It’s mid-morning, just you and the dog. You’re getting out of the shower and there’s a knock at the door. You’re not expecting anyone, check the cameras, don’t recognize the vehicle or person and figure they’re selling something and will go away.

The next thing you know, they guy grabs a tool box out of the car and starts attempting to open your garage door imcluding pushing on it and trying to lift it:





What would you do?

This just happened to me and I’m curious what other people would do.

phone call to 911 in left hand, S&W in right hand

First, I would grab my robe and my Sig P229. Second, I would initiate a 911 call to report an active break in at my address. I would remain quiet and follow the instructions of the operator unless entry was made to my castle and then well.. this is Florida.

I would mosey on out and discuss the situation with the visitor. He's at the wrong address and is kind of aggressively trespassing at this point.

Would I be prepared to call the police? Yes. Would I be prepared to defend myself? Yes.

But before doing either of the above I'd probably crack my door and ask if I could help the guy. Looks like a decent car. He's dressed decently. His shirt has some sort of logo on it. He has a nice tool box with tools.

Common sense would tell me that it's a service man at the wrong address vs. some sort of criminal.

There was once a time that a customer gave me the wrong numerics to his recently deceased parents' unoccupied home. We were going to take his father's gun safe from the garage and bring it to his house and he provided a garage door code. Similar to your image we had our truck in the driveway, equipment unloaded, and I'm standing at the garage door punching in a number that wouldn't work.

It wasn't until I called him to let him know the door wouldn't open that we realized we were at the neighbor's house.

Robe on but open, shotgun, ready the chack chack speech.

a1abdj makes sense, he does have on what appears to be a company t-shirt, might be a garage door repairman at the wrong house.

I'd have 911 on the speed dial ready, and protection just in case.

Better safe than sorry. If you wait to call the police, it's too late.

Get the police on the phone and get them started to you.

quote:

Originally posted by xd45man:
First, I would grab my robe and my Sig P229. Second, I would initiate a 911 call to report an active break in at my address. I would remain quiet and follow the instructions of the operator unless entry was made to my castle and then well.. this is Florida.

I was thinking the same... until I read a1abdj:

quote:

Would I be prepared to call the police? Yes. Would I be prepared to defend myself? Yes.

But before doing either of the above, I'd probably crack my door and ask if I could help the guy. Looks like a decent car. He's dressed decently. His shirt has some sort of logo on it. He has a nice tool box with tools.

Common sense would tell me that it's a service man at the wrong address vs. some sort of criminal.

It's probably just a service man at the wrong address.

Call 911 . Arm myself . Make sure I have video and audio going . Open the door and ask him what the fuck does he think he is doing while keeping a safe distance . He has tools so he is armed . At that point the situation will probably change depending on his actions or the arrival of Police .

So, Trapper, When are you going to give us the Paul Harvey?

Call 911 and wait. If he broke through the garage door, he would have met with Mr P365. Criminals will impersonate anyone looking legit. There were no good reasons any legit company man should have attempted to open the garage door, especially seeing the homeowner's car parked right outside. Legit guy would have made a call to the homeowner notifying him, "Hey, I'm here and blah blah blah...".

When I get the rare knocks on my door, I answer verbally - while keeping it closed and locked - in a polite but challenging "who-goes-there-friend-or-foe" manner. The last two times it happened, it was the guy next door with a dead battery that needed a jump, and a pizza deliveryman at the wrong building. (This is a common mistake. I live in a small apartment complex with four separate buildings, each with their own street number.) If this guy was legit but mistaken, no harm, no foul. If not …

Also, assuming he was a legit repairman, it was a mistake on his part to continue fooling with the door without verification it was the right door, let alone one with a car against it.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

Also, assuming he was a legit repairman, it was a mistake on his part to continue fooling with the door without verification it was the right door.

Yes, should have gone to the front door, rang or knocked and waited.

however it is possible that if he is a garage door repairman, someone couldn't be home and told him to fix the door and to get it open.

He's in Florida. If he's a serviceman at the wrong address, he's an idiot for trying to break in without verifying he's at the right place. People get shot that way and he should know that.

That said, I would ask him what the hell he was doing and tell him police are on the way, but I don't need them to defend myself. This would be through an open window, not direct confrontation.

quote:

Criminals will impersonate anyone looking legit

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
This just happened to me and I’m curious what other people would do.

So what happened?

911 with my left hand, handgun in my right hand.

Is there more to the story??

Looking "legit" or not, there are a lot of scammers and scumbags out there using all kinds of uniforms at their disposal to trick neighbors and those they prey on-Fed Ex, UPS, etc., into thinking they are legit.

I would call the cops first, check the home cameras for accomplices and then make contact. If he is legit, he has no business trying to break into anyone's home and most companies would call or reschedule. His actions look really shady to me and unprofessional.

Not saying it doesn't happen but what repairman comes to a home with a car like that and doesn't have any business name, placard, etc., on the vehicle? I know Fed Ex sub-contracts out and people do that, which can be a big problem. Especially with someone is trying to break into a home.

To me, common sense is to use your head and never assume anything. I have seen/been to a few homes where people thought this or that, only to get surprised and become a statistic.