Approached at gunpoint on bike? How would you handle it?

[Riding_Disaster]

This happened recently in our news. How would you react if you were approached at gunpoint like this guy while on your bike?

Link to original page on YouTube.

[Triple Jim]

Clearly the cop lost his temper and at first was in an adrenaline induced frenzy. By the end of the video he had calmed down, was smiling nervously, and behaving more normally.

I hope I'd react like the rider. No matter who the guy was, with a gun that close, trying to get away would give plenty of time to shoot, so it would be counterproductive.

[Brother Michigan]

React the same way you would any other time you might be approached with a gun; do whatever the person tells you up to anything that would further endanger you or others.

[Topaz]

The cop wanted to be on a safe side. I think many cops believe almost anyone on a sport bike is a bandit and they don't hesitate to pull out the gun as a precaution.

A more appropriate behavior would have been to turn on the siren, pull you over and write you a ticket. I guess he wanted to play Rambo for a bit.

It's good you have the camera on. He may have used excessive force and you may give him a headache at court.

BTW, I hate under cover 'ghost' cops cars. It seems they are everywhere now. Is that even legal?

[Panda]

Honestly, I might try to run. Like physically, jump off the bike and run or I might have tried to take off. A guy with a gun that isn't in uniform and didn't identify himself might make me just take off.

[adouglas]

That I would not do because it would instantly trigger an escalation that would end badly.

Car had lights... I would assume he's plainclothes.

The one thing you should NEVER EVER do with either a cop or an armed individual:



Anything that does not go the cop's way is an instant provocation, regardless of how you might see it. In today's hypercharged environment, doing ANYTHING other than keeping your hands in plain sight, responding to questions calmly and following instructions might get you shot.

Haven't watched this with sound (at work) but it looks like the rider did it exactly right. Keep the encounter as calm as possible and take action after the fact.

PS: The cop is holding the pistol that way because he's trained to. Keeps the suspect from grabbing it.

PPS: Video caption mentions "deadly force" which is incorrect. Deadly force means firing the weapon, not presenting it.

[bob706]

[QUOTE=Riding_Disaster;1188486] How would you react if you were approached at gunpoint like this guy while on your bike?

I think I would have **** my pants.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by adouglas

PS: The cop is holding the pistol that way because he's trained to. Keeps the suspect from grabbing it.

While I agree with the gun handling training aspect of things, it shouldn't have been drawn in the first place. Hand on it at the ready, sure, been there, done that. (Yes, I have been at police gunpoint before... :\ for something as simple as a warrant on an unpaid speeding ticket... its stupid at its finest)

I don't know the laws there, but when not in uniform... the identification protocol is different. It would have been somewhat justified for the biker to run or pummel the cop. No ident, no siren, nothing... just gimme your license despite multiple requests for clarification and 0 de-escalation attempts from the "trained" officer, I repeat... ZERO attempts.

Sorry, not buying into it. Normally, I am an advocate of police, but this situation isn't quite right. Training was not followed, at least by KY common sense standards.

[adouglas]

Reverse angle shows the red and blue lights on the cop car FYI. Full Christmas display.

Speaking of common sense.... Justified or not, running or pummeling the cop is not going to end well for the rider. Every time I see a video of a bad encounter I politely ask the TV "Have you NEVER seen an episode of COPS?"

[csmith12]

Hindsight doesn't count good sir... Per the vid, the rider was clearly taken by surprise, police cars have sirens for a reason and that right there is enough in today's trying times. But yea, agreed... the 5.0 are rarely the loser in such encounters but that doesn't make it right.

I will have to look it up to be sure, but I believe at least in KY, you are NOT even required to pull over unless the siren + lights are on, although many do anyway to be sure and make right of way for the police to do their job.

EDIT: At the very least, the cop in this vid should have sounded both lights and siren to alert other drivers in what is clearly a busy intersection. I don't believe there would be any debate had he done that instead and this thread most likely wouldn't even exist either. ijs...

EDIT 2: This is more than enough.... there are entire songs rapped about this specific sound, it aint hard and nearly unmistakeable in the US.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[csmith12]

ps....

This rider needs to learn how to adjust mirrors.

[redonninrf]

I watched this on youtube. There is a link to another video of a newscast which reported the officer was suspended.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTHrORM62Rk

Notice the first words out of the officer's mouth were "How you doing" not "Hands-up" or "Freeze." Also notice the first thing the officer wanted was for the man to reach into a pocket to produce an ID. If the officer truly felt threatened he would be ordering the man to get on the ground where he could be frisked. And he would have ordered the man to absolutely avoid any actions such as reaching into a pocket where a weapon might be hidden. Together that shows the officer did not actually feel threatened and had no basis for drawing his service pistol.

[Yakaru]

Other than the gun this is exactly the attitude I've experience from local police (this happened near my neck of the woods). Without the gun it's condescending and presumptive (no... my 125cc vehicle was not 'going over 80'), with the gun it's absolutely terrifying. Everything about this encounter rubs me wrong. Also got into a bit of a tussle on reddit about it.

https://www.reddit.com/r/pnwriders/c...tive_conducts/

It's currently the top rated comment's response, but the other party's comments got downvoted hard so you may need to expand.

[csmith12]

@redonninrf - exactly, you explained it better than me.

[CaliGrrl]

That would be terrifying. It's one thing to get pulled over, and I know protocol is to have his hand on his gun but not drawn without cause.

I'm glad to hear that officer was suspended. Now, how many others are doing this without being suspended?

Now I'm rethinking having my camera on my fairing. Helmet cam can be pointed back like this video was, to show the officer, but I couldn't do that.

[Ralgha]

Originally Posted by CaliGrrl

Now I'm rethinking having my camera on my fairing. Helmet cam can be pointed back like this video was, to show the officer, but I couldn't do that.

Just need a second camera on your bike pointing aft!

There's a convenient flat spot on the tail on the vicinity of the rear brake reservoir that a camera could be stuck to, I've been meaning to put one on my bike there, but haven't gotten around to it.

[akima]

That rider handled that incredibly well IMO. Imagine how terrifying that would be. The cop immediately got in his face, grabbed him, confusingly blerted-out "how ya doin", didn't announce he was police and then made a threat to knock him off his bike (what does that mean when a guy is pointing a gun at you).

I guess the only thing I saw which the rider could probably have done slightly better would have been to check his mirrors regularly after he stopped to have better prepared himself for his incoming near-death-experience. I do this when out riding so I can keep track of potential hazards. It's a quibble though. The rider is a boss. The cop needs to sort himself out.

This video reminds me of a recently filmed London incident involving plain clothes police and a grom rider:

Link to original page on YouTube.

[csmith12]

^^^ it takes exactly 15 seconds for the officer to ident in that video.

[backinthesaddleagain]

wow, how you doing? how you doin?

I thought it was Hank from Breaking Bad.

[kdogg2077]

This is the kind of thing that gets people killed. By having his gun drawn the officer escalated a simple speeding situation to a possible shooting and death. That biker just needed to panic a little bit and he was dead. One jerky movement of his hand and the officer instinctively pulls his trigger finger.

The officer should be fired at least.

[CaliGrrl]

I'm not sure how (if this were me) it would be possible for me to comply with his demand for my license. It lives in my tailpack, and I need to get off the bike and open the tailpack to get it. But he's not listening to the rider's request even to turn off the bike and get his helmet off so he can hear the officer, so he wouldn't hear me ask if he will allow me to get off the bike to get my license.

Nor, for that matter, could I hear him, with my visor down.

[JohnnyBravo]

FTP

[dcj13]

At least the rider wasn't ticketed, the detective was placed on desk duty, and the county sheriff called the rider to say what happened wasn't right.

[akima]

Originally Posted by CaliGrrl

I'm not sure how (if this were me) it would be possible for me to comply with his demand for my license. It lives in my tailpack, and I need to get off the bike and open the tailpack to get it. But he's not listening to the rider's request even to turn off the bike and get his helmet off so he can hear the officer, so he wouldn't hear me ask if he will allow me to get off the bike to get my license.

Nor, for that matter, could I hear him, with my visor down.

You saying that just highlights how scary that situation would be. I think I'd be thinking to myself "yep; I guess this is it. Goodbye cruel world."

[A.J.]

Originally Posted by Brother Michigan

React the same way you would any other time you might be approached with a gun; do whatever the person tells you up to anything that would further endanger you or others.

If what they tell you to do is get off the bike and get into a car with them then you run or fight. Getting into a car or going from point A to B with a kidnapper is signing your death certificate according to a homicide detective I once spoke to. Now if they ask for your wallet then yeah, give that **** up.

[A.J.]

After watching the video just put it on the growing list of instances where the police are abusing their powers. This cop is a fat bastard and should be fired.

[akima]

Another video involving a [possible] cop and a drawn gun.

There is no gore, but there is violence in this video. Don't click play if you're not comfortable seeing it.

Link to original page on YouTube.

The whole situation is very muddy compared to the first vid posted in this thread. I'm not even sure if the guy from the pickup truck is actually a cop or not.

To say the absolute least, I don't think that biker who kicked the wing-mirror was acting wisely.

That whole situation was a series of unnecessary escalations.

Ride safe, be calm and be courteous; but maintain vigilance.