Quote Originally Posted by Double0757 View Post
I read this post and I have something to share too anybody that wants to learn from my mistakes. Like OP Devilpup, it turn out good for everybody, thanks God!
About 3 years ago there were a series of rapes on parkings and a park less than a mile from my home. Three in total in less than six months. As I parked across the Walmart parking, where one of the rapes occurred, I decided to park far away from the other cars to get on some shade, and walk to the grocery store. As I passed one of the lonely cars, I looked and saw a men making love to a women in the rear seat. In the missionary position I couldn't see his or her face. As I kept walking the thought of the rapist came to my mind. I pulled the phone out of the pocket to call the police. I thought on my 20 year old daughter and thought to myself, what if it was my daughter? I would like the stranger to intervene. That's when I felt a responsibility to the women's father to intervene before the police arrived.
As I approached the car again, my thoughts of the perp been armed and getting a jump on me as I knocked on the window, (mistake #1), I pulled my gun to get the jumped on him. As I nokcked on the window and see the guys and "lady's" face for the first time, I was so scared that I would need to shoot, that I think I was almost trembling. It turned out they where just a young couple making love at 3 o'clock in the afternoon on the parking lot of a grocery store???
What if the guy thought I was the perp and he saw the need to defend himself? I would have been at fault if I hurt him. As God had it, nothing happen. I put the gun down and let them know in a stern voice to take it to a hotel and that from where I was it looked like a rape to me.
My motivation was right, but the execution was not thought trough.
My lessons learned, call police first, approach car from an advantage position where I could take cover if I felt threatened and then take action after. Double O
Nothing unusual there. You just faced the same thing a street cop faces every day when he gets a call to investigate and comes upon a scene and needs to decide what action to take. Sometimes good things happen and sometimes bad things happen. The difference is, as long as he is in the scope of his duties and didn't act outrageously he is protected by law however YOU are not and You are liable for and civil action including false arrest whether you are right or wrong.