The wife and I have been busy trying to have a new house built and decided last night to take some time off and treat ourselves. We ate dinner at a local restaurant that also serves as a quasi bar but neither of us had anything to drink other than tea. As we walked on to the parking lot I noticed a group of men drinking just off to the side of where the cars were parked. (No big deal. Just a group of people smoking, joking and having a good time.) As I approached our car I discovered that there was a car that was blocking us in, preventing our getting out. I casually asked, to the group in general if someone could please move the car....nothing threatening, accusitory or argumentive. One of the group said, [i]F*** you.[/i] and the group took no action to move the vehicle. Again thinking it no big deal I responded over my shoulder as I was opening the wifes door, [i]Yeah, can y'all just move the car?[/i]
More from feeling rather than actually seeing him I "felt" one of the men rush in my direction. As I turned I realized he had a very large knife in his hand and was approaching rapidly. I began to draw my weapon....but for a brief moment hesiated....perhaps because it still seemed as though they were just having a good time and were not [i]that[/i] dangerous. As the asshole passed by me I side stepped and used my "weak" (non gun hand) to simply push him past me. When he turned he saw my half drawn gun and with big eyes started saying, [i]"
It ain't no thing man. It's just plastic. I was just f***ing with ya." He then (very, very carefully!) tossed the "knife" on the trunk of the car I was no standing next to.
I was, naturally pissed and the adrenaline was pumping. I grapped the wife and stepped back into the restaurant and asked the clerk to dial 911. Within two mintes there were four patrol cars on the scene. "Knife boy" was hauled up against a patrol car where the "knife" was recovered from his belt. The knife, it turns out, was in fact plastic like those used in training.
The long and short of it is he was charged with first degree assault, I am still pissed, the wife (I think) pissed her pants and there are some really stupid people in the world.