360 awareness while pumping gas
(I couldn't find a better thread for this uneventful but possibly interesting MUC story, so let's resurrect this one). Last night my martial arts group was training outdoors on a school field, in low light. There has been increased criminal activity in the area, including a homeless camp where people attacked firefighters, three major burglaries, vandalism, and assault of a gas station worker. Because of that, we always pay attention. Around 9pm a fit, grungy looking dude in his 20's approached carrying jumper cables and asked if any of us had a car. Just as I was about to tell him we were busy, the instructor volunteered to help. The three of us went to the guy's vehicle. I had time to grab a flashlight and put my CCW on.
The dude's car was parked in a weird place, next to a large dumpster behind a grocery in a location mostly hidden from view. He was acting very nervous and kept fishing around in his pocket. While our third guy (6'4" 240lb active military) positioned his vehicle to provide light, I looked for any other individuals and couldn't see any. The instructor jumped the dude's car, and I was well positioned with my handheld light. I tried some friendly conversation with the dude, but he didn't seem like he wanted to talk. The whole situation seemed like a robbery waiting to happen. But nothing did. The car started, the dude got in his car with a mumbled thanks, and started talking on his phone. We left and got back to training.
Afterward, I realized why the dude was so shifty: he was terrified of us--three guys hitting and grappling each other in the dark, and one of them a monster.