19 Dec 02

Incident avoided in SA. This is from one of my instructors there. He is also a local police officer:

"Last week I was the selected victim of a group of three would-be robbers. My wife and I drove to a local market to buy groceries. It was a particularl y hot day, and I was wearing shorts and a loose top but had my CZ75, loaded with 115g Cor-Bon, in an IWB holster similar to what you wear. My wife was armed also. Standard procedure for us.

On arriving I noted three men standing next to the vehicle parked a few bays away. They seemed interested in something else, so my wife and I exited our vehicle and went into the supermarket to do our shopping. It is not uncommo n to see these people in shopping areas. You would call them 'street people.' Over here, they are everywhere, and they can be extremely dangerous.

Upon exiting the market, I scanned and immediately picked up one of the men. He was loitering about looking shoppers over, including my wife and me. Suspecting that an assault awaited us in the parking lot, I directed my wife to go back into the supermarket, exit via the other side of the mall, and wait for me there. I then exited alone and entered a secondhand store next to the supermarket in an effort to see where the other two suspects had gone .

While in the secondhand store I inadvertently noted a fine selection of axes . Inspiration! I purchased a large one and left the shop with it in my hand. Immediately the one suspect I had spotted started to follow me, but, upon seeing the axe, he nervously sped up past me. I then saw that his two friends were waiting for him, crouched behind a car. They spoke and then al l looked at me. All three then stood up and gingerly jogged away, never looking back. I picked up my wife on the other side of the mall and we were on our way.

Another aggravated assault (and probably a fatal shooting) averted. Here, i t is something we have to deal with all the time."

Lessons: (1) There is no substitute for alertness. The most dangerous threat is the one you don't see!

(2) Have a plan! The ability to confront an unpleasant situation squarely, size it up, and make a plan on the spot is far better than stumbling into something and then having to make it up as you go along. Plans often have t o be tweaked and sometimes even abandoned for another, but always having a blueprint in front of you will show you to the next step and prevent panic. At the moment of truth, the best thing to do is the right thing. The second best is the wrong thing. The worst this to do is nothing!

(3) Be armed! Have the tools you need always at hand. Your next fight will be a "come as you are" affair!

/John