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How to make sure a Sears driver is punished [update page three]
billwill
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I'm driving down a street that is relatively busy. A Sears van is to my right. There is an accident up ahead, blocking out the lane that he is driving in, so he swerves into mine, almost hitting me. I have to slam on the brakes and I honk at him twice.
We continue on, and he gets back out of my lane and into the right one. He goes pretty slow, and winds up a little behind me and to my right. I notice, but I don't think anything of it. After about two lights, I get into the right lane and then take a right turn into a large parking lot with a Carls Jr in the corner.
He takes the turn in as well, and sticks behind me while I navigate through the lot until I reach my breakfast. I pull into the drive-thru (it was completely empty), and he pulls into the parking lot parallel to me, so our cars are about 20 feet from one another. I just sit there and watch him, and sure enough, after a few moments he gets out of his van and starts walking to my car very quickly while holding a crowbar. I wait until he is about 10 feet away, and then I slam on the gas and speed through the drive-thru. As I'm driving away, he yells something along the lines of "Are you going to apologize to me now, asshole?!"
The drive-thru takes a left at the end and empties the parking lot that he is in, and as I speed through that I notice that he reaches down and picks up some rocks, which he then throws them at my car. Luckily none of them hit.
I get back on the main street and do some speeding and random turns to ensure that I lost him.
At this point, I am just furious because my eight year old niece was in the car with me, so I definitely want him to pay. With all the panic of the moment, I didn't get a chance to get his license plate, but I can give an accurate description of him, and precisely where and when this happened, so they can just check the driver's routes, right?
What is going to happen to him? A casual slap on the wrist or something more severe? How should I handle this with HR to make sure this asshole gets punished? I called them now, but they don't open for another hour and a half.
Thanks!
We continue on, and he gets back out of my lane and into the right one. He goes pretty slow, and winds up a little behind me and to my right. I notice, but I don't think anything of it. After about two lights, I get into the right lane and then take a right turn into a large parking lot with a Carls Jr in the corner.
He takes the turn in as well, and sticks behind me while I navigate through the lot until I reach my breakfast. I pull into the drive-thru (it was completely empty), and he pulls into the parking lot parallel to me, so our cars are about 20 feet from one another. I just sit there and watch him, and sure enough, after a few moments he gets out of his van and starts walking to my car very quickly while holding a crowbar. I wait until he is about 10 feet away, and then I slam on the gas and speed through the drive-thru. As I'm driving away, he yells something along the lines of "Are you going to apologize to me now, asshole?!"
The drive-thru takes a left at the end and empties the parking lot that he is in, and as I speed through that I notice that he reaches down and picks up some rocks, which he then throws them at my car. Luckily none of them hit.
I get back on the main street and do some speeding and random turns to ensure that I lost him.
At this point, I am just furious because my eight year old niece was in the car with me, so I definitely want him to pay. With all the panic of the moment, I didn't get a chance to get his license plate, but I can give an accurate description of him, and precisely where and when this happened, so they can just check the driver's routes, right?
What is going to happen to him? A casual slap on the wrist or something more severe? How should I handle this with HR to make sure this asshole gets punished? I called them now, but they don't open for another hour and a half.
Thanks!
I hate you and you hate me.
billwill on
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Edit: or since he was driving a sears truck- the charges could be made against the company and then THEY'LL sort it out.
If you're able to get a manager on the phone, the severity (threatening you with a deadly weapon) will be enough to ensure that action is taken. Of course, if this guy has a union backing him up, there may be a lot less you can do.
In the end, it's over. This isn't a guy who you have to see everyday and, in fact, you'll probably never see him again. You handled the situation as best as you could have, and you avoided any confrontation.
Get a manager. In fact, get the local store manager. Stress how frightened you felt and slip in something negative about the company via this guy into the conversation.
While you feel vindictive now, if you sleep on it I'm sure "nailing his ass to the wall" will also become a minor priority.
Talk to an officer when you file the report and make sure it's okay to call the store and file a complaint. They may want to investigate first.
What will filing a police report even do, outside of scaring Sears?
No, but I can give a pretty accurate description.
Also, I called Sears, and only their auto parts section was open, so I talked to them. I asked the guy if it would be a problem that I don't have the license plate or anything like that, and he said it shouldn't be, since all their vehicles have a GPS.
Yeah, I don't know why there would even be debate over filing a police report. For one thing, if this guy is a repeat offender, the next time someone reports a Sears driver going after them with a tire-iron the police will at least know that this isn't an isolated incident.
Had you done this, he could have been sent to prison.
call sears.
call the breakfast place to see if they have security footage of their parking lot or drive through window.
they probably do.
Would a Carl's Jr let me/Sears see the footage, or does that require police action (which I doubt they will take, judging by my phone conversation with them)?
At any rate it might be worth talking to the manager of that branch and seeing what he says, best do it quick though in case any footage gets overwritten.
You're only going to increase your stress by dwelling on this.
Hell, write your local paper too. Get the word out. Force Sears into a PR nightmare.
after all, the bullet didn't hit me!
=/
start a paper trail and have everything written down before you call Sears and speak to the manager.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
He'll get threatened by a crowbar?
I fail to see anything other than "lifelol".
I'm not saying that the OP should make it his Batman'esque goal in life to nail him to the wall, but filing an appropriate police report and taking the situation to Sears proper is a worthwhile endeavor in my eyes. All 'circle of silence' from large companies aside, I work for a massive corporation, and we have and will continue to let people go who are productive employees, but have records that eventually get too long.
From the actions described, I doubt this is the first time this guy has lost his temper, and I doubt it'll be the last. If nothing else, adding to that paper trail might be important in getting the higher ups to pay attention, rather than just letting whatever slips out now and then slide.
Ignoring a problem does not make it go away - especially one as severe as threatening someone with a weapon.
Or his window will be smashed in, he will be dragged out of his car, and beaten half to death?
Are you unaware of what road rage is? Are you not aware that some people are killed in these situations?
I'm not trying to blow this out of proportion, because thank nobody was hurt, but something could have happened. The very fact that this fuckhole started throwing rocks at the OP's car as he tried to get away proves he wasn't intending just to appear menacing with that crowbar. As the OP got away, he quickly found another way to cause damage.
OP: Do not call the police. Drive down to the police station and file a report. Key phrases to keep in mind:
"Followed me for X miles"
"Came at me with a crowbar in his hand shouting profanities"
"Little niece in the car with me"
"Started throwing rocks at me as I drove away"
"I was too terrified to go back and get a plate number"
When you call the police, you are John Doe calling with complaint #231 of the day, likely blown out of proportion, and you'll likely never actually file any sort of complaint. Go down there and put a face to the situation and express your concerns about your safety and the safety of your niece.
This guy didn't approach your car just to tell you off. He came at you with the very likely intent to assault you with a (deadly?) weapon and then proceeded to throw rocks at your car as you fled.
If the police still say there isn't much they can do, simply say you want to file a report so you have everything on paper. You then have a report number to give to Sears, so they know you're actually serious and not just some asshole trying to get back at poor Johnny Sears Delivery Boy for knicking your drywall.
While I typically agree with you on stuff, I gotta say you're off base here. What the driver did was commit aggravated assault - he had a deadly weapon (both the crowbar and rocks) which makes it "aggravated". This carries some hefty jail time and such. He likely committed two counts of this because of the two people in the car. Also, IANAL.
I agree.
I also think that if you give it a day or two, the rage will subside.
PSN: TheScrublet
You're assuming that the OP wants to pursue this issue because he's mad and wants revenge on the driver.
We're all suggesting that the driver is a danger to others and should be dealt with. It's not about the OP getting his vengeance, it's about the driver learning that this behaviour is more than unacceptable and there are serious consequences involved. In a perfect world he will be fired from his job and charged with assault, have a criminal record, and have a very tough time finding another job that doesn't involve a broom or a deep fryer.
Is that too harsh? I don't think so.
Oh christ, a deep fryer?
Yeah. Basically.
I get road rage every day. While some is extreme and I understand the OP's need for vengeance, I also know that given a few days the rage will subside with no long-term effects.
We're not talking about the OP's rage here, we're talking about the other driver's. His rage will subside in a few days? That's fantastic for him, but if the OP didn't drive away in time, I'll bet you the OP's smashed in face from the ol' crowbar special would take a lot longer to "subside."
Have you ever gotten out of your car with a fucking weapon before? Have you then thrown objecys at the other driver? I doubt it. We're not talking about swearing while behind the wheel, making faces, or giving the finger. We're talking about a physical confrontation.
This.
Whenever someone gets out of the car to start a confrontation, their road rage just went from "annoying but harmless" to "dangerous".
Fan the flames however you like. The OP and his niece are safe.
The best bet is outlined above, and I'm not against contacting Sears. I simple think this is getting blown far out of practical proportion.