We tend to think about vehicle ambush as something that happens someplace other than the US. But recently one of our former students got involved in a problem that is worth talking about.

George TZ was driving his principals 250K Bentley Turbo (Minus the principal) though the streets of one of the New York Burroughs.

George noticed a SUV, with a tinted windshield, Connecticut plates behind him; tinted windshields are illegal in New York. He didn’t pay much attention to the vehicle until he noticed the SUV still behind him a few miles down the road. At that point George decided to drive a surveillance detection route, and at the completion of the route the SUV was still there. George called 911 told the dispatcher the scenario, the decision was made to have a police vehicle meet George at a particular intersection. On his way to the rendezvous point, while waiting at a stop light, the SUV pulled around George and blocked his path. Two young gentlemen got out of the SUV with their hands inside their jackets and started to approach the Bentley.

George ran the options through his mind, ram (a $250,000 vehicle) or drive around the blocking SUV. He determined there was enough space to drive around the SUV, driving away from the would be bad guys. All this happening in seconds, he got back to the dispatcher and had the police meet him at the place of the almost ambush.

The police felt the description fit that of a group doing bad things in the New York area.

 Lessons Learned

• George was alert and saw the SUV
• He understood the concept of Surveillance Detection
• Once the ambush started George went through his options and executed the selected option
• George has been involved in Security Driving for many years, but is constantly updating his driving and security skills.