About 3:00 AM on a recent Friday in Chicago, a man and a woman, 22 and 21-years-old, were driving somewhere when the drivers of two white sedans were able to box them in and stop their car. One of the white sedan drivers got out of his car and started shooting at the car they stopped. The young lady was hit twice in her arm and again in her leg.
The 22-year-old driver, who had a valid concealed carry permit, then returned fire striking the attacker in the leg. At this point, they were able to drive away but the attackers gave chase and eventually were able to cause the victims to crash their car into a building.
The woman and the injured attacker were taken to the hospital. The other occupants of the white sedans fled and are at large. Originally reported by CWB Chicago.
Notice that this happened at 3:00 AM in Chicago. There is really not much of anything good that happens in the middle of the night in large metro cities like this. Maybe this couple had a perfectly legit reason to be out that late but much potential trouble can be easily avoided by being off the streets at that hour.
Of course, this has all the earmarks of a targeted attack. It still could have been avoided by not being where the attackers would have the opportunity to strike. Just because you have a right to be out driving in the small hours of the morning doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.
The questions for concealed carriers are how good are your defensive driving skills and can you effectively draw from behind the wheel of your car? Do you know how to shoot through the side glass or the windshield of your car? Would you even consider shooting through the glass or would you try to exit the car to obtain a good line of fire?
Traveling to get in vehicle live-fire training would be difficult for most of us but there is online/DVD training available that can be practiced dry fire. Maybe something to think about.
I can think of many legal and legitimate reasons to be driving at 3AM, way to victim shame there cupcake…
@Doug Springer
This was not victim shaming but pointing out the wisdom of not putting yourself in a position where this sort of thing can happen. Anyone can be out at any time, anywhere (except some places during this covidiocy period) but it is smart to not needlessly place yourself in a dangerous situation unless necessary.
Now, that being said, let me share this. I always enjoy the look of the salesperson at the car dealership when I take a test drive. I advise them that I want to do some “non-standard” road tests and ask for permission to do a little more than just stop & go and a leisure highway ride. I always tell them to make sure their seatbelt is tight and then try a j-turn. Once the color returns to their face and they can talk again I explain that any vehicle I own must be capable of my driving ability.
In executive protection, which I have done, driving skills are important and that includes evasion techniques. I think a few of these maneuvers could be good for people to learn.
Also, having been trained, and training officers to shoot through windows, I have no problem doing this if it is necessary. It is important to know a couple things: first, your windshield and side windows have different kinds of glass. The safety glass in your side windows will instantly completely shatter and you will not be able to see out of it. The windshield is laminated and will not occlude your view the same. Also, that when you’re wearing a seatbelt it can be •very• difficult to access a holstered pistol! Especially if you are carrying concealed! Not only will your shirt (or jacket/coat, etc) be in the way but the seatbelt will hold everything tight, as designed! After buckling up it’s important to adjust your holster and garments so that you can access your pistol quicker.
However, the most important skill to develop is situational awareness! That will have the biggest affect on events like this.