Confronted Someone Breaking Into My Car Last Night
 

Last night I took my (young adult) kid into San Francisco for dinner.

I drove his car (2017 VW Golf wagon). Any time I go into the city I know not to leave even a charger cable visible in the car and I moved a thermos and beach chair into the trunk before we left.

Driving through the city I mentioned "A lot of people say SF is full of tents and human feces. Look, there's none of that anywhere" (true on our route).

Parked at the curb in a residential street and went to the restaurant. While being seated I said "did I lock the car? ... I must have, no way I would forget to."

I should've gone to check, but it was a three block walk and we were seated. I thought no big deal.

After dinner walking to the car we came around the corner, I beeped the key fob, saw the lights flash on our car, but the drivers door was wide open.

Everything after this, happened really really fast.

I was at the driver's side of the car face to face with a guy who looked kinda like Joe Burrow. He was standing by the open door, holding the entire contents of the glove box and center console.

I said, loudly, "Hey this is our car! that's our stuff!"

He immediately put everything on the roof of the car and stepped back.
"I'm sorry man. I'm sorry. Okay...I'm sorry. Just trying to get by."

I said "Not us. Not tonight. it's my kid's car, man. There's nothing."

Dude walked off briskly.

That was it, over as fast as it happened.

Basically it was a $4 pair of liquor store sunglasses and a stack of old car repair receipts and expired registration slips and old UC Santa Cruz parking passes.

Now, we'd all like to think we're a bunch of badasses on here. And I've played out robbery or mugging scenarios in my head plenty of times, imagining me the hero. I'm 6'2" 240 Lbs, bald (no goatee) but I've been told I have a mean resting face.

I'm no badass. But I've been told I have an "Imposing look"

I checked that my kid was OK. He said yeah. I apologized for not locking the car.

Probably the most tame car robbery incident I could imagine, and I am glad.

I'm a bonehead for forgetting to lock the car. And more so for not going back to check.
I'm lucky we walked up when we did but he really would not have stolen anything of value. But I don't want anybody having anything with my name and address on it.

Just glad I didn't try to tackle the guy or escalate it. And lucky he didn't have a knife or other weapon. Dude looked like he was late for his shift at Chipotle. No hoodie, not tweaker face. Didn't even seem on drugs.

Just saying, it didn't go as I would have imagined but I'm glad it didn't, especially with my son there.

The owner of a restaurant in a decent part of town in KC was shot for trying to stop the same thing a couple of weeks ago.

Can't be too careful these days.

Societal decay everywhere you look.

Sad!

This homeless guy not live anywhere near you?

At least you met a polite thief

At least you didn't step in human feces!

My dad once found a guy crouched over on his front seat taking out his car stereo after breaking into his car around 40 years ago when he was an elite 6'4, 260 pound athlete. He sat on him, yelled for someone to call the cops (as there were no cell phones) and kept him there until the cops arrived to arrest him. It sounds like your thief at least had a better day than that one did back then.

At least he didn't shit in your car.

Well he was going to. Just a couple minutes too soon.

Next time this happens to you remember to say "Meet me at the George Brett statue after the final whistle, pussy"

And if he does travel all the way to KC to meet you then you have a great opportunity to kick his ass without your son there.

SF is a shit hole.

Glad that deescalated quickly. I'm sure your adrenaline spiked hard and quickly with your kid there.

I would strongly recommend you grow the goatee before you think about going into the city again so people will understand you mean business. It's just smart.

Nah, I disagree. It does have shitty places just like KC, Miami, Vegas and any other big city.

Found the issue

What I've gathered from this story is that criminals try their best to look like Joe Burrow so that they can adequately represent what failure looks like for civilized society.

U approach em in kc u get shot

Pussy san Franciscans

LMAOWas thinking the same thing

You handled the situation well. I commend you, but I don’t think I would have handled it so calmly.

I think it should be legal and encouraged for you and your son to curb stomp his teeth out.

I caught a bum trying to steal my catalytic converter one night. He f****** sprinted down the street when he saw me come out.

I'm a ****in' ninja fighting bad guys in my mind.

Glad it ended up being a quick and safe confrontation.

You don’t approach em in kc if you don’t have a weapon drawn

That’s a real adrenaline shot I’m sure. Good to hear it was only that

Glad you're OK dude.

**** people

Scary situation.
Glad it turned out ok.

I’d of left the 2017 VW Golf wagon part out

Age 19 - my car was broken in to and they stole my AIWA stereo. I found it 50 feet down the road, they threw it out after they realized it was a cheap piece of shit.

(My car was not located in San Francisco, or any other major metropolitan area)

The camaro was in the shop

Discuss Thrower thumbs downing my posts.

Incel.

stand your ground law in Iowa... He could have been toast here.

Did the same with mine. Guess he was rooting for the thieves. LMAO

x3

I was at the driver's side of the car face to face with a guy who looked kinda like Joe Burrow.

Having watched his post game presser, I knew Joe wasn't taking last weeks toe-touching loss well at all but damn he is taking rather hard.

I guess just because my brain expected the thread title to be football related but I definitely read

Cortland Sutton breaking into my car last night

No way a guy without a goatee owns a Camaro.

A goatee would've been a tipping point of a proper ass kicking

Bet Dirty Mike and the Boys turned your Golf Wagon into a Soup Kitchen

Stories like this really scare him. The fear is probably making him lash out at people.

Choke him put next time!

Coulda been dirty Mike and the boys making a soup kitchen.

Honor among thieves.

Nope. Smart move.

If there's nothing of value in there don't make someone break in to find out. I have a 30 year old car so not may people are trying to find out what's inside anyway.

And these situations escalate quickly. Choices made in a few seconds can change your life permanently. And remember - the guy breaking into your car is also making life choices in seconds. There's a good chance his decision making isn't as moral or fundamentally solid as yours. You really do have more to lose than that guy. It's not an even or rational competition.

Kinda sounds like a Rainman thread.

I have a similar story that I can tell better in person, but here goes...

Back in 1999, I went into a grocery store in the south end of St. Joe with my sister in law.
It's about 7pm, at dusk... not dark yet but getting there. I walk out the front door of the grocery store and look over at my parked car in the lot. I notice the dome light on and the passenger door open with some legs hanging out.

My reaction:
I drop the bags in each hand and start running to my car. As I get a bit closer, I shout "hey get the **** out of my car". The person inside hears me, perks up and gets out of the vehicle. He starts to run to the next lot isle to this old brown truck. Instead of thinking... my adrenaline took over and I chased right after him.
As he opened the door to his truck, I did a Liu Kang style jump kick to his back and kicked him into his truck. He is leaning over his center console, so I grab by his shirt with my left hand at his neck, and jab him in the face with my right hand 3 times.

He did not worry too much about fighting back, as he really just wanted to get the **** out of there. So while I am punching him, he is turning his key trying to start his truck.

About on the 4th punch to the face or so, his truck starts... and he has his foot on the gas pedal.... he slams it in drive. At this point I get in one last good shot to his jaw as I bail out of the truck.

The force of my punch in combo with him slamming the truck into drive jumps the truck right into the parking lot light post (with the big round cement base). At this point he steers hard right, scraping the side of his truck down the drivers side while he tries to speed off. He makes it down to the main street with the mufflers dragging in the rear, causing sparks down the road.

Meanwhile I'm shouting "**** you, you ****ing thief" or something similar.

I walk back to my sister in law and about 5 people standing at the store front, look down at my arm and I was bleeding pretty badly. I'm not sure how it happened but I still have a 3" scar to this day. The little old lady (had to have been 85-90 years old) looks up at me and says.... "damn, I wouldn't **** with you". It was freaking hilarious.

Ended up I caught the thief before he actually took anything...
So he ended up with nothing, a broken truck, and a ****ed up face.


I was fearless at 18 years old, but yeah now days.... I'd go about that situation much smarter, as I would have probably been dead.

Triggered another memory from when I was 18.

I was working at Food4Less in St. Joe on the Belt/Frederick.

As I was checking out a customer, there is a grumbling a few lanes down by a co-worker so I turn back to see what is happening. Apparently some guy just rushed right through the lane with an entire shopping cart full of groceries. As this happened, all of the employees/managers just stood there watching him, letting him walk right out the front door.

Without thinking, I was like "**** that" gonna get myself a promotion.

I ran outside, snuck up behind the guy who stole the cart of groceries, knocked him over... grabbed the cart and ran it back inside.

Co-workers thought I was a badass....
Management chewed my ****ing ass for doing something that their insurance would have been liable for if I were to get hurt.

lol.


Moral of the story = I hate thieves.

My son lives 20 blocks south of the Plaza 1 block west of Ward Parkway. Not a shabby locale. He was held up at gunpoint at 10 pm in his driveway by three disadvantaged and misunderstood young men. All armed. Youngest was 15 with a record, one 17, the other never caught. They stole 2 cars. They were found 2 hours later with one car. Charges were never brought by the prosecutors office. He was blessed by the hand of God to not be dead in the street.


Bad you had your experience. Im glad you are ok.


We live in a lawless and horribly unsafe time with deadly consequences.

I would like to know who is downvoting these comments.

There's a way to see. Let me see if I can recall.

On your user CP, on the left column, about 4th from the bottom, click Helpful Answers.
Keep in mind that it won't be visible if you're in At Work mode.

I've never heard of a mean resting face, what does that look like?

Yeah, in KC the move would be back up and call the police.

Damn, that's how most of the fights start in my mind. Maybe we can be ninjas IRL.

I’m legit done with the bay cities until they clean it up. We shot a commercial in Oakland and it was the most insane place I’ve been. They just LIVE with crime like it’s the cost of doing business.

I mean it's a place full of Raiders fans, so....

Molitoth when he catches you rummaging through his 86 Thunderbird

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I bet that Sean “Diddy” Combs has a sad resting face right about now.

Fixed! =P

ROFL

Zach would tell you tough shit it's part of living in a city

When big bill sees a dude/dudes breaking into his car shit gets serious..

https://y.yarn.co/fd85b42c-a57f-4d32...de036_text.gif

If you had, you would have walked back to your car only to see your window broken and glass on the sidewalk. They don't call it "San Francisco snow" for nothing.

Good stories Molitoth. You were the good guy in both of them.

I'm of the camp these days that I value my health if something goes down. Just have to watch it happen I suppose.

Be glad you didn’t run into Dirty Mike and the Boys:

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TIL Joe Burrow's stealing $ store sunglasses to get by in SF.