Training with firearms is important so that we can be ready for any life-threatening situation. Training is the only thing that can help you in situations like attempted carjacking. My training was never going to be necessary at a busy intersection in a densely populated area. But here I was, my pistol drawn in my truck, pointed at a man running at my car. My entire life was in jeopardy.
An Attempted Carjacking: A Sudden Reality
Let’s go back a few moments. I was following an old Toyota Camry that was going 15 mph slower than the speed limit. While I was driving, my mind was elsewhere. I was trying to navigate through road closures in beautiful Michigan traffic.
The two men in the Toyota started acting strangely. They were looking around erratically, and just acting out of character. I noticed the passenger putting a hood over his head at the next traffic light. The driver continued looking in his mirrors at my truck and me. The two of them were acting so strangely that I was on high alert.
We pulled up to the light and I was faced with a few choices. Given the layout of the intersection, I could choose one of four lanes. I could choose to go straight, left, or both right. I had to go right, but I didn’t want the Toyota guys next to me. I kept a good distance from them and stayed in the same lane as they were.
My goal was to not get trapped so that I could quickly get out of a situation if it happened. My plan was a disaster and I ended up completely surrounded. I was surrounded by a semi-truck and a pickup truck to my right.
I kept my eyes fixed on the two men in the car in front. They continued to act strangely, looking around and seemingly arguing in their car. I grabbed my pistol as soon as I realized I was trapped and had nowhere to go.
This is what we train for
In a matter of seconds, everything changed when the passenger door to their vehicle opened. A man in all black came out, wearing a ski mask with gloves and wearing a full-length ski mask. I was mistaken to believe that the hood he wore was a ski mask.
He ran at me with one hand behind his back, and he continued to run aggressively. Before I realized what was going on, I had pulled my FN 509 midsize from under my seat. Because the holster came with the gun, it flew across the truck.
I quickly took a firm grip of my pistol and sat down on my steering wheel. The end of my slide hit the windshield and I yelled some obscenities. My windows were open so I don’t think anyone could hear me shouting. As the man continued moving towards my truck, my finger slipped onto the trigger.
At this point, he was still in his car and I started to pull the pretravel trigger. I am confident in my pistols, and I know how to use them. The guy stopped instantly. He turned his back to me and looked at his friend in the car. You could see he was considering his options.
Cooler Heads Prevail
At this point, the ball was in his hands. He could either get back in the car he got out of and go home, or continue to come at me and probably not make home. He jumped back into his car. They ran a red light, and took off through traffic. They almost crashed multiple times.
This was something you would see in a movie. I kept thinking, this didn’t just happen to me. All this must have been something I had imagined. This whole situation was quite real and it definitely rattled me. This happened in a very populated area, which I didn’t think would happen to me.
My son was always in my thoughts. What if he was there with me? What would I have done? It happened, even though I was the only one. It taught me some valuable lessons and opened my eyes about a few things I need to change in my daily life.
Lessons Learned
Since years, I have been a firearms instructor. I also advocate personal protection and train regularly at the range. My company, Pew Pew Nation, also trains others and teaches security awareness.
I believe all this training kept me calm and collected during the attempted carjacking. It did reveal some weaknesses in my training. I kept thinking about how many 9mm rounds it would take to make a hole large enough to allow me to fire rounds on target. I don’t really know.
I was also thinking about how loud it would be inside my truck’s closed cab. I realized that, despite all my training, I had never fired a gun inside a vehicle or shot through a windshield. All that will change now. To be better prepared for the second time, I’m searching for training facilities that offer this type.
Situational Awareness
I also learned some things about situational awareness. I am very aware of my surroundings. Some even call me paranoid. It was clear that my paranoia paid off. I knew what was happening before anything happened.
I made a huge mistake thinking I was doing the right things. I made a bad choice by pulling up behind the Toyota rather than choosing another lane. I could have gotten in the far right lane with only a curb beside me, and kept my distance from them. I could have jumped the curb and gotten out of the situation, rather than being stuck in traffic.
They knew the area well, and the timing of the lights. They waited until the right moment to jump out and attempt an attack on me, when I was already in a box. They knew that the intersection behind them would catch up to them and block my exits.
Notifying Authorities
I called the police to report the incident. I didn’t want anyone reporting the silver F150 driver who pulled a gun in traffic. If you find yourself in a similar situation, I recommend that you report it to the police. I didn’t do anything wrong so I had nothing to hide.
While speaking to the dispatcher, it became clear that all that adrenaline had wiped out a lot of my vital information. It was a Toyota Camry with a gold color, which I was certain of. But, it is not certain. I can’t even remember the number on their license plate.
I will definitely be purchasing a dash camera in the near-term. A dash cam can be used as amazing evidence. In this case, it would have provided me with all the footage and information needed to locate these men and stop them from doing this again.
I was embarrassingly inept to the police. I didn’t even file a report because of my inability to remember any vital information. I didn’t even have descriptions of the bad guys. I could not see or recall anything other than the driver, a white older man with long hair.
The passenger also wore gloves and a ski mask. I don’t know what he looked like, and I don’t recall any features that could help me identify him. A dash cam would have made it so much easier.
Take Away
It took me several days to process what had happened and why it was so distressing. I am grateful that I didn’t have the nerve to take my own life. I realized that I was fully capable of saving my own life. I also discovered some flaws in my training, which will be addressed in the near future.
This situation taught me the most important lesson: this stuff can happen anywhere, anytime. Given the current state of the country and the world around us, it is more important than ever that you have your passport with you wherever you go. Every day of the week. Don’t let your guard down, even if you are going to a great neighborhood or just for a moment.
Train regularly, be familiar with your firearm, and pay close attention to your surroundings. It takes only seconds to make a difference in your life. Keep safe and alert. Do not allow yourself to get complacent and forget the evil that exists every day.
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Personal Defense World’s first article was entitled “When the Real-World Strikes”: How I Survived a Attempted Carjacking.
