I will never help a stranger again...life lesson inside

Im sitting in front the sprint store today waiting for my wife to bring me the jump starter (car battery died) and this ford flex pulls up with 2 guys inside in their 20s.

The driver calls out to me, and asks if he can borrow my phone. There seemed to be what looked like a wheel chair in the back where the second passanger was sitting, and I thought maybe this guy is disabled or something. I offer to dial the number for him he insists on just doing it himself.

Though I had my reservations (the guy just looked suspicious) i gave him my phone. He looks at it and tells me to run. He says "ill give you 20 seconds, run get outta here"

My knee-jerk reaction (what i did) was so immediately go around, open his door and ask for my phone back. He says "relax im just messing with you, but seriously, this phone doesnt have your name on it, im taking it".

I reply, "dude why would you do this? I was only trying to help you". after a few exchanges, and me never losing my cool, he gives me the phone back and keeps talking while i walk away. My wife arrives and I connect the jump starter while he gets out of his car and keeps talking about how i need new tires. Clearly the man is insane.

Lesson learned, I will never help a stranger again unless it happens to be a 90 year old lady. I am not risking my life trying to ***ing help someone and getting killed over it. Whats this world come to, just pathetic.

Sorry for the rant, but I had to get it out there, in case one of you has a worse outcome than I did. Just not worth it!

Should have went with your knee-jerk reaction.......teach those punks a lesson.

Sounds like the guy was a real nut case. Who does that?

If you had a manual transmission you wouldn't need your wife to bring jumper cables.

I've helped people who asked me to borrow my phone BUT I dial the number and put it on speaker. There's no way in hell I'm handing over my phone. One time a kid asked if he can dial it and I told him its either I do it or he cant call at all.

It was a mustang I have in stock, it is manual! I cant push it and pop the clutch at the same time!

You could have made your own battery out of some nuts/bolts/washers and sponges.

where in so cal was this?

Valencia. Filled with punk kids with nothing better to do with their time

I carry a gun for reasons like this. The instant he said "ill give you 20 seconds, run get outta here", I would have cleared leather.
But yeah, don't ever let a stranger get their hands on any of your property. Ever. Don't give out money, don't do anything. No good deed goes unpunished. I'm a cop, this is the truth. I have gone out of my way to help people and had complaints filed against me, been spit on and assaulted. My partner went out of his way to help a lady, and she started stalking him and then filed a complaint against him for misconduct after he reported the issue to our command and they called her on it.
90% of the senior citizens that get conned out of money in scams were just trying to help someone or what they thought was some charity or some sweepstakes money that they would have given to their grandchildren. No joke.
I have stories galore that have convinced me to never help someone out in public ever. If I want to help someone, I go through a charity or established organization that I SEEK OUT, not the opposite. People show up at my door looking for money or information, I give them a countdown to get off my property.

Good thing you weren't hurt. You should learn to ignore people. I don't help people on the streets. Most of them are just lazy.

There is a homeless guy around here who is always begging for cash. He is young and can get a job if he wants to. I've even seen him in a local coffee shop using the public computer to check his facebook lol. WTF does a homeless guy have a facebook for? Every time I see him, I dream of running him over... maybe one of these days if I see him at night lol

I always think of the story of bill cosbys kid that got shot while trying to help someone change a tire? Im pretty sure that was the case. This is 100% the reason I will not pull over and help someone on the side of the road, though I have been stuck once or twice before and its nice to have someone help, I just feel the risks are not worth the rewards.

In this case, the situation resolved itself with words. I wonder, if I was the aggressive type, what if HE had a weapon? I always fear escalation. Yes I am a wimp perhaps..

Originally Posted by Wes

You should learn to ignore people. I don't help people on the streets.

I give money to homeless people but that's it. Anybody who asks me for help on the street, sorry, not helping. I roll up my windows if someone talks to me.

Originally Posted by Reedo302

I carry a gun for reasons like this. The instant he said "ill give you 20 seconds, run get outta here", I would have cleared leather.

too bad OP is in california and not LEO

Good you made it out OK. I've been in situations like this and I still don't let it keep me from helping people. I just have a better sense of who's risky.

Originally Posted by XKxRome0ox

too bad OP is in california and not LEO

Or a politician/celebrity.

Originally Posted by 325inthe510

Or a politician/celebrity.

don't know about politicians
but even celebrities get rejected for CCW
i'm sure there are others .. but this one just stands out in my mind because i remember talking about this with LAPD officers way back in the days

edward james olmos
http://articles.latimes.com/1993-04-..._1_los-angeles

Originally Posted by v8 5

I give money to homeless people but that's it. Anybody who asks me for help on the street, sorry, not helping. I roll up my windows if someone talks to me.

Originally Posted by XKxRome0ox

don't know about politicians
but even celebrities get rejected for CCW
i'm sure there are others .. but this one just stands out in my mind because i remember talking about this with LAPD officers way back in the days

edward james olmos
http://articles.latimes.com/1993-04-..._1_los-angeles

I don't see why LAPD wouldn't let him have a CCW. He is the admiral of the Colonial Fleet.

Immediate red flag from the start

+100 to Reedo

Clear verbal threat attached to a robbery
Drawn for sure