Strange highway encounter

[El_Duderino]

I just experienced a pretty strange encounter on the highway.

In brief, I was at a New Years house party with a couple of friends about 1.5 hours away from where I live. I don't drink and so, on this occasion, I'm doing the driving. We leave the party at about 3.30 am.

About halfway back, along a stretch of well lit highway, my friend in the back seat states that she isn't feeling great. I pull up along the shoulder, hit the hazard lights, and wait while she steps out of the car with the assistance of my buddy in the passenger seat. I lean across the seat and hand her a bottle of water. My friends get back in my car.

Unbeknownst to me, while this is going on, some dude pulls up behind us in a beater. At this point, I look in the rearview mirror and notice the aforementioned beater pulled up behind us. I'm thinking, "WTF?". I look again to make sure it's not a police officer and get ready to pull out into traffic. I see a male, white, mid-30s, casually dressed standing about 4 yards away from my driver side window. He is gesturing for me to lower the window.

Suffice to say, I don't lower the window, drop the handbrake and floor it. The remainder of the ride back was fairly uneventful.

Thoughts: poorly executed attempt at a carjacking, or perhaps a psychotic admirer of the M3, etc.? Weird.

[cagekicker]

you did the right thing. we live in a fucked up world. anything could have happened.

[c0nstant]

Originally Posted by cagekicker

you did the right thing. we live in a fucked up world. anything could have happened.

.

[bmw-nj]

He could have just wanted to offer you help if your car had broken down. Personally at that time I would have done the same thing. Not worth the risk.

[Stronghammer]

Good move. Nothing good was gonna come from that encounter.

[ideliver]

more reason why concealed carry laws are so impotant...otherwise you can be left to good will of an individual with bad intentions

[john9]

Thanks for sharing.Happy new year!

[matthewk]

Originally Posted by ideliver

more reason why concealed carry laws are so impotant...otherwise you can be left to good will of an individual with bad intentions

This is why I love Texas. We're a very polite state

[E90SoFlo]

Very good choice.

[donovan]

YUP, dont trust uhm, and its a good time to get out of there when you have that feeling.

[El_Duderino]

Thanks all for the replies. It is a pretty f'd up world that we live in.

[Bimmer84]

Oh! My! God! Not a person! You were pulled over on the side of the road, possibly needing assistance, and assume because he wasn't driving an M3 he MUST be a bad person? Good call I guess.

[Q4P]

In Florida we are equally polite and our CCL licenses are valid in each others states.

[El_Duderino]

Originally Posted by Bimmer84

Oh! My! God! Not a person! You were pulled over on the side of the road, possibly needing assistance, and assume because he wasn't driving an M3 he MUST be a bad person? Good call I guess.

No assumptions were made. I was being descriptive of both the individual and the car he was driving. I would've done the same thing had he pulled up behind me in a Ferrari. And, as my OP indicates, a possible carjacking was only one possible scenario so, no, I did not assume he was a bad person. But, on the balance of risk, I didn't want to find out for sure. So, I left.

[Bimmer84]

I guess you can't be too careful then. If he was standing 12 feet away asking for you to lower the window, it sounds like he was doing it to not come off as hostile; but everyone is right I guess... you never know.

[Tondtar]

He probably wanted to bum a cigarette from you .....But then again, I could be wrong.

[E90SoFlo]

He got the idea you didn't need assistance when you drove off. thats all he was there for.

[Bimmer84]

He's on his Dodge Dart/Bible Group forum right now talking about how last night he tried to help out someone and they sped off real quick while he was on his DUI assistance patrols. lol

[txz4]

Originally Posted by matthewk

This is why I love Texas. We're a very polite state

was thinking this same thing...

[The1]

if the dude rolled up beside and dropped his window checking to see if you guys were ok, that would be one thing, but pulling up behind and standing by your car, is kinda weird.

He could have just as easily yelled through the window "you guys ok?" but asking you to roll down the window by motioning would make me second guess a bit.

I think you made the right choice for the time of day and how little traffic was around.

[persian54]

I remember when I had a 335i, I saw another 335i pulled over... new owner didn't know why his engine malfunctioned.
I helped him contact BMW Assist

Maybe he didn't freak out cause I was in a 335? Cause I'm a big guy...most people tend to get weary of big random guys.

[bmwmike335]

Originally Posted by ideliver

more reason why concealed carry laws are so impotant...otherwise you can be left to good will of an individual with bad intentions

please explain your logic. how does the OP being in possession of a loaded and concealed firearm help this situation.

are you saying that because he had a loaded firearm then his ego would be much stronger and he would have handled this situation more like a man (not saying OP didn't)

or are you saying that if he had the firearm then it would have made things better because he would have shot the man in a wife beater walking up to his car?

i don't see how CCW license would help anybody in this situation.
Even if he did get carjacked... be honest with yourself, would you shoot a man for stealing you car? would you be that sure of yourself that shooting this man would also be justified in front of a jury filled with morons when the prosecutors try to slam a involuntary manslaughter on you due to wanton disregard for life? the jury will look at your case and think your a hot headed lunatic for killing a man for a piece of metal (granted an 80K piece of metal lol) but still... and, if you do get popped with that felony, or perhaps a lower conviction of some other assault crime (if said person happened to take a plea bargain) then you could kiss your CCW license goodbye because in CA if you have previous felony or assault convictions you can't purchase or possess a firearm... so you'd be right back to where you were...with no gun at all except the one between your legs. =)

don't want to pick a fight, but just need to clarify and give the other side in case theres 15 16 year old kids in here reading this shit thinking its cool to walk around with a gun and shoot a guy on the freeway due to plain old unexpected fear of "what happens now".