My first scare around the house.

[LUVMYSIGP225]

Spooked myself as well. I don't usually have any eventful stories to share with you guys, but I got one the other night. I live in a relatively decent neighborhood, but we do live close to some areas that are getting REAL rough. We are having lots of vehicle break-ins and property theft, along with a big spike in burglaries. Every one is sort of on the look-out for trouble.

I cannot park my car in my garage, as it is a single car, and it is stuffed with junk. I have a gravel parking area beside my house, and I leave the cars there. It is VERY, VERY dark, and I am an ass for not having motion sensors back there. Mostly because my wife has to park there and walk around. That will be fixed this weekend. Anyhow, the other night at about 11:00 p.m., I ran down to the garage to use my tool bench. The back window of the garage is glassblock. Before I could turn the light on in the garage, I could notice the glass block illuminated. Like there was a light moving around outside. I could also see the black shadow of a person moving around outside with a flashlight. I couldn't make out too much, as the glass block is all wavy and distorts everything. My Rott followed me downstairs, and she instantly started brilling the hair on her back and growling. There was definitely someone behind my house, in an area that they shouldn't be. Obviously looking in my car with a flashlight. I leave the light off, run upstairs, grab my Remington 870 and head out the front door. With the intent of flanking their a$$. I didn't make it around the first corner of the house and met some dude muzzle-to-face. The guy immediately said "Bank Recovery Agent. Wrong house". Turns out he was looking for a neighbor's Maroon Windstar. I have a Maroon Freestar. Similar looking cars. I had a contractor at my house that day doing some trim work and storm doors on my house, and he had the house numbers peeled off the front. I have none on my mailbox, because some punks broke them off. So, I had no house numbers at all. Supposedly, he was just checking my VIN. I looked up and noticed a F350 pickup with one of those hydraulic tow truck slings in the bed of the truck, idling at the end of my drive with the lights off. He went on his way. I apologized to the dude, and he said "Isn't the first time it has happened in 20 years". Glad he was a good sport. I waited up for another hour just to see if he called the cops. But, they never came. Not sure that there is much that could really have been done anyway.

[Hoosier70]

Glad all are OK that could have got ugly quick

[SRD]

I agree Legally it sucks but if someone is outside i would grab a shogun guard the house have the wife call the police. Killing someone on the outside of your house it way to much legal trouble. Not to mention you have no idea if the perp has a lookout. I will guard my house but i am not going to jail because i killed some pump on the outside.

[xd-gunner]

Originally Posted by SRD

I agree Legally it sucks but if someone is outside i would grab a shogun guard the house have the wife call the police. Killing someone on the outside of your house it way to much legal trouble. Not to mention you have no idea if the perp has a lookout. I will guard my house but i am not going to jail because i killed some pump on the outside.

Check your state laws for a "castle doctrine" or similar.

My state and many others recently passed legislation that gives you the same rights to self defense on your property and/or "curtilage" as you have in your home.

[SaBoTaGe]

Damn, repo man could of got owned,.. That is some scary shizzle

[xdfire]

Looks like it was a "True test for the Remington 870", may be you shouldve "tactically peeked" around the corner first lol.

Anyways, Mr. Bank Recovery Agent is lucky he met someone with self control. Why do repos at night?

[cooks128]

Originally Posted by xdfire

Looks like it was a "True test for the Remington 870", may be you shouldve "tactically peeked" around the corner first lol.

Anyways, Mr. Bank Recovery Agent is lucky he met someone with self control. Why do repos at night?

I've been on a few repos before.....less conflict most of the time at night, odds are the vehicle will be at the registerd address at night, almost an industry standard really.

[SRD]

Originally Posted by xd-gunner

Check your state laws for a "castle doctrine" or similar.

My state and many others recently passed legislation that gives you the same rights to self defense on your property and/or "cutilage" as you have in your home.

I have never checked in my state actually.

[Reverenddel]

Curtilage is YOURS sir! Nicely done. As I have stated, it's not always about SHOOTING someone, it's about ESTABLISHING the control!

He was sneaking, you were peaking, and Mr. 870 there? He was just mindin' his own...

[LUVMYSIGP225]

Well, I will say this. I only posted this as a lesson to us all. Honestly, I broke my own golden rule. I have always said to myself that I would never "engage" a perp unless myself or my family was directly threatened. I probably should have called the cops. In a time of increased adrenalin, I broke my rule. We could all do it. You run through scenarios in your head as to how you PLAN to address a situation. I've got news. Adrenalin and fear generally change the best laid plans.

I keep asking myself why I went outside, and I I keep coming back to one reason for it. It was purely territorial. I literally thought "Not on my property you don't. I will not be made a theft victim or made a sucker". And, to the poster who said that this guy could have had a buddy waiting to ambush, you are right. I totally missed the repo truck in the dark. I would have missed a dude in the shrubs, too. I would have been totally fine in my house, with the doors locked, a Rottweiler at my feet and a Marine Magnum in my hand and Castle Doctrine on my side. Could have called the cops, they would have been here in seconds. When I went outside, I think I tipped the odds havily against me.

Oh well, I am not regretting it, I guess. Just wondering how I should handle things differently if there is a next time.

Oh yeah, and this is another reason why we should always give police officers the benefit of the doubt in a shooting. It is easy to armchair quarterback about how we would have handled something, but it is alwyas different when you are alongside the highway at 2:00 a.m. with a drunk idiot that wants to take your life. Adrenalin changes it all.