space-junk

iTrader: (1)

okay, so, if this goes on a lil bit, im sorry, but im super pissed off right now... about 9:15 tonight, i remembered that i had to go get gas before school tomorrow, so i head out to the local gas station which is about a 15 minute drive from home... Of course, i smoke, so i have all 5 windows down on my 'runner... Well, i just finish my smoke, and put it out, and i look out and notice that there are a couple cars parked down by a river that the road crosses over, but i think nothing of it until i see a light flash on the side of me, and i hear what sounds to me like a rock hit the side of my truck... i flip around in a nearby driveway, and pull into the little dirt access road where the cars are thinking that they just nailed my truck with a rock, and when i get there, i pin the 2 cars in on the road... well, i call the local sherrifs station who routes me thru to the Elk Grove P.D. to let them know that someone is hittin cars with rocks... that takes about 5 mins, and in that time i get out and look, and notice that they hit my truck with a pellet gun, and also, as other cars are driving by, they are shooting them too... i can hear the thunks from where i am...

so i get back in my truck and i give the license plate numbers to the dispatch of the BLUE FORD TAURUS WITH WHITE WRITING IN BIG LETTERS IN THE BACK WINDOW, and the FORREST GREEN HEEP WRANGLER 4X2 WITH A TAN CANVAS TOP, when 4 kids who look to be about 16-18 years old, and they are carrying 2 .22 Long rifles, and a pellet gun...

(the damage is about 1 square inch on the lower right portion of my passenger door)



well, of course im blocking them, so, they cant leave, or so i think... they drive up on the 60+ degree angle slope that leads up to the railroad tracks just to get around me, and then they peel out and throw rocks all over the back of my truck!! Needless to say, i met with one of the Elk Grove Police officers, and i decided not to press charges as criminal vandalism, but instead the officers contacted the guy who had the car, and the guns, and they gave me his info... and i mean ALL his info... down to his drivers license number... but yea, turns out that hes 18, so, they confiscated ALL of the guns, and the police are filing their own criminal charges...

bah... my dad agreed to take a trip out to the guys house to speak with him or his parents or whatever so i can get my truck taken care of, but i need help deciding a few thing...

1. should i bring my .38 with me when i go to meet him??? i mean, might as well let him know what its like when someone shoots at his car... ok, so i prolly wont...

2. i want to get some opinions on wether i should report this to my insurance or not, or what to do... i understand that it IS a 19 year old truck, but i dont think that there will be any way to blend the old paint, and it will look crappy if i just replace the door... what should i do????

any ideas?? i know that its just a pellet wound, but its still my truck and i am incredibly proud of her...

GAH!! as i said, im sorry for the long story, but i just needed to beetch to someone...
i guess im more mad that they were about 2 feet away from hitting me thru my open window than the fact that they hit my truck...

Matt16

Clean the metal, and clear coat it. Show people that your truck is tried and tested bullet proof.

You will only need to bondo and paint an are about two inches across, and its so low down on the door no one will notice. I would report it. The insurance company has the capacity to subrogate (sue and collect from, in your place) against the shooter. The deposit will come out of the little s pockets, not yours.

An lastly, bringing a gun to someone (who is irresponsible with guns)'s house, isn't a good idea. If they get abusive, just leave, call the cops. I don't understand the american gun mentality. Situations like this beg for stricter gun control laws. One out of three people isn't mentally competent at one any one moment in time. A confrontation between your family and their means there's probably more than one "mentally incompetent" person with a gun.

abecedarian

me...
Until there's a settlement, it's an ongoing investigation and until authorities have documented and filed charges, gone through discovery and are actually in court, nothing is sacred so I wouldn't touch a thing on the truck. Complain to the insurance and let them work out the best solution (which will not likely be a bondo).
As Matt16 said, bringing a weapon to a confrontation will be assumed to be a threatening gesture, something you do not want to do if you want the judgement to be in your favor.
I WOULD press charges. Assume for a moment that the pellet, bullet, rock, whatever would've missed the body panels and came through a window and hit you. You do have the right to change your mind and press charges if you like.
And what are the laws regarding public discharge of fire arms? Won't help the kids defend themselves at all will it?

Matt16

x 1 000 000 000. The kid not only fired a weapon in public, but he aimed it at an individual. This person SHOULD end up in jail.

Just to re-affirm pellet guns are deadly weapons:

THE CANADIAN PRESS
SURREY, B.C.–A 13-year-old Surrey boy who was clinging to life in hospital after being shot in the head with a pellet gun has died.

Cpl. Dale Carr of the RCMP's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the teen's name is not being released. He says that's because his family is still trying to locate relatives across Canada. The boy was taken to hospital Tuesday after he was shot while playing in the backyard of a friend, who is also 13. Carr says the incident is suspicious and police are continuing their investigation. Police say they hope to question the dead boy's friend to determine what led to the tragedy.

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

Bah... i wouldnt actually bring my gun, i was just peeved when i wrote that...
Now that i think about it, i was not going to press charges because i thought he was just a stupid kid, but now that i know hes 18, he needs to be taught a lesson... i think i will press charges, hes an adult now, and that crap is just wrong... but i wonder how that would work into the insurance claim process... im kinda nervous about submiting it too, because i only have PL&PD, which is the most basic i could find...

abecedarian

umm... where's wilton?

well, anyways.
in the US, we have criminal and civil courts. so the gun charges would likely be a criminal case, and the insurance / damage may go to a civil court.
heck, think about oj simpson- found innocent of murder and guilty of paying damages (both at the same time), so even if the kids are somehow acquitted of the gun charges, there is still evidence pointing towards them as responsible for the damages to your truck.

oh... I like your sig.

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

Wilton is a single overpass town about 15 mins south of Sacramento, CA...

RaginYota

I give props to all of you. I wouldn't have remained calm, and if I knew where the bastard lived.. well lets just say he would get a visit, and it wouldn't be a very friendly one. I know.. I know.. two wrongs don't make a right. But it sure would make me feel better, bashing his face in. But that is just me..

vwfastg60

Dont change the damage, Get 3 high quotes to repair it and bring them with you to meet the kids parents. Tell them they can pay for the damage and you have a figure for them with the quotes. I say get high ones cause 90% of the time you can find a great job cheaper and the money can go to mods or smokes lol.....

If they dont want to then i would take them to small calims court with the police reports and quotes.



I have to say that you have much more control then me. I would have pulled up on there cars and beat the snot out of them and then continued to shoot them in the junk with there pellet gun.

run4her

Drive by his house and plug his car with your .38 lol

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

PRESS CHARGES. He fired a weapon at you and hit your truck. Get a HIGH estimate and nail his ass to the wall. If you let him get away with it, he will just do it again and might not miss next time.

My mother in law was at home one day getting her groceries out of the car and felt something hit her in her big fat ass. Kid across the street shot her with a BB gun, so she called the cops on him. Two weeks later she came to our house and I noticed several BB gun dents on her new car. She called the police again and due to his priors his parents had to pay for the damage and it was his 3rd strike...so he is now serving jail time.

a4runnerfreak

X2 on pressing charges, and getting the estimates, and then going to the parents house. Tho technically he's 18, they might not be finacially(sp?) responsible for him. But still living in thier house, I dunno.

And wabbit, tell us how you really feel 'bout your mother-in-law. Please don't sugar coat it.....

NwRunner

Just put one of those bullet hole stickers over it

I say press charges and take them to the full extent of the law. Imagine if they thought it was a good idea to shoot the .22 at a car? attempted murder?

904_runner

Id press charges also, id be super pissed too.

That little dent, i could care less about, but the fact that they pointed and shot a firearm at a person. Sure, im sure it was all in good fun right???? NOOOO, this kid, well adult has to be taught a lesson, he pointed a firearm at YOU, if it were not for the truck in your way imagine if that hit you.....

Even if you arn't concerned about yourself and this incident, i would still think about it, its very true, what if they were shooting the .22??? That could have, not only taken your life, but anybody else they fired there weapon at.

This really pisses me off, for the fact that some dumbarse kids are shooting cars..... Firearms are not a toy, you do not point a gun at something you are not prepared to kill and suffer the consequences for. DO US ALL A FAVOR AND TEACH THIS KID A LESSON!

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

i know that its just a lil dent, but im upset, mostly, because my windows were down, and the paint was the only flawless part of my truck!!

bah... im gonna go call some places now to get some quotes... a budy of mine is the manager of a local paint and auto body place, and im gonna see if he can get me a high estimate...

and as for submitting it to ins., i have the absolute basic coverage, and speaking with my father, he thinks that they wont do a damn thing... so im gonna get ahold of this guy, and if he dont pay up, then its small claims court, i guess...

i know that there are a couple people who are in the ins. business on these forums, and i would be grateful for any input on if it WOULD or WOULDNT be covered...

and thanks guys for comiserating with me...
you guys are the best...

904_runner

Sorry, i meant, if i were in your situation, i wouldn't care too much about the dent. I would still be pissed, but not as much as being shot at.

Id still call up your insurance agent, just to see, they might be able to give you advice since somebody did mess up your truck, it might go through their insurance.

Matt16

Can't you join the US army and vote at 18? Presumably you ought to be mature and intelligent enough (ok, voters did elect Georgy...so scrap intelligent), to make decisions weighing in the consequences.

904_runner

I agree, but i think way before 18 you should be able to know, shooting at someone has serious consequences.

If you wanna shoot you and your friends, then go play paintball or airsoft, but i mean come on............. Shooting a gun at people driving by minding their own business?

Matt16

Just to re-affirm pellet guns are deadly weapons:

THE CANADIAN PRESS
SURREY, B.C.–A 13-year-old Surrey boy who was clinging to life in hospital after being shot in the head with a pellet gun has died.

Cpl. Dale Carr of the RCMP's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the teen's name is not being released. He says that's because his family is still trying to locate relatives across Canada. The boy was taken to hospital Tuesday after he was shot while playing in the backyard of a friend, who is also 13. Carr says the incident is suspicious and police are continuing their investigation. Police say they hope to question the dead boy's friend to determine what led to the tragedy.[/QUOTE]

The boy died Friday (I think), from the pellet in his head. They were just fooling around.

904_runner

^thats what ticks me off.

Some dumb kid, NOT THINKING ABOUT CONSEQUENCES, imo should be forced to face those consequences.