A time to talk and a time to fight.

[GP44]

A few years back and being a bit of a night owl I drove the few blocks to our only all night gas station late one night.
I parked just to the left of the door in front of the building and went inside and made a purchase and while paying for it the attendant said.
“See that guy out there at the pump, I’m pretty sure he is the guy who robbed me before.”
One reason why she was sure was because she recognized the kind of red shoes he had on.
You could tell that she was scared while telling how he had hit her over the head with his gun when he robbed her before.
I told her that I had my gun on me and that she needn’t be scared because I would hang around for a while.
I went back out and stood on the other side of the front of my car and watched the guy at the pump. I had the feeling he knew I was watching him although he never looked directly at me.
She came outside and stood behind me.
A police car drove by and she tried to flag it down but it just drove on.
It was dark and quiet only myself and the attendant and the guy who was messing around over by the pump.
He must have got in and out of the open drivers door five times and walked around his car sometimes opening the back door and reaching around in there.
I stood there with my hand on my gun in my pocket ready in case he drew a weapon from his car.
Finally after about fifteen minutes he got in his car and left.
I drove around the block a few times and around town and he was gone.
I told about this on a defensive forum and the guys said it wasn’t my place to protect her but I think that she was too scared to stay inside and call the police and although I had a cell phone I was intent on keeping an eye on him.
At a time like that you are either in or out and it’s either time to talk or time to be ready to fight.
That was another time when I won the war of nerves without having to draw my gun out to where anyone could see it as a threat to them.

 

[OldFeller]

So a guy who robbed a gas station and physically assaulted the clerk still hangs out at that gas station?

That seems so highly unlikely.
She could've been wrong about the guy at the pump being the perpetrator.

 

[hearlady]

There's a time to be a night owl and now, hopefully, a time to stay home at night.
I'm glad you protected her but there are all kinds of scenarios there.
Good thing you had your firearm though.

 

[WheatenLover]

Odd to me that the clerk didn't call the police, especially while you were out there keeping her safe. Also, I don't think that having on red shoes is enough evidence to arrest the guy, but the police showing up may have at least persuaded him not to come back to that station. Or, who knows, the police might have gotten fingerprint evidence (or other evidence, somehow) to either clear the guy or arrest him.

I'm glad you didn't end up in an altercation with the man such that you would have had to use your gun. It is fishy that he spent 15 minutes at the gas station. I can't think of a good reason for that, actually. I would have been quite suspicious, were I you. I'd probably have tried to photograph him, his car, and his license plate; I figure you didn't have the opportunity to sneakily do that.

I've had two crimes committed against me. The worst one was being kidnapped. That was really terrifying, but I managed to trick the kidnapper and get to a phone and call the police.

The other one, I called the police as soon as I scared the guy enough to make hastily leave my house. I knew his first name and that he belonged to Mensa. I called Mensa and they happily gave me his address and full name. This was 50 years ago, and it was easy to get information about people. Of course, I passed that info along to the police. Both times, I was unarmed. Except for the two appendages hanging off my torso, I have never been armed. I am good at figuring out a way to intimidate and scare people, in an emergency. The rest of the time, I am sweetness and light!

So, she may have been scared, but I can't grok that she was too scared to call the police, especially with your protection.