember in a rural setting it could be considerable time before you get LE on site. In rural area's 20 to 30 minutes are not uncommon especially at night. I would of stayed inside and possibly lite the guy up with the flashlight from inside letting him know he has been made. If one had the time and a good enough mindset snap a picture through the glass. The flash would certainty caused confusion and temporary blindness. A good dog added to the mix should really put the guy on the run. Of course this is all armchair quarterbacking and every situation is different.

***TBO*** · 07-23-2012, 09:05

Castle Law works best from within your Castle.

TBO

FireForged · 07-23-2012, 09:22

leaving the safety of your home to go outside and confront a bad-guy seems like a very bad idea.

beatcop · 07-23-2012, 09:51

Cool story.

As previously stated, call 911...don't go outside. Although not as cool as going outside barefoot w/pistol, it prob gives you a slight edge:

-crook breaches the home...certain laws may be on your side
-you know your home/layout
-you can lock inner doors or make a stand in a good spot
-you can leave the 911 line open
-you have more time to put on gear/clothes

dnuggett · 07-23-2012, 09:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by TBO

Castle Law works best from within your Castle.

TBO

Roger that.

Snapper2 · 07-23-2012, 18:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by TBO

Castle Law works best from within your Castle.

TBO

Maybe so, but do you lock yourself in and call 911 everytime the dogs bark? I know in this case he saw movement while he was inside and then went outside but what if he hadnt seen the BG outside his window .....what if it had been a stray cow or something? You're still gonna check it out right? Does country living have different rules than living in a neighborhood? Most of the time you've got to find out whats causing the problem before acting on it.

collim1 · 07-23-2012, 18:18

You lose your home team advantage when you go outside.

***Sam Spade*** · 07-23-2012, 18:29

I agree with the advice to stay in. As to calling 911, some of it depends on where your friend live. In 3feathers' corner of the world, the difference between in town and out of it is really significant.

ignantmike · 07-23-2012, 18:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chesafreak

I'm glad your friend is ok. I think it was dumb to go outside. The BG could have had others with him who could have been behind him. Besides, if he had waited for the BG to come through the window he could have saved us all on prisoner room and board.

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i agree with this......

poodleplumber · 07-23-2012, 19:03

Staying inside is good advice. It is advice I have ignored on occasion, myself, and I'll bet I'm not the only one. Sometimes you don't want to be embarrassed by having made an unnecessary call to 911. This kind of a situation is why we shouldn't feel like that, but sometimes we do.

Glad your friend is OK, and after the initial mistake of going outside, he did fine.

Dexters · 07-23-2012, 19:36

I agree with the others who said not to go outside.

I don't see what is to be gained by doing that.

I also understand that a person wouldn't want to call the police out on a false call.

That is the tough call.

If there was an upstairs window - possibly going there and looking out from there could work.

Glock_9mm · 07-23-2012, 22:41

In hindsight it is so easy to say what to do, but until you are faced with the situation first hand it does not hit home. For me, there was somebody who kept ringing the door bell one night. Well, after the fourth time I walked out of my house with my 9mm in my hand. I never saw them, but I guess they saw me because it stopped after that. I could have just as easily been blind sided, but I wasn't so I will chalk that up as a learning experience. Taking some home defense classes has also taught me to use the inside of my home to my advantage. Once I get the family safe and 911 on the phone I will take a tactical defensive position. I will let the fight come to me, not the opposite.

Some more food for thought, if you do make the 911 call and you take the offensive and try to clear your house or property, who is to say that the person you are shooting at is no a LEO....and for that matter, if there is a fast response to the 911 call, who is to say that you could not be confused as the BG walking around the property they came to protect.