I used my flashlight for self defense last week.

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I want to share this so that people can learn and plan from my experience. I'll preface my story with some background information. I live on the outer border of a bedroom community in southwestern Connecticut. It is definitely not a rural area but at the same time it is not in the heart of the city. My home has a long driveway and we have had problems in the past with kids partying at the road end of it. Also, we have had some strained relations with the police in the past becasue they do not feel that it is their job to tell trespassers to leave our property in the middle of the night.

With that said, last Wednesday night my wife returned home from babysitting to discover a car and SUV parked at the end of our driveway. While she was calling me on her cell to inform me, a man (mid to late 20's) climbed out of the back of the SUV half dressed and started demanding to know who she was and why she was there. As she was explaining that he was on private property I arrived from the opposite direction. From my vantage point I could not see the man. What I saw was a woman crawling out of the SUV. At that point I began asking her what she was doing and pointed out the "No Trespassing" signs. Apparently the man did not like the fact that I was talking to his woman and started yelling "hey, hey, hey" while approaching me aggressively. At about 10 feet I lit up his face with my Ultrastinger. This seemed to shock and disorient him as he stopped dead in his tracks. I took a few steps back and he advanced again. I lit him up and again and he stopped again but I knew that this wouldn't work forever. I retreated again and this time he turned and started to approach my wife who was now on the phone to 911. I then shined my light on the registration tags of their cars and recited the numbers to my wife to pass on to the police. I also wanted to get his attention back to me. At this, the guy told his girlfriend to take off (which she did) and then turned on me and started saying "you'll be sorry" and "I'll make you sorry".
I was able to continue blinding him with one and two second flashes as he would start to advance. All the while he kept up his "sorry" statements but would not state an actual threat. At one point he even popped open the trunk of his car and started looking for something but I kept the tight beam in his eyes. Finally, after acting like he was going to leave and then changing his mind a few times he departed. About two minutes later the police, who had trouble finding my address, arrived. The evening concluded with the police tracking down both parties. The man was stopped, searched and found to have no weapons on him or in his car. The woman turned out to be a "foreign national" live-in au pair or nanny. Neither party was charged with anything but were told they would be arrested if they returned (Ain't America great!?).

I have left a lot of the step by step details out for the sake of brevity but let me tell you that this entire exchange was intense. My shoulders and thighs were sore for two days after from the adrenaline rush. Looking back, if I had known I was dealing with adults I would have been more cautious. Also, if my wife had not become hysterical when it became obvious that things were getting ugly (and if the guy hadn't kept himself between us) we would have retreated.

Equipment wise, I love my Ultrastinger but I really wish I had had a Tigerlight. Without a doubt, I would have emptied the pepper gas on this guy on his third advance if not sooner. No bull****! At that point in time I don't think I would have felt safe with a flamethrower and an elephant gun. What I think worked for me is that I kept my head together. I didn't draw a line in the sand and face off with him except to keep him from my wife. When I withdrew from him each time I did so at an angle so that he had to keep turning to follow me. I also got the impression that he was used to using his height to scare people (I am 5'6" and he was well over 6') but I kept calm and moved with purpose. I also think that I had him confused as well as blinded/disoriented since he couldn't see me well and didn't know what I was up to. I also kept analyzing his statements and trying to keep him off balance mentally (working career EMS for a state mental hospital gave me that skill). I'm not sure if it wasthe combination of things I did or just one but I was able to walk away.

Going forward, my wife and I have agreed that if either of us arrive home and find a car in the same spot we will leave and call the police (who have now agreed to respond). If need be, the police station for the next town over is a straight line from our place. I have also arranged for security lighting for the area. Finally, I have told my wife that if she ever does call me from the driveway I am going to assume, no matter what she says, that her life is in danger and I am going to respond appropriately.

As I said at the start of this post, I hope you can learn from this, plan, and be prepared. This situation went south in the blink of an eye. You may be a tough talker now but when it happens your going to wish you had done a million things differently. And yes, my flashlight helped me but at the time it felt as effective as a matchstick weapon wise. I would have much better off if my wife and I had had plan to evacuate the area when things didn't look right.


Chris

At least you had a flashlight to assist you in that capacity....98% of the general population of America wouldn't be as prepared as you were....I have always carried a G2 Nitrolon and your story reinforces why I always carry it....it may not be a fight stopper, but it probably will allow for a small window to escape or re-position yourself...thanks for sharing your experience.

Nice work Chris. I've turned away and ran from a few situations because I could. Why not avoid all the trouble and possible injuries when you can? I know some situations you have to stay and fight but most you don't have to.

Anyway, nice work with the flashlight. What is the lumen rating on one of those lights? I used my M2 with the P61 bulb on my friend that was attempting to scare me. He stopped immediately and turned away while i tackled him lol /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Glad you shared your story with us. I only hope to hear of more blindingly bright flashlights that help us out of tight situations.

A flashllight is a poor excuse for defense, you're lucky he didn't hurt you or your wife with your antics. What you needed was pepper spray and a pistol/shotgun.

You also need to do something about the access to your drive.

Torment:

The US is rated 75,000 CP and it was fresh off the charger. Afterwards, I had my wife practice the technique I used on me in a darkend room. Even knowing that the flash was coming I was disoreinted and had to turn my head. I also had a good lasting impression in my eyes for a few seconds. It seems that the brief, full power flash is better than sustained shine.

Certainly you being able to see them and keep them disoriented is helpful to a defensive situation. It sounds like you expected kids who would leave easily which unfortunately wasn't the case. I'm sure in retrospect you wish you had some Fox OC and/or a decent shotgun with you but at least you had something to help you hand the situation, much more than many who would have wandered out with a penlight to see what was happening.

I don't think anyone advocates using a high intensity flashlight as your only means of defense, but in a situation such as this it is a good starting point to get a handle on what you're dealing with (assuming the police won't respond themselves).

TKL-- According to a recent article in "Guns and Weapons for Law Enforcement" magazine, A bright, White light is one of the levels of self-defense. This article was written by a nationally known author who teaches self-defense for SWAT, LEO's, and FBI----the first level was a personal taser, a hand-held, that didn't shoot any prongs....due to the proximity involved---the next level, and this may surprise some, was a toss up between a bright, white light, and OC spray. He said that both can be used at a distance, both can be used to momentarily stop/disorient a person, and both can be easily carried on the person. I'm not sure about the law in CT, but in some states, it's illegal to use pepper spray, and in a lot of states, responding to a "you'll be sorry" with a 12 guage or a 1911 Kimber is not going to be viewed favoribly by the police. So, as the poster stated, he DID wish he had a tigerlite---but used what was available to him.

jbroker - agreed. Even on your own property deadly force is only appropriate in response to a deadly threat, which is why having levels of defense is a must.

Granted, the ideal situation is to have law enforcement that will respond to such calls and keep you safely in your house. It sounds like your new plan is a good one (wife leaves and calls the police) but it wasn't an option this time since law enforcement indicated they would not assist you with your trespassing problem.

All in all a good lesson and one that thankfully ended with you and your wife not harmed.

Re: I used my flashlight for self defense last wee

Sounds like you need to order a Tigerlight for yourself and one for your wife. I'm sure that was a very stressful situation. Glad it ended up ok.

Re: I used my flashlight for self defense last wee

My wife is in one of those professions where you sometimes have to go back in at night, and be one of a few cars left in the parking lot. I always send her with one of my brighter lights when she has to do this and she does keep a Mag 3D (sorry) in the car. But I would like to expand on this a bit.

I was considering an Ultrastinger or even the Tigerlight with OC. But those are just too big for her to carry with her and would only be useful from the car. This is not a bad thing, but there is also that long walk from the car to the building to consider.

Just how big IS a Tigerlight or the US? Do they compare with the 3D sized lights I'm used to? If so then they just can't be dropped into your purse! I'm thinking a Surefire with a P91 bulb in it might be a good solution. Light and small enough to still carry while still packing a bit of a sting if the situation called for it. And I need to replace her aging OC spray canister with something from FOX /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

What recommendations are there that are purse sized. She's just not going to strap a 6D Mag to her belt!

Chris, I am glad that neither yourself or your wife sustained any physical injury as a result of the event.

The Tigerlight is not small. I have the 8 inch NON OC model. It is thicker than the D mag body (the body anyway, head is bigger than Mag) and 8 inches long. The TL is a good investment for you're home in your case for the trespassers and need for a non-lethal weapon. the light is also really bright. Everyone looking into my TL beam just turns away. IT is very blinding.

I have a 2 ounce flip top bottle of Fox 5.3 million SHU OC spray thats purse size (pocket size for me) and a SF E2e on me as EDC. I have got some residual OC on me and holy crappers, it stings like heck, imagine getting sprayed with this stuff (I only experienced pepper spray 10% and that stuff had me down in like 20 seconds, just to much to bear, CS gas, I can breath that stuff.) The Fox Labs OC also has a UV marker dye for identification later if needed.

I was EDC'ing a knife for self defense, but knowing what I can do with one has me facing legal issues in the event I do use it. The OC spray for me is just a much safer option. Spray the attacker and run away. That is the best thing to do. Run away safely.

So I recommend the TL with OC for home use. For the wife a 2 ounce OC spray and maybe a SF E2e.

sounds like you handled the situation pretty well. Proof is in the fact that nobody got hurt. The keys were staying calm and THINKING. No need to introduce "shotguns" into your plan just yet. The same police officers that had trouble responding to your trespassing call would've had absolutely no problem cuffing you up for assault with a deadly weapon had you harmed one of those two bozos without proper cause. The sticky point for me was when the guy went back to his trunk. If you're not ready for the fight to escalate at that point i.e. tire iron time (or worse) then it's time to retreat with your wife and wait for the police. Just because officers said they searched his vehicle and found no weapons doesn't mean the guy didn't get rid of one or ten in the period between his leaving your property and when he was stopped. I'm glad you're okay, and get your wife a G2 - plenty light and plenty bright /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

The cell phone was also critical here. Your wife couldnt have warned you if it wasnt for it. Glad you are ok

It sounds like your driveway end has become lovers lane for some people.

A taser that shoots the prongs would've been helpful, even if you only sparked it a few times with the prong pack off. Most humans have a natural fear of electric shocks. I keep one in a little table drawer by my front door. A Tigerlight is always nearby too (I have 2 OC versions in the house) Also a good protective dog, like a German Shepherd or others, is a good level of defense as well as an early warning system, and a good lovable friend to have too. Motion sensing lighting at the end of your driveway combined with a barking dog would probably be enough to scare off most of these types of trespassers. And, if it's legal in your area, clearly a good handgun/shotgun combination would be a last line of defense. I keep an HK USP with a streamlight M6 mounted on it. Just the sight of the laser dot would stop most criminals from attempting bodily harm on my family.

James, I think the best thing would be a Z3 or C3 with P91 lamp assembly or a Z2 or 6P with P61. It should be a good solution.

Hope this is of some help,
Richard

good job--glad everything turned out well.

i am now re-thinking the usefulness of a very bright light. might be a tigerlight or ultrastinger in my future.

slightly off-topic: i have some pepper spray that is from UDAP. it was originally designed to repel bears. my wife carries a small one on her keychain, and we each have a larger version in our nightstands. anyone have any expierience with this brand?

sounds like when these expire, i should get some Fox.

thanks,
Bob

Good Job! Maybe you should consider a LEGALLY CARRIED pistol or at least some OC spray? What if you had to escalate your use of force beyond blinding with a flashlight? Then what? I'm am in no way trying to flame you for your tactics, it's great to hear that you came out of this fine but what would you have done if...?

It it's legal in some states, the best thing would be a gun with the brightest SureFire weaponlight you can find. By doing this, you'll havee three stages where you'll be able to intimidate the aggressor.
The first one is the action of getting your pistol out. By now, some people will just chicken out.
The second stage is turning the light on to blind and surprise the enemy. If this won't stop him....well, and now the third stage, shoot if you consider it appropiate. Maybe just in the air to frighten him.../ubbthreads/images/graemlins/xyxgun.gif
The thing is that, if you reach the third stage and shoot the bad guy, no matter where you hit him, you'll undergo legal procedures.

Another idea would be a baton with a modded batonlite on it. That would be a good non-lethal solution.

Glad to hear that all you guys got out of these situations without getting hurt.

Richard

Stay in your vehicle with the window 3/4 up, doors locked and engine running. If approached, drive forward or reverse as the situation warrants.

Your lady shouldn't have gotten out of her vehicle, much less stand around arguing and fiddling with the telephone.

You don't want to join her in her folly, get her in your vehicle with you, drop back and nuke the site from orbit.

BC