Last Thursday my youngest daughter was driving us home from dinner in a JEEP at 9:30PM.

We live in a neighborhood and as we were coming up on our driveway on the right, we both noticed a car on the left of the road, lights on pointed toward us.

It was not a car we had seen before and it had the "hood" look going on. Heavily tinted windows, gold, kind of beat up.

As we drove into our drive and neared the end the car slowly pulled into our driveway and was creeping down it.

I told my daughter to not open the garage door, but to get out and go around and enter the house from the back and be ready to call 911.

We both got out quickly and she went in front of the JEEP and was covered by it and two other trucks as she went around to the back of the house.

We were parked at kind of an angle. I had my M&P 4" (full-size) with a stream-light in my hands as I observed from around the corner of the vehicle.

The car was stopped a little less than 1/2 up my driveway running.

My daughter turned on all of the outside lighting which really lit up the courtyard where I was and down the drive to just the hood of the car.

The car then backed out and backed out onto the street on the opposite side of where it had been sitting. (couldn't catch a plate)

I think it went there because there is a 10-12 foot hedge down my property line that blocked my view on that side.

I kept watching/listening and my daughter tapped on the front glass to show me that she had retrieved my Benelli M-4.

I backed up to the entrance and she passed it to me then locked up again.

The car then creeped back out in front of my driveway, but not past where it could still turn in.

At this point I turned on the light on the M-4 (holding at a low ready). Then the car revved up and started leaving as the passenger side window came down.

I couldn't see the passenger seat and suspect it was laid all the way down. A female yelled something at me that ended with "you can go in your house now" and sped off.

This is literally unheard of where we live. The wildest thing that ever happens around here is someone got caught not picking up their dog dirt.

I don't know if it was nothing, a attempted car jacking, or home invasion.

I will try and add some pics for context.

Hopefully you all think I am just paranoid.

I don't think you're paranoid at all.

I think you just dodged a bullet.

Yyyeah, that doesn't look like a bad driveway for an ambush.

Man, that had to be scary. Glad you and your daughter had a plan and were prepared. I can’t imagine a scenario where it was a mistake on their part. I agree with the above poster, you dodged a bullet.

Sounds like you handled the situation very well.

Dunno if you have spare conduit in the ground out toward the road, but it would be great to have a switch in the house that would turn on several lights at the end of the driveway turning it into day out there while you are still in darkness.

Completely agree with the folks above. Your situational awareness and preparedness ensured you dodged what very likely was a potential home invasion.

I think it is safe to say that those in that car were up to no good.

Stay alert, watch yourselves. I'm sure everyone here is thinking; they could come back.

If you haven't already, I would contact the police and describe what happened to them as well. If you have people up to no good in your area, the more data points they have the more likely they are to get them.

^^^^^^^^^^

That's exactly what I was going to say, but you beat me to it....

They were up to no good. Never know whether it was douchebags who break into people's cars in the driveway or more sinister shit stains.

Every 5 or 6 months, a group of thugs hits my neighborhood and the 2 adjacent neighborhoods and it only takes a few hours. One thug drives the car, and 2 thugs walk each side of the street checking for unlocked cars. One such night they got 7 handguns, a BMW (owner left keys in it), and untold other items left in cars. Christmas a few years ago, my neighbor drove home 3 hours, carried the sleeping kid indoors, carried the presents indoors, but forgot about his wallet in the center console so they got $600 and all of his credit cards (used them as soon as the mall opened the next morning).

Additionally, I have seen a doorbell cam video where the thugs upped the ante by having one thug cover the front door with an AR-15 while the other thugs went through the vehicle in the driveway. I should've saved the doorbell cam video of that one.

If I were to see a suspicious car that I was certain I'd never seen on my street before, I would have kept driving and come back in five or ten minutes. If it was still there at that point I would have called the sheriff's dept to check it out.

This happened once a few months back and when we returned it turned out to be an Amazon delivery person that had moved another few houses down and was dropping a package. I guess they had parked in front of our house while they were yacking on the phone.

That said, it sounds like those losers were up to no good and I would definitely file a report.

My house got cased by a burglar a few years ago, it was 100% just that, cops could not have cared less. It was a ratty looking woman with a garbage can and a small child knocking on doors to see if people were home, said she just wanted to let me know my garage door was open (it was garbage night). She absolutely was not from the neighborhood. I need to get some cameras going.

I’ll be the one to say it, you did something seriously wrong.

You are in a vehicle, with some sort of off road capability, and your lawn looks like it has landscaping that can easily be driven over in an emergency.

DO NOT EVER GET OUT OF YOUR CAR IN THAT SITUATION.

What is important to you is in that JEEP, which is you and your daughter. The house can burn for all you care. Back the car up, and leave. If the person blocks you, gun it through the landscaping and leave while dialing 911.

You let an unarmed woman get out of the car at dusk/twilight/night and out of your sight in a situation where you do not know what is waiting behind your house?

It’s a stressful situation. Monday morning quarterbacking is easy, and I’m sorry to be the one. You passed the situational awareness test, but failed the response section.

I’m glad it turned out ok, but this could have ended up horribly. Next time leave, and dial 911 if the other car makes an aggressive maneuver or crashes into you.


Edit: Apologies for my tone. I grew up in LatAm where these sorts of things are common, its prevalent in South Africa and the rougher parts of the world too. You could have died with your response.

Your attention was certainly warranted. My only nitpick on your reaction is that I would not have let them see me with a weapon. You were prepared, and if they were up to no good I would want the element of surprise.

On the other hand, my guess would be a door dash delivery or simply wrong address. I’m basing this on “you can go in your house now”, as opposed to a stream of profanities. Sounds like they took offense to you (literally) being up in arms about them being in your neighborhood.

They could have already been inside the house for all you know, and the car was a getaway waiting for them to come out with the loot.

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:
If I were to see a suspicious car that I was certain I'd never seen on my street before, I would have kept driving and come back in five or ten minutes. If it was still there at that point I would have called the sheriff's dept to check it out....

That said, it sounds like those losers were up to no good and I would definitely file a report.

This is what I would have done, too.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:
If I were to see a suspicious car that I was certain I'd never seen on my street before, I would have kept driving and come back in five or ten minutes. If it was still there at that point I would have called the sheriff's dept to check it out....

That said, it sounds like those losers were up to no good and I would definitely file a report.

This is what I would have done, too.

Likely, but his reaction once he had committed to his driveway is the critical error here. He voluntarily gave up his method of leaving the area, the driver (daughter) separated from him and left his sight… I’m glad he’s ok, but damn. Why? You have insurance for the house, not against rape and murder.

South Africa - Woman rams another car in a similar situation.

quote:

Originally posted by reloader-1:

South Africa - Woman rams another car in a similar situation.

Those dudes are lucky she didn't run them over after they bailed.

First: I think your suspicions were thoroughly justified. That was as suspicious as all get out.

Secondly: I agree with reloader-1: The way you went about addressing your concern was all wrong. When I read about y'all getting out of the Jeep, then you sending her around back, my thought was "Oh no..."

I would never have left my vehicle in that situation.

For all you knew that car could've been the lookout for somebody that was already in the home or attempting to enter it from the rear.

I'm glad it worked out for y'all in the end. And I agree you need to notify the local constabulary of the incident.

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:

quote:

Originally posted by reloader-1:

South Africa - Woman rams another car in a similar situation.

Those dudes are lucky she didn't run them over after they bailed.

Shame she didnt