Interesting carjack video - benefit of in-the-pocket carry?

[Tony617]

I am wondering about carrying my car keys with me when driving my pickup truck. Throw the car keys and then yell fire and run away if some one draws a gun or knife on me. It really depends on the situation and how many BG there are.

When I pump gas or go to the super market or anything I kept my head on a swivel.

 

[Alexx1401]

Words to live by.

I saw a story where a grocery store was being robbed by a masked assailant with an AK. Good Samaritan with a CCW walks into the store and sees what's going on, standing 20-30 feet away he pulls his pistol and yells "put the gun down". Bad guy immediately turns and shoots him in the torso and legs. Luckily the Good Samaritan lived but I think he is too good of a person to kill, even if it's a BG.

Now, it's easy to say he should have done this or he should have done that, but, the moral of the story is: this thread is all speculation. Opinion are useless in a robbery. Every situation is different.

Doing stuff like this the "good guy" was actually lucky. To pull a hand gun out, that he was NOT ready to use, on a person armed with a long gun, he was begging for disaster. Too many think guns are magic. You pull yours and all just magically works out. He found out since he was not willing to shoot the bad guy was. He was lucky to live. He was also lucky no one else got shot after setting this off. The moral to the story is using your brain not your emotions. Some people really should just not carry a gun but, sadly they do. Since he lived hopefully he learned something here.

 

[Alexx1401]

I am wondering about carrying my car keys with me when driving my pickup truck. Throw the car keys and then yell fire and run away if some one draws a gun or knife on me. It really depends on the situation and how many BG there are.

When I pump gas or go to the super market or anything I kept my head on a swivel.

THIS!!!! Now that so much crime is on camera just look how many start out with people doing something like pumping gas, who have scum walk up on them and never see it coming. So many are so engrossed in their phone they see nothing happening around them until its too late.

 

[bbbass]

I'm glad you didn't call them thongs.

My wife scolds me for calling them "Jap slaps"...

 

[Bushman]

Words to live by.

I saw a story where a grocery store was being robbed by a masked assailant with an AK. Good Samaritan with a CCW walks into the store and sees what's going on, standing 20-30 feet away he pulls his pistol and yells "put the gun down". Bad guy immediately turns and shoots him in the torso and legs. Luckily the Good Samaritan lived but I think he is too good of a person to kill, even if it's a BG.

Now, it's easy to say he should have done this or he should have done that, but, the moral of the story is: this thread is all speculation. Opinion are useless in a robbery. Every situation is different.

Yeah and just because you carry a gun doesn't mean you have what it takes to use it.

For me, it's a very high bar to use it as I don't work at McDonald's, I'm a huge target for lawsuits...

It's bad enough the cancel rent movement hates me and expects me to provide them 700k houses to live in for free

 

[Dr Prepper]

While it's not worth starting a gun fight over that, I can tell you that I was once almost robbed at a gas station in Tampa just a year ago almost the guy tried to rob me with a Glock 19 in my ribs basically and I did not give him my money. Because I was traveling I did not have a weapon on me but even if I did, I would have been shot before I could even draw it. Sometimes just balls is the solution.

You never know how you will react until you're actually in the situations, in my case I was able to distract him with the camera I parked by and ask him if he was going to shoot me on camera and go to prison for life over my money which caused him to hesitate then the gas station attendant walking by suddenly who's attention I caught by yelling at him this guy was trying to rob me and the robber took off.

Personally in a situation like this i'd just figure hes probably going to shoot me even if i comply. Or maybe he has a couple brain cells left and it isnt loaded and just for intimidation..
Either way. Every now and again you get one of us who also only has as many brain cells as balls and doesnt feel like we have too terribly much to live for but to give these a holes like this harassment right back..
Im lone wolf. No kids, no partner no hesitation no second thoughts to cloud up my poor judgement!
and yeah i have been in a attempted mugging before, not at gun point. But we turned the tables on the two of them 3 of us against two of them. We ran they chased, we ambushed them in turn. We werent going to lead them all the way to our house. That wasnt an option.

 

[Certaindeaf]

If someone has you at gunpoint all you can do is hand it over even if you are carrying. Now many from the cover of keyboard of course say they would then go after the scum after. Risky at best. Start sending rounds out and you're responsible for everyone of them. As many find out the hard way bullets do not go where you wish them to go.

Exept for the bad guy's, huh? Someone points a gun at me I'll likely figure I'm dead anyway and go for popping the doof.

 

[OldBroad44]

I used to carry a fake key ring that carried a worn-out car key that didn't work and three other keys that didn't go to anything, one of which was labeled "house" and looked like a house key and even had a fake address on it. I also keep my real car key and house key on separate rings from each other and all other keys.

The only new car I ever bought was an 18' motorhome. I took it to the shop and had a mechanic install a secret battery disconnect. There was a hidden lever in the drivers area that disconnected and connected the battery. I always left the car with the battery disconnected. Checking the battery for a disconnect could be done, but not fast, as the battery compartment was in back under the floor and required lifting the rug and opening an inconvenient-to-open battery box.

 

[Howard1955]

What type of plates?

Upper plates.

And lower plates.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I used to carry a fake key ring that carried a worn-out car key that didn't work and three other keys that didn't go to anything, one of which was labeled "house" and looked like a house key and even had a fake address on it. I also keep my real car key and house key on separate rings from each other and all other keys.

The only new car I ever bought was an 18' motorhome. I took it to the shop and had a mechanic install a secret battery disconnect. There was a hidden lever in the drivers area that disconnected and connected the battery. I always left the car with the battery disconnected. Checking the battery for a disconnect could be done, but not fast, as the battery compartment was in back under the floor and required lifting the rug and opening an inconvenient-to-open battery box.

Great ideas! Fake key(s) or battery disconnect would be a perfect solution to a carjacking situation like this. I never thought of that. In such a case u could give thief the keys and get away. Then he couldn't steal car.

relating to that, there is a really cool option for many newer vehicles. You can purchase software that requires u to do something before starting is enabled. Fe I had a vw gti that I bought software to increase boost pressure/remap fuel delivery. As part of the software u could add anti theft option for no cost. So when u get in vehicle you have to do a sequence of inputs to be able to start the car. I think the inputs were press cruise control "coast" button then press "resume" three times (or something like that I can't remember).

maybe on some very new cars u can use ur phone to allow starting? I don't know, but I bet that's the case.

funny note on the disconnect issue... I have some older collectible type cars that have battery disconnects just to keep battery from draining over time. I suppose those would work as anti-theft too, never thought of that. Beats a cheap alarm system that goes off at 2 pm when a cat jumps on the hood ha ha.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Forgot to mention (Fwiw) the 2 carjackings I witnessed in Pdx the last 2 years, the drivers were already in the car. One driver got stabbed (I did not see this as I got there late but I posted a pic on this forum as he was being helped by ambulance - carjacker ran away when confronted by bystanders). On the other one the carjacker gave up and ran away cuz there were so many of us standing around and yelling at him (the carjacker had previously rolled his little pickup then tried to steal a car from someone who had stopped to help).

seems to me these carjackers want a quick getaway with no complications. Multiple poeple confronting them (not with guns in these 2 cases) is not something they want to deal with. But that's a sample size of only 2 so take it fwiw.

 

[SFischer22]

If you own a car that's worth more than your life, you bought the wrong car.

Call the fam, have them pick ya up, report the car stolen, give a description of the suspect, then report it to the insurance company.

 

[papersoldier]

If this had happened to me this would have been one very frustrated car-jacker when he realized he couldn't start my car even with the key (hidden RFID kill-switch in the dash).

That said, the victim did the right thing right up until the point of throwing rocks. I can't imagine what he was thinking.

 

[Alexx1401]

I used to carry a fake key ring that carried a worn-out car key that didn't work and three other keys that didn't go to anything, one of which was labeled "house" and looked like a house key and even had a fake address on it. I also keep my real car key and house key on separate rings from each other and all other keys.

The only new car I ever bought was an 18' motorhome. I took it to the shop and had a mechanic install a secret battery disconnect. There was a hidden lever in the drivers area that disconnected and connected the battery. I always left the car with the battery disconnected. Checking the battery for a disconnect could be done, but not fast, as the battery compartment was in back under the floor and required lifting the rug and opening an inconvenient-to-open battery box.

I have an old Jeep that the cut off is the only reason it was not stolen. Its a back up vehicle so often sits for months without use. Unless we need to haul something or one vehicle is in the shop I tend to forget it. Few times a year I will use it for long enough to use up some gas and add fresh. So I put a cut off on the battery so it will not slowly die. One day I come home and see one door in not closed. I then look and see the ignition is on. Someone had gotten in and got the ignition on. Did not seem to be damaged as using the key it still locks. It has switches on the console for external lights and fans. All those were flipped on. Whoever was in it was looking for why there was no juice and got scared and gave up. I love the idea about the fake keys though. Great idea!

 

[The Heretic]

My car has a wireless remote with "Comfort Access" - I don't need to insert the key to open the doors or start the car (and no, a "relay hack" won't work on it either).

It also has a panic function, and once the panic function is started, the alarm sounds, the lights flash, the car is immobilized and will not start.

 

[Dr Prepper]

I used to carry a fake key ring that carried a worn-out car key that didn't work and three other keys that didn't go to anything, one of which was labeled "house" and looked like a house key and even had a fake address on it. I also keep my real car key and house key on separate rings from each other and all other keys.

The only new car I ever bought was an 18' motorhome. I took it to the shop and had a mechanic install a secret battery disconnect. There was a hidden lever in the drivers area that disconnected and connected the battery. I always left the car with the battery disconnected. Checking the battery for a disconnect could be done, but not fast, as the battery compartment was in back under the floor and required lifting the rug and opening an inconvenient-to-open battery box.

Yeah i like this idea.. Great advice.
I had the ever sought after 98 handoff civic. After it was stolen i would take the fuel pump fuse with me and put it in my wallet. Also carried a spare.

Decoy key rings and even decoy money clips to throw with a $20 or $50 on the outside filled with ones is also recomended. Make it heavy so you can throw it fairly far.

 

[ScatPackLife]

If you own a car that's worth more than your life, you bought the wrong car.

Call the fam, have them pick ya up, report the car stolen, give a description of the suspect, then report it to the insurance company.

I thought I read somewhere that he had just bought the car and had not insured it yet. Not sure if that's true or not. I doubt that's what he was thinking about in the moment though.

 

[Alexx1401]

I thought I read somewhere that he had just bought the car and had not insured it yet. Not sure if that's true or not. I doubt that's what he was thinking about in the moment though.

If he bought it with no insurance he had to pay cash. If he paid that kind of cash for a vehicle without buying insurance its a fool and his money thing.

 

[Dr Prepper]

If he bought it with no insurance he had to pay cash. If he paid that kind of cash for a vehicle without buying insurance its a fool and his money thing.

The kid that front ended me in Sept of 2019 in 10yr old BMW 745 did it with no lic. No ins. Driving down the wrong way in a 2 way street to get to the turn lane faster in traffic at a light. WAS a really nice looking car. My 92 chevy astro made short work of it.
His dad showed up in a brand new truck and acted like money wasnt an issue, pretty sure they were natives in the Fife area.
I was pissed! I kinda still want to lump up that kid some he was young as hell.
The previous owners are extremely lucky they submitted the bill of sale. Dont ever hesitate on those. Submit them the day of sale.

I got slightly screwed i was lucky i had UM insurance. Needless to say i learned alot that day.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

The kid that front ended me in Sept of 2019 in 10yr old BMW 745 did it with no lic. No ins. Driving down the wrong way in a 2 way street to get to the turn lane faster in traffic at a light. WAS a really nice looking car. My 92 chevy astro made short work of it.
His dad showed up in a brand new truck and acted like money wasnt an issue, pretty sure they were natives in the fife area.
I was pissed! I kinda still want to lump up that kid some. Was young as hell.
The previous owners are extremely lucky the submitted the bill of sale. Dont ever hesitate on those. Submit them the day if sale.

I got slightly screwed i was lucky i had UM insurance. Needless to say i learned alot that day.

That's a very important point about bill of sale/report of sale. I sold a car and got a call from oregon dmv/justice dept. 7 YEARS! later saying they were going to suspend my license unless I could prove I didn't own the car. I didn't send in the report of sale after selling it unfortunately.

I guess new owner (or whoever they sold it to) got in a wreck and had no insurance. It worked out fine in my case but I had to chase down the driver who crashed it at his work and sign a paper saying I did not own the car and send that to the judge. Not a headache you want! Send in the report of sale immediately after selling it and keep a copy of the bill of sale. Assume new owner will not register it. In my area they never pull u over for expired tags and he (or someone) had been driving it for 7 years unregistered.