What is the law in Texas regarding self defense against physically bigger man?

[PedroMartinez]

Originally Posted by Brom

This is what happened.. I parked at a gas station to buy something. My son was at the back seat. I turned off the car and for whatever freak reason the car alarm went off. I hurriedly turned off the alarm. When I opened the front door this huge dude shouted at me "learn to control your alarm idiot" I was shocked and wasn't able to respond. Honestly, I wasn't scared more like confused, what his problem was. Anyway, nothing happened as I didn't respond. But I was thinking about it afterwards and was a bit embarrassed about myself that I didn't do anything.

I'm curious that if this happens again I may respond with an insult as well. And if the other guy is bigger and would come at me, I would grab whatever I could and hit him. In this scenario I guess it's still "standing your ground".

I won't respond to this thread anymore. I'll just research what standing your ground law is.

I think not saying anything or responding at all was the best possible course of action.

You shouldn't be embarrassed at all, even though many people might not feel that way (pride over common sense, IMHO). I'd be more embarrassed to escalate a situation due to some moron needing to prove himself.

Self defense isn't about keeping your feelings from being hurt or looking 'scared' in front of your kids, it's about protecting yourself or your family from an imminent threat. The dude making the scene was an imminent threat just a lower colon.

Originally Posted by testmo

Yes you walk away shaking your head and you teach your kids to ignore idiots.

I wouldn't even shake my head, because some bone heads are looking for any response at all to escalate further, even shaking your head.

It's best just to pretend you didn't hear or see a thing, and then talk to your kids and explain the situation.

Listen to me closely, I want to explain something to you. There are people out there who are miserable. They have empty lives, and they really don't have anything to lose. Going to jail means nothing to them. Losing teeth means nothing to them. We have everything to lose. Going to jail means I could lose my job and that puts our home in jeopardy. It's hard to ignore a person like that, but he wants to start trouble, because he knows, no matter what, I lose more than he does. I didn't want to walk away, but having a job and a home is more important than teaching him a lesson.

[ethanw]

Actually I have it on my dashcam in HD :-) I have the DOD LS430W's front and back with 64GB cards, in all my cars. I don't want to post the video anywhere and avoid getting myself in trouble. But my buddies and I watch it sometime and crack at the reaction on his face :-) I actually have many videos of stupid people doing funny sh*it when driving. A 64GB card will last me for a full week of recordings. I need to try the new 128GB SanDisk card and see if the dashcam supports it.

Originally Posted by BayouM5

If my dashcam cought that...it would make for a fun time for you buddy.

[usc619]

Originally Posted by Brom

If a physically much bigger man tries to punch you, can you use a weapon to defend yourself?

You would make a good cop.

[trele6]

Originally Posted by ethanw

I had an idiot actually pull in front of me, block me, get out the car banging and hitting my car for whatever raging reasons he had. He got lost pretty quickly after waving my 92FS at him.

These are those really tricky situations. While I personally have no qualms with what you did, I do believe you techincally broke the law by brandishing a weapon. That guy could have called the police on you and make your day miserable irregardless of his actions. However at the same time, he is going all crazy on you, while you might not have been in fear of your life, the situation could have easily escalated to something very dangerous very quickly by the other person. Sometimes waiting to the exact moment for the offender to do something might be too late for you to react safely. I would say he was lucky to walk away alive that day.

[ethanw]

I agree I believe I broke the law but under circumstances I also believe that I did the right thing to protect myself....I wasn't going to pull the trigger even if the idiot smashed the window and try to grab me... Most likely I would've drove away and spare the idiot life. Is not worth killing someone over road rage, not worth it to be honest... But if he had a gun then will be a different story. No time for me to drive / run away :-)

Originally Posted by trele6

These are those really tricky situations. While I personally have no qualms with what you did, I do believe you techincally broke the law by brandishing a weapon..................I would say he was lucky to walk away alive that day.

[BayouM5]

Originally Posted by ethanw

I agree I believe I broke the law but under circumstances I also believe that I did the right thing to protect myself....I wasn't going to pull the trigger even if the idiot smashed the window and try to grab me... Most likely I would've drove away and spare the idiot life. Is not worth killing someone over road rage, not worth it to be honest... But if he had a gun then will be a different story. No time for me to drive / run away :-)

The right thing to do was to leave him alone and not escalate the situation. You could have chosen to change your directional path.

We can all play the circumstantial card, so assuming he exited with you, simply call the police while proceeding to the nearest police station.

If MY dashcam caught you, you would be arrested at minimum.

Brandishing a weapon isn't the first line of defense. You CHL instructor should have taught you that when you do such a thing your intent is to use it.

[piyf]

Originally Posted by Brom

wtf are you talking about, why wound I kill him coz he called me an idiot.
I would have called him an idiot also but I didn't.

Lol at the over reaction here.

Do yourself a favor and keep your word and don't post again in this thread. Just let it die. The best advice was to just walk away and say nothing. It's better for your boy to see that the best thing to do is walk away from idiots. Nothing is gained if you get into an altercation, everyone loses.

[PedroMartinez]

Originally Posted by Brom

I could have called him an idiot too and that would have been the end of it.

Wrong. It COULD have been the end of it.

Why even call him a name back? What possible purpose could have been served by doing so?

Calling him a name back could have escalated a situation with a person who clearly shows poor judgement.

It's best to just let things like this go. Calling him a name back does nothing other than gives you a touch of satisfaction that is fleeting at best and the start of a physical escalation at worst.

[texas7]

This thread seems immature but could be not hearing all the story as it actually occurred. As an adult, if someone calls you a name then you only resort to their level of ignorance and rudeness if you respond in-kind. The better man just shrugs it off as crudeness and ignorance. That also teaches kids how to respond in acceptable ways as well and teaches them to avoid altercations rather than progressing them to an escalated level. Now had the guy came at you threatening violence or attacked you, that is entirely different than name-calling and you would need to defend yourself.