My experience in Mongomery Alabama...

[Bowling_R]

I just got back from vacation today and thought you I'd share my experience during a stop in Montgomery Alabama.

My family, ( 5yr old girl, 4yr old girl, and a 1yr old boy, and wife).

We were traveling down to Gulf Shores Alabama when my 4 yr old decided she had to "pee" and BAD, so I took the next exit I could find.

When I got off the exit I wheeled it into the closest gas station I could find.......As I was helping my wife unload the girls, (both had to go now) I realized we were being watched by pretty much the whole gas station.

After my wife hustled the kids into the station I closed the door to my van and decided to smoke a cigarette, that is when I noticed a man near the rear passenger side of my van, I casually walked to the front passenger side crossing across the front to see what he was doing.

That is when I saw his gun poking out of the front of his pants for the world to see, I was kind of shocked, about his appearance , and his preferred carry method, but hey I thought "different area, different culture, whatever."
He knew I was looking at him out of the corner of my eye, and I was also watching for my wife and kids to come out of the station............

As this is happening, another car pulls up next to my passenger side of my van one space over and the guy walks up on the gas station side walk passing me and proceeds to stare me down and mumble something in a thick southern accent ,the other car has only 1 guy in it..................as soon as that guy opens his door, the guy with the gun blocks him from getting out and PULLS HIS GUN.

Now this is where I will tell you I started shaking like a leaf......nothing else mattered......I didn't want to pull my gun and save the day....I went from being somewhat aware of my situation to totally scared....All I wanted is for my wife and kids to get in so I could get them out of that situation......and by the way my 1 yr old is in the van.....


As he pulls his gun 2 of his buddies pop out from behind the building and start saying something....one looked at me and said something to the one with the gun and when he looked over at me that is when I actually moved my shirt and put my hand on my gun..........I was behind the front drivers fender and they could not see, but I failed to realize that all the other people including the ones inside the station could.....

At this time my wife pops out of the station with my little ones running up to the car, my wife can see by my face that all is not well, I tell her to put the kids in the car, as she was doing so the guy being "held up" throws his car into reverse and makes a break for it..

As he is making a break for it I push my wife in the door with my kids, shut it, I jump in put my gun on my lap and proceeded to bust ass out of the lot.......

I could not stop from shaking, and it made me realize, that whatever you think you might do, how well you think you are prepared, you don't know how you are going to react until you are in that situation.....

All I wanted to do was RUN from that situation just to get my kids outta there.......It was a truly humbling experience.

By the way my wife said everyone in the store was watching "something" out in the parking lot but no one was calling the cops......and neither did anyone pumping gas.. they all just watched.

 

[mrjarrell]

LOL. Welcome to Alabama.

 

[9mmfan]

That's Alabama! Awhile back after Katrina hit, the medical office I worked for became part of the relief effort and drove through Alabama on the way. We pulled off an interstate for gas and it was like being transported to a 1970's movie made in the red light district. I didn't know the made suits the colors I saw. Needless to say, I stayed in the motorhome and just gawked.

 

[tyler_durden]

They weren't undercover cops making a bust were they?

 

[Hooker]

I don't think any amount of training could hav prepared you for that!
How would you even dream up a scenario where you may have to defend
yourself but you have one kid in the car and your wife and other kids are
somewhere else and may appraoch at any time?
There is no way to protect them all.

Regardless, you are fine and your family is fine.
Who knows how many things you did right and don't even realize it?

Maybe all that southern mumbo jumbo was them telling you to scram

 

[Bowling_R]

I don't think it would have been possible for them to be undercover cops, given that the guy/kid couldn't have been more than 18, and the way he was dressed....sweat pants rolled up at the waist with a shiny Taurus/beretta whatever..sticking out the front... a jersey tucked in behind it, dew rag and Elvis bling sunglasses....looked more like someone you would see in national geographic on a story about Liberia.....

 

[Hotdoger]

I have lots of kin in Ala.

Never stop in Montgomery or Birmingham.

I try to stay out of all southern big cities. No different than Detroit!

 

[Oliver]

Damn. Glad your family is safe.
I know a lot was on your mind, but did you call 911?

 

[tyler_durden]

I don't think it would have been possible for them to be undercover cops, given that the guy/kid couldn't have been more than 18, and the way he was dressed....sweat pants rolled up at the waist with a shiny Taurus/beretta whatever..sticking out the front... a jersey tucked in behind it, dew rag and Elvis bling sunglasses....looked more like someone you would see in national geographic on a story about Liberia.....

Haha well judging by that description I would say you're right. Not cops. Just thuggery.

 

[1946]

I have lots of kin in Ala.

Never stop in Montgomery or Birmingham.

I try to stay out of all southern big cities. No different than Detroit!

DING! DING! DING! We have a winner!
Every word of this quote is a verbatim of what I was going to say.
I too have lots of kin in Ala. and what Hotdoger said is no exaggeration.

 

[printcraft]

DING! DING! DING! We have a winner!
Every word of this quote is a verbatim of what I was going to say.
I too have lots of kin in Ala. and what Hotdoger said is no exaggeration.

That really sucks.

Not what you said, but the state of the world in general.

People that can not live in a civilized society are a cancer.

 

[Security122]

I have lots of kin in Ala.

Never stop in Montgomery or Birmingham.

I try to stay out of all [STRIKE]southern[/STRIKE] big cities. No different than Detroit!

This is good advice anywhere. Every city has its' bad part of town, some larger than others, and the interstate highways generally run through those parts of town.

 

[littletommy]

Sounds like a situational awareness breakdown. I'm not trying to run you down, but you walked right into a very bad situation.

 

[Elvis]

Sounds like a situational awareness breakdown. I'm not trying to run you down, but you walked right into a very bad situation.

I disagree.. There was no way to possibly see this coming and when the women have to pee you stop.. where ever. Once he got out of his car sounds like he was very aware of his surroundings and handled them just fine. He was in a tuff spot with the family seperated. I dont know what you could have done better, you and your family are safe thats all that really matters.

Bowling_R

 

[red_zr24x4]

Sounds like a situational awareness breakdown. I'm not trying to run you down, but you walked right into a very bad situation.

I disagree. There was no sign of trouble when he pulled in. The family exited the van. THEN the thug approached the van, which he saw and moved to keep the van between himself and the thug. Then he had the front of the van,the most solid part(motor) between himself and the action.
Sounds like good choices to me for what was going on.

 

[Rampdog]

Seems to me like Bowling didn't get jumped because he was aware of the thugs. Had he not seen bling boy near the back of his van he and his family might have been at the top of the hit list. Sounds to me like the situation was handled in the best way possible. No armchair strategizing here. He got his family away without incident. You can't ask for more than that.

 

[littletommy]

Hey I'm just sayin, when I'm on the road, I have very tight SOP for where I will stop. If I do have to stop someplace I don't really like, I will certainly not send in the wife and kids alone, and the fact they came back out, right in the middle of a bad situation, really scares me. I wasn't there, so I'm basing my opinion on what the OP said. Sounds like a lot could have went wrong, but I'm very glad it didn't.

 

[rockhopper46038]

Scary stuff. Glad everyone is safe.

 

[E5RANGER375]

Hey I'm just sayin, when I'm on the road, I have very tight SOP for where I will stop. If I do have to stop someplace I don't really like, I will certainly not send in the wife and kids alone, and the fact they came back out, right in the middle of a bad situation, really scares me. I wasn't there, so I'm basing my opinion on what the OP said. Sounds like a lot could have went wrong, but I'm very glad it didn't.

this! someone might just have to pee in a bottle or on the side of the road depending on the safety of the area.

 

[Bowling_R]

Everyone has a valid point, I know know I'll clean pee out of the seat before I stop in an unfamiliar gas station..lol.
just one thing, I had to stay with the van due to my 1yr old boy in his car seat sleeping......