CHL rescues mom

[GhostTX]

A 30-year-old mother is lucky today after the quick-thinking of a stranger helped save her from a mugging.

The mother of two who was dragged across a Texas shopping center parking lot this week, clinging to her purse while two suspects in a sedan tried to snatch it.

That’s when the stranger, who was armed, stopped the would-be thieves and forced them to lie on the ground while they waited for the police to arrive.



“This lady opens her car door, grabs the woman’s purse and they reverse. While they’re trying to reverse, the lady is holding on to her purse still, chasing them all the way to the middle,” Brenda Vasquez, manager of a Houston Family Dollar store who witnessed the incident, told KHOU-TV. “And that good Samaritan came out, drew his weapon and scared them. And that’s when he pulled them out of the car.”

A store’s surveillance camera pointed toward the parking lot caught the scene. Watch it courtesy of KHOU:

The male and female suspects, identified as 34-year-old Shamarion Diana Brooks and 48-year-old Jesse Leroy Grace were arrested by the Houston Police Department. Brooks was charged with felony possession of an unlawful substance and robbery by threat, while Grace saw felony charges of unauthorized use of motor vehicle and robbery by threat.

Neither the mother nor the man who Vasquez called a “hero” were identified. Police department spokesman John Cannon told TheBlaze the citizen who held the suspects until officers could arrive is a witness in the case, which is why his identity is not being released.

When asked to comment on the man’s actions, Cannon said that “the citizen did what he thought was right at the time. In some instances, witnesses do that and other times they play it safer and just get good descriptions.” The police department does not endorse one action over another Cannon said. The man’s gun was checked out by police and given back to him.

According to KHOU, the good Samaritan bought his children some candy after the incident and drove away. Vasquez said that while the mother was scared, she was thankful for the help she received.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/04/29/two-suspects-who-dragged-mom-across-a-parking-lot-get-a-swift-lesson-in-texas-concealed-carry-law/

[03trubluGT]

I don't see where it discusses that the witness had a CHL?

[Gtracer]

And why did they inspect his firearm?

[silverhatch]

And why did they inspect his firearm?

Maybe it was nice.

[Venom]

Why didn't he shoot them? I was under the impression that you aren't allowed to use a concealed weapon to intimidate or detain anyone. If you brandish it, you better use it.

[CJ]

Maybe it was nice.

lol

[Jewrrick]

And why did they inspect his firearm?

The only reasonable thing I can think of is to make sure it wasn't a stolen weapon?

[Nash B.]

Why didn't he shoot them? I was under the impression that you aren't allowed to use a concealed weapon to intimidate or detain anyone. If you brandish it, you better use it.

Why didn't he shoot them? Because it wasn't necessary to stop the threat.

And yes, you're allowed to use the threat of deadly force instead of deadly force.

[whitetrash]

And why did they inspect his firearm?

Check to see that no rounds were fired? Make sure stories matched the evidence.

And anytime they get called with a firearm being out they are gonna disarm the person for their own safety.

[Gtracer]

Check to see that no rounds were fired? Make sure stories matched the evidence.

And anytime they get called with a firearm being out they are gonna disarm the person for their own safety.

And anytime they get called with a firearm being out they are going to disarm the person for their own safety.[/QUOTE]

I can understand the “disarm for your safety” part, but that doesn’t require an inspection of my firearm nor does that require them to check if my firearm is stolen.

I am not the one committing the crime here is the angle I am seeing this from. So I also do see where they could check to see if the firearm is stolen, but again, I am not the one committing the crime here...

Checking to see if rounds were fired, again I can understand this...had someone been shot

I guess to me it just feels like they are fishing for any other crimes while there to take the two purse snatchers into custody...however, if you weren’t called here because of me firing my gun off, shooting someone or a mad man waiving a gun around...again, why are they checking my firearm?

I also guess my perspective could also be formed from the fact that I just don’t trust the police…especially in Irving where I have been pulled over for many reasons. My two favorites, “your license plate light is red”, “Oh, it must have been the light reflecting off the paint”…and the “oh, I just liked the way your car sounds and wanted to talk to you about it”.

[Jewrrick]

Check to see that no rounds were fired? Make sure stories matched the evidence.

And anytime they get called with a firearm being out they are gonna disarm the person for their own safety.

This makes sense, if the would be robbers said that the guy fired at them, an easy way to check that story would be to inspect the firearm.

[Chili]

Who knows why they used the term "inspect", and what, if anything they did. I would not put too much emphasis on the choice of words by the writer. We've repeatedly established that reporters are morons.

And yes, you can pull it when responding to the appropriate threat, as Nash B said. From the way my CHL instructor explained, pulling it out without pointing (just letting it hang down) would be considered using "force". So if you are otherwise allowed to use "force" in the situation, that would be legit. So, for example (and I am not necessarily encouraging this), say someone was in your front yard yelling and being threatening, and will not remove themselves from your property upon your request. At that point you are allowed to use "force" to remove them. Pulling out your firearm without pointing it at them would be considered "force", and would be ok. You would not be justified in aiming at them, or shooting them, at that point (depending on the circumstances). But then, if they charge you, and you reasonably feared for your life, you could.

Pointing it at someone (without shooting) is ok as well, as long as you would be justified in using deadly force given the circumstances.

From the story it seems that they were in the car, reversing away, while "dragging" her in some way. The Samaritan can easily say he feared that the victim's life was in danger, justifying him in using deadly force.

Not to say he still won't be / can't be arrested, but at least he has a defense.

[Chili]

I can understand the “disarm for your safety” part, but that doesn’t require an inspection of my firearm nor does that require them to check if my firearm is stolen.

I am not the one committing the crime here is the angle I am seeing this from. So I also do see where they could check to see if the firearm is stolen, but again, I am not the one committing the crime here...

Checking to see if rounds were fired, again I can understand this...had someone been shot

I guess to me it just feels like they are fishing for any other crimes while there to take the two purse snatchers into custody...however, if you weren’t called here because of me firing my gun off, shooting someone or a mad man waiving a gun around...again, why are they checking my firearm?

I also guess my perspective could also be formed from the fact that I just don’t trust the police…especially in Irving where I have been pulled over for many reasons. My two favorites, “your license plate light is red”, “Oh, it must have been the light reflecting off the paint”…and the “oh, I just liked the way your car sounds and wanted to talk to you about it”.

Hell, all the story really says is "checked out by police". As vague as that is, it could be just like silverhatch implied. "Hey man, can I check out your pistol? It looks nice!"

[Gtracer]

Hell, all the story really says is "checked out by police". As vague as that is, it could be just like silverhatch implied. "Hey man, can I check out your pistol? It looks nice!"

True, all these FTP stories have me extra skeptical at times. Kind of forgot that the writers are morons...guess I got caught up in the story.

[GhostTX]

Who knows why they used the term "inspect", and what, if anything they did. I would not put too much emphasis on the choice of words by the writer. We've repeatedly established that reporters are morons.

And yes, you can pull it when responding to the appropriate threat, as Nash B said. From the way my CHL instructor explained, pulling it out without pointing (just letting it hang down) would be considered using "force". So if you are otherwise allowed to use "force" in the situation, that would be legit. So, for example (and I am not necessarily encouraging this), say someone was in your front yard yelling and being threatening, and will not remove themselves from your property upon your request. At that point you are allowed to use "force" to remove them. Pulling out your firearm without pointing it at them would be considered "force", and would be ok. You would not be justified in aiming at them, or shooting them, at that point (depending on the circumstances). But then, if they charge you, and you reasonably feared for your life, you could.

Pointing it at someone (without shooting) is ok as well, as long as you would be justified in using deadly force given the circumstances.

From the story it seems that they were in the car, reversing away, while "dragging" her in some way. The Samaritan can easily say he feared that the victim's life was in danger, justifying him in using deadly force.

Not to say he still won't be / can't be arrested, but at least he has a defense.

PC §9.04. THREATS AS JUSTIFIABLE FORCE. The threat of force is
justified when the use of force is justified by this chapter. For purposes of
this section, a threat to cause death or serious bodily injury by the
production of a weapon or otherwise, as long as the actor's purpose is
limited to creating an apprehension that he will use deadly force if
necessary, does not constitute the use of deadly force.

https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/internetforms/Forms/CHL-16.pdf

And there's a video in the link, where you can see the "rescuer" on the ground as the police sort out the good guys from the bad.