What to do about scumbags checking car doors at night?

[birddog]

Had someone break into my car and dig through the glove box and console box. They took a couple gift cards worth less than $50, left my $200 sunglasses, and missed a bank bag with $2500ish in it under my seat.

I had a contract for concessions for a football game, and forgot to bring the cash in after a late night game. Glad I don't have that contract anymore, as I hated carrying a bunch of cash around at night.

I don't leave anything of value in my car. They can break in, and they have, but they get pretty much nothing of value.

Along road. tired and needing to fill up the tank, on impulse I clean the food wrappers, cups, misc trash and walked over to a dumpster to dispose it due to the size of the trash bag . A day and after a good nights rest, I was startled by the realization I'd thrown close to 20 grand away that Id put inside a McDonalds food sack.

I thought it was a good hiding place, which spparently it was.

I saw a bud lose a Super Bowl ring and solid Gold rolex with diamond bezel. Took it off and set it on the transom to get a trophy pic with his fis, he was talking as he handed the fih to the deckhand and ldistracted, he leaned back to sit on the edge of the rail and knocked the cup his stuff was in out of the rod holder he hadset it in,

 

[birddog]

My truck looks so shitty they never bother it!

Shitty truck, dumpy house, at least your decorator chose an iexpensive and low maintenance decorative theme, Not many paople can pull it off tastefully. An $80k loaded pickup sitting in the driveway of a repo'd doublewide is indicative of extremely poor taste and breeding.

You did good.

 

[V-Tach]

Made a personal decision long ago....I will not shoot someone over property alone. I can replace it.

Unintended consequences..................

I shoot some young douchebag during an auto burglary. The chances of me running into mom, dad, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins at the Post Office, HEB, Wal-Mart, the high School Football game in our little town forever.........are high.....

Like I said, personal decision.....but that's not saying I wouldn't intervene the burglary and protect myself or family if need be.....

jmho.....

 

[baboon]

Shitty truck, dumpy house, at least your decorator chose an iexpensive and low maintenance decorative theme, Not many paople can pull it off tastefully. An $80k loaded pickup sitting in the driveway of a repo'd doublewide is indicative of extremely poor taste and breeding.

You did good.

Funny when I bought the house it didn't cost $80K, yet has appreciated pretty well. Not many $80K trucks will do the same!

 

[oldag]

Well, working backwards through your post, I don't see anyone campaigning to remove shoplifting from the penal code. If you are referring to the Dallas DA, he is refusing to prosecute SOME misdemeanor theft based on a non-published seemingly arbitrary standard. I still don't see that has removing theft from the code.

Your "invite them in for ice tea" is hyperbole that doesn't make sense. You have a right to use a reasonable amount of force to prevent theft, including deadly force if it meets the criteria. If "deadly force or nothing" are your only viable options you should probably just stay in the house unless you have severe circumstances, like the guy confined to the wheelchair...

For me, there is lesser amounts of force. There is citizens arrest where you can DISPLAY a firearm to stop the theft without actually pressing the trigger. Lots of options, and I can tell you this, I won't kill someone just over stuff.

Displaying a firearm to stop a theft is a slippery slope.

Personally, I do not intend to ever display a firearm unless I am convinced I have to use it.

 

[txinvestigator]

Displaying a firearm to stop a theft is a slippery slope.

Personally, I do not intend to ever display a firearm unless I am convinced I have to use it.

No its not. Chapter 9 of the penal code makes it clear the display of a firearm used to create the apprehension that deadly force will be used if necessary, is NOT deadly force.



Cops use that all of the time.

 

[FireInTheWire]

"Pest eradication", to me, means possums/squirrels/feral cats/venomous snakes/etc. Are you somehow trying to imply more than that or that I mean more than that?

I was just trying to be funny. It didn't work for me. Sorry

 

[oldag]

No its not. Chapter 9 of the penal code makes it clear the display of a firearm used to create the apprehension that deadly force will be used if necessary, is NOT deadly force.



Cops use that all of the time.

I was not clear. I was not saying from a legal standpoint. Rather from a situational standpoint.

So the perp stops. Apologizes, starts very slowly walking toward you begging forgiveness. Will you pull the trigger if you cannot retreat and the perp keeps walking? Maybe some folks will pull the trigger without hesitation. But some folks will be hesitant to do so. Maybe to the point of waiting too late. It has happened.

And other scenarios exist as well.

Some (not you) suggest using a baseball bat (hopefully that was hyperbole). You go after someone with a bat, they pull a gun. Oops.

Discretion can be the better part of valor.

 

[V-Tach]

Yes, what if the perp calls your bluff?

Sometimes presenting a gun can cause more problems than it was intended to solve......

Something we discuss with students in our classes......

You get it right....might make the local news/paper......

Get it wrong....National news........and poster child for anti-gunners...

 

[toddnjoyce]

Lots of hypotheticals here, so I decided to go back to the OPs original questions.

...

Q1. What can I legally do to cause as many problems for these assholes as possible?

Q2. Can they sue me if I glue razor blades to the door handles?

I’m going to frame these differently:

Q1. What can be done to deter thieves without incurring a criminal charge or civil case?

Q2. Is someone criminally or civilly liable if they create a trap and an unknowing party is injured by that trap?

The key to avoiding civil or criminal liability probably lies with good legal advice from current practicing attorney’s that specialize in those areas.

 

[CyberWolf]

No its not. Chapter 9 of the penal code makes it clear the display of a firearm used to create the apprehension that deadly force will be used if necessary, is NOT deadly force.



Cops use that all of the time.

Just to play devil's advocate - where's the line between this and "brandishing" (which, if I'm not mistaken, is an offense under the TX penal code, §22.05)?

Yes, what if the perp calls your bluff?

Sometimes presenting a gun can cause more problems than it was intended to solve......

.....

You get it right....might make the local news/paper......

Get it wrong....National news........and poster child for anti-gunners...

^^^this...very much this^^^

 

[V-Tach]

The discussion is auto burglary.....so...

You would be legal to present a firearm to stop an auto burglary...

You get cut off in traffic and wave/point your Glock at the other driver....

If you don't get shot by the other driver with his AR.....you can be arrested for brandishing......

TXI, correct if I'm wrong....

 

[BRD@66]

Had someone break into my car and dig through the glove box and console box. They took a couple gift cards worth less than $50, left my $200 sunglasses, and missed a bank bag with $2500ish in it under my seat.

I had a contract for concessions for a football game, and forgot to bring the cash in after a late night game. Glad I don't have that contract anymore, as I hated carrying a bunch of cash around at night.

I don't leave anything of value in my car. They can break in, and they have, but they get pretty much nothing of value.

Mr. Kotter, I'm so confused!

 

[Dad_Roman]

I was startled by the realization I'd thrown close to 20 grand away that Id put inside a McDonalds food sack.

Soooooo, I gotta know. Didja go back and find it?

 

[SQLGeek]

Mr. Kotter, I'm so confused!

He lights cigars with $100 bills so....

 

[TheDan]

Yes, what if the perp calls your bluff?

Right? Kind of reminds me of those idiots arguing over trash. We can't exactly know what their thought process was(if any), but assuming they were brandishing firearms in the hopes that hot head with the bat would just back off it didn't work out that way. Now they get to enjoy all of us Monday morning quarterbacking them and their "peers" deciding their fate.

I still think letting aggressors know you have a firearm to get them to cool down is a valid tool, but you gotta be ready to actually use it if they persist.

 

[birddog]

Soooooo, I gotta know. Didja go back and find it?

I contacted the sheriffs dept of the county that the store was in. They took a report, but that was pretty much the last I heard about the matter.

 

[txinvestigator]

I was not clear. I was not saying from a legal standpoint. Rather from a situational standpoint.

So the perp stops. Apologizes, starts very slowly walking toward you begging forgiveness. Will you pull the trigger if you cannot retreat and the perp keeps walking? Maybe some folks will pull the trigger without hesitation. But some folks will be hesitant to do so. Maybe to the point of waiting too late. It has happened.

**sigh** If you are not prepared to deal with that then don't go confront the guy(s). Pretty simple concept. My response is for those who think deadly force or nothing are the only things that can be done about an auto burglary, and they don't want to do nothing so they think they should just shoot someone.

Discretion can be the better part of valor.

No disagreement from me!

 

[txinvestigator]

Personally, I do not intend to ever display a firearm unless I am convinced I have to use it.

To this point, if a person had a deadly weapon such as a baseball bat and were too far away to hit you with it, but began to approach you with it and verbally threatened to rip your head off, would you not draw BEFORE they could administer deadly force against you, or would you wait until they were close enough so you HAD to shoot?

 

[txinvestigator]

Yes, what if the perp calls your bluff?

..

What bluff? How would he "call" it? In a situation where you draw on a car burglar I can foresee three responses

1) He runs away
2) He obeys my commands to get on the ground and wait for the police
3) he attacks me

Only in #3 do I need to do something different, and the totality of the circumstances will dictate my course of action.