What would you do?

[grizman]

You are walking thru the parking lot of a retail store. Your attention is drawn to a male pulling a young girl, 8 or 10 years of age, by the forearm toward a parked car. She is screaming and throwing a fit. He is telling her to shut up. He picks her up and puts her in the front passenger seat and closes door. See's you watching and yell's " what are you looking at" as he opens drivers door you hear "I don't know you, where is mommy?" ... What do you do now? Call the police with a description and plate #. Ask if there is a problem. Ignore the situation.

 

[G_Stines]

Take the plate number and call the police.

 

[eldirector]

911
year, make, model, license plate, description of both people. If I'm quick enough with the camera phone, a pic or two as well.

No way to know if this is an abduction or just a kid throwing a fit.

 

[grizman]

lets say as your thinking over your options you hear from the outdoor speaker in the lawn and garden a code ADAM declared. The cars is backing out of the space and you hear I don't know you from the girl.

 

[rmabrey]

call the police

 

[finity]

There is no possible way I could not intervene in something like that. Calling the cops is not "intervening". Once they leave the scene then the odds of getting them back safely go WAY down.

If it's the girls parent I hope they would care about their kid enough to be thankful someone is willing to probably save their life if they were abducted (I know that's wishful thinking & they would possibly act like a JA ). If their not the kids parent I really don't care what they think.

Either way you would be completely justified in using deadly force to stop that person from leaving with the kid as soon as you heard "I don't know you". That would be a reasonable belief that someone was in threat of serious bodily harm at that point.

I would not NECESSARILY jump immediately to DF but depending on how the person responded to any questions determines my next steps.

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

Yeah I'd get involved. Probably take out a tire with my knife if possible, shoot it if necessary. An abducted child has four hours of life left. I'd rather have to buy a tire than read about a dead child I could have done something about.

 

[gohard43]

I like the idea of taking a tire out...never would have thought of that..definitely call the police with a plate number and if possible try to follow the vehicle at a safe distance...safe distance being trying to be discrete and hoping he doesn't know your following. You don't need to start a chase where the kid + bystanders would be killed by making the guy freak out and run a few red lights.

 

[grizman]

There is no possible way I could not intervene in something like that. Calling the cops is not "intervening". Once they leave the scene then the odds of getting them back safely go WAY down.

If it's the girls parent I hope they would care about their kid enough to be thankful someone is willing to probably save their life if they were abducted (I know that's wishful thinking & they would possibly act like a JA ). If their not the kids parent I really don't care what they think.

Either way you would be completely justified in using deadly force to stop that person from leaving with the kid as soon as you heard "I don't know you". That would be a reasonable belief that someone was in threat of serious bodily harm at that point.

I would not NECESSARILY jump immediately to DF but depending on how the person responded to any questions determines my next steps.

This scenario is not hypothetical. It played out several years ago at a WM right here in central IN. It was I walking thru the lot. The guy in question had in fact abducted the girl from the store. What did I do? I stepped in front of the car, drew my pistol and instructed the guy to put the car in park throw the keys out the window and place both hands on top of the steering wheel palms up. I told the girl to get down on the floor. Which to my surprise she did immediately. Why step in front of the car? The little girl was in the front passenger seat, if I were forced to fire I had to have a clear front to back shot. He complied and I held him at gun point while the mother removed the girl from the car and until the police arrived.

How did things go when the police arrived? Better than expected I will say. The first officer on scene approached weapon drawn at low ready and told me to holster my weapon. I responded "I will comply only after he is out of the car and cuffed." The officer asked if I had a lic to carry, I said yes. He then removed the fellow from the car cuffed him and turned to me and said "I need you holster the weapon sir" which I did. He told the man he was being detained until he sorted this out. The mother yelled he was taking my daughter. The store manager spoke up and told the officer that had it not been for my actions he would have gotten away with the girl. He then told the man he was under arrest for kidnapping and read him his rights and placed him in the back of his unit. He only then asked to see my LTCH, I held it up he glanced at it and told me to hang around he needed my statement. A second unit arrived and the officer told him to watch the prisoner. We went inside where the MGR played the security camera footage for us. The officer then turned to me shook my hand and said nice job. He took my statement, I testified to the grand jury about the incident. The man got a plea bargain deal and served only 2.5 years. I get a christmas card each year from the girls family.

That day I made a difference to that family and that little girl! I brought this up today because not long ago I saw that not so little girl in the new WM and she came up and thanked me for not letting anyhing bad happen to her that day. She still knew me on sight! Would I do it again? H#ll yes. This dosen't make me a hero. I just could not let that child be harmed anymore than I could have lived with myself if I turned a deaf ear and walked away! I am a man and a father. I feel it is my duty to protect those around me that can not! I would rather die helping than live knowing I allowed something horrible to happen to a child or a women and did nothing!
Thats just the way I am.

 

[mrjarrell]

Good job!

 

[Pocketman]

Yeah I'd get involved. Probably take out a tire with my knife if possible, shoot it if necessary. ...

Don't shoot out a tire in Carmel

Nice work grizman.

 

[dross]

I have a daughter. If I ever see you in person, you're getting a big hug from me. And I give good hug.

I'm glad the officer kept a cool head.

 

[dbd870]

The man got a plea bargain deal and served only 2.5 years.

This is the problem right here!

 

[eldirector]

Great big +1 for you, grizman!

Sounds like the mother was nearby during all of this. Someone yelling "He is taking my daughter" would have changed my answer quite a bit! Goes straight from "suspicious" to "clear and present danger"!

Glad it worked out well in your situation.

 

[jbombelli]

I couldn't say exactly what I would do until it happened. But it's safe to say I would somehow get involved, as I have kids myself. I would either call the cops and follow them while staying on the line, and give them all the info I could, and take pics if possible, or maybe actively stop the guy. Depends on how it played out.

 

[IndyMonkey]

Offer up tape to keep the kid from yelling.

 

[96firephoenix]

hard to be the armchair quarterback on this one. I pray I would have the wits to do the same, but without being in that spot, I can't say.

 

[finity]

Outstanding job on acting when it absolutely counted to save that girls life.

Reps incoming.

 

[rockhopper46038]

Honestly can't rep you enough to matter. Honored you're here on the forum.

 

[chewylax8]

Fantastic job grizman, and what a calm, professional response by the cop. I only wish I have that kind of courage and initiative if I'm ever in a situation like that.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." ~Edmund Burke