TL;RD flashed my gun when a crackhead got mad at meDetails have been changed so I don't get fired from my job. I learned a big lesson today and thought I would share. Spoiler, I didn't shoot anybody, but I made huge mistakes and I have to post this somewhere to organize my thoughts and maybe yours as well.I work for a ride sharing company, I can't say which one. You know those scooters littering the streets of metropolitan areas, I'm one of 200 lb gorillas that helps maintain the fleet. My job involves being in sketchy areas at sketchy hours dealing with vehicles that attract sketchy people. My edc incorporates my trusty Microstream USB, Streamlight ProTac USB on my backpack, and HK P30 with a TLR7 riding AIWB.It was around 12 noon and I was riding a couple scooters downtown, just doing my thing, when a homeless guy came slowly by riding one of our scooters. I know he was homeless because I see him on the streets all the time and he has very few teeth remaining. So I look down at the scooter and back up at him then he said, "what the fuck are you looking at?"Then he sped away. I ditched my other scooter and took chase, just to catch a glimpse of the scooter number so I could disable it remotely from my phone. I catch up to him after a couple blocks and he says, "hey, why are following me?!"I reply with "I'm not, just going where I'm going." I wasn't able to get a good look at the number before he was off again. I announce over the radio that I am in pursuit of a stolen scooter. I catch up to him a second time and stop about 25 feet away from him, close enough to read the numbers. He tells me I ought not disable it, claiming it was given to him by one of our technicians, and that would get the tech in trouble. I asked him who gave it to him, a question he couldn't answer. I'm not sure exactly what he said, but he was trying to convince me I was making a mistake. This all happened fast and I can't recall exactly what was said, but I read the scooter number out loud so I could remember it.This guy was not a happy camper and I realized it was time to get out of there. I got going and pulled up the scooter on my phone, spamming the button that would disable it. I made it halfway around the block when Mr. Toothless Homeless Crackhead comes around on the scooter, lights off, yelling at me. I was about to make a mistake.His scooter finally shuts off and he throws it to the ground, irate. Again, I can't remember exactly what was said but he said something exactly like, "I'm gonna be looking for you!" I slam on the brakes and throw my scooter on the sidewalk and reply, "excuse me?" I don't approach him, but we're about 30 or 40 feet away from each other. Yelling distance. He goes on to say he was in a gang, and they would be looking for me, he continues to threaten me. I quickly lift my polo and flash my gun and tell him to fuck off. He continues threatening, saying they didn't care I had a gun, that he would take it from me and shoot me with it. I tell him again to fuck off, this time he takes the advice and leaves, walking across the road and away from me. I leave very shaken, still riding the adrenaline dump from the beginning of the chase.Big things I did wrong today:1) Chasing after a scooter. Our people in the warehouse have ways of dealing with this remotely, but I got caught in the moment. Too eager for a good chase. This was a bone headed move and going forward I will not engage with homeless guys anymore, even if it means losing a scooter.2) Stopping even after deciding to GTFO. I knew, even in the moment I shouldn't have stopped when he came after me. I stopped because I let my ego get the best of me when he threatened me directly. This was a bone headed move and going forward I will continue to flee when flight is prudent.3) Brandishing my firearm. Fuck this was dumb. At 6' tall, 195 lbs, 22 years old I felt afraid of the empty threats of a world weary crackhead. Because of this I wrongly felt it necessary to escalate the encounter. We sometimes say most DGUs don't require firing shots, but I know this was no gray area. I was wrong. Very wrong leading up to that point. This was a bone headed move and going forward my gun stays concealed unless I'm in mortal danger.Expanding more on point 3. I don't look like the type to carry a gun. Usually I'm in outdoorsy shorts (on the short side of shorts, ladies) and a tee shirt. I'm not the type of guy to wear 5.11s and punisher skulls. I think Mr. Toothless Homeless Crackhead took me for a soy-fed cuck he could threaten and push around, no offense to the soy-fed cucks. I need to check my ego and not care about the opinions of others, especially crackheads. I'm a pretty easy going guy, a sheltered suburbanite, and I'm unaquatinted with violence and personal conflict.I've got a lot I need to work on, and I'm sure I've still got blindspots to work out. Thanks for reading and thanks for your input, guys via /r/CCW http://bit.ly/2vZfAT7
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