2 Videos | When the Weapon is a Vehicle

I pulled two videos off the internet which are similar in the sense that they show someone using their vehicle as a weapon. There are many similar videos you could easily find, but I just included these two. I think these two videos have similarities, yet are different enough to illustrate the point from a couple perspectives.

Now, the only thing I know about the details of these incidents, come directly from the video. I don't know the timeframe, the country, or anything about the people involved. I'll make it clear when I'm speculating, but mostly the videos speak for themselves.

Vehicle as a Weapon, Video One—

In the first video, we see the standard armed robbery popular in central and South American countries. Two criminals on a motorcycle quickly close in on an unsuspecting victim. The passenger quickly jumps off, and using the element of surprise to gain the upper-hand, produces a firearm before the victim can react.

The rider stays on the motorcycle so the team can make a quick getaway. The motorcycles' maneuverability in traffic and ability to go places a car couldn't make it a great choice for this technique. Plus, criminals can obscure their identity without causing suspicion by wearing a motorcycle helmet with a face shield.

We often see this technique used on pedestrians, but this time the pair targets a driver of a vehicle that appears to be parked on the street. I don't know if the criminals intended to carjack the victim, or just grab small stuff such as the victim's phone, purse, jewelry and get out of there, but I tend to think it's the latter.

We see the criminal position the motorcycle slightly in front of the victim's vehicle. Perhaps he did this in hopes it would block the victim from driving away. It's also possible the suspects overshot their target and intended rather to ride directly up to the driver's window to commit the crime.

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The driver either immediately recognized what was going on, or had divine timing, because the vehicle starts to move even before the motorcycle comes to a stop. I think it's likely the driver suspected what was about to happen because he drives forward and around the motorcycle without wasting time.

The criminals back the motorcycle up, trying to stay in front of the vehicle, but the driver wisely hits the gas, knocking them both off the motorcycle. The motorist is able to flee and avoid further contact. As an aside, vehicle positioning at red lights and while parking is important. Avoid pulling up close to a vehicle in front of you, and always try to leave yourself avenues of escape.

Being able to use a gun in and around your vehicle is a good skill to have. But so is knowing when the right play is to use the 3,000lb tool you're driving. One word of caution when using the vehicle like this is to consider the potential the motorcycle gets wedged under the vehicle and becomes immobile.

You may also end up getting “high-centered” on a curb in which the wheels aren't touching the ground and you get stuck. Also, be aware of barricades that organized rioters can use to immobilize vehicles trying to escape the scene.

These are just considerations, and not reasons you shouldn't use your vehicle as a weapon or to escape. I'd chance driving through a motorcycle over being shot in the head by a carjacker.

Wait There's More—

You thought this was the end, but oh no.

A second motorist must see what's just gone down. And while one of the criminals is able to get back on the motorcycle and ride off, the other one is standing on the road. The second motorist targets the criminal with their vehicle and scores a direct hit.

It appears this criminal had a firearm and fired it toward the approaching vehicle. Remember, the rules for using deadly force are the same if you're using a vehicle or your Sig Sauer P365.

Essentially, before using deadly force, you believe that you or someone else faces a threat which is using or about to use force likely to cause death or substantial injury, and that threat is immediate. Furthermore, the belief must be objectively reasonable and the force must be proportionate to the threat.

An interesting thing to note is that while the vehicle solidly hits the criminal, after only a few seconds, he is aware enough to get up and jump on the back of the motorcycle. I've seen people do some superhuman things under the power of adrenalin. This is one reason we shouldn't assume one shot will take the fight out of an attacker.

Vehicle as a Weapon, Video Two—

The second video illustrates the vehicle as a weapon from two angles. First, from the viewpoint of someone getting carjacked or robbed at their vehicle window. I mentioned vehicle positioning earlier, and it applies here too.

You may just be in a position where you are backing out of a driveway, or don't have a forward avenue of escape. I don't know if the driver intended this or not—I tend to think it wasn't on purpose—but by turning the steering wheel away from the attacker and reversing the vehicle; the driver used the vehicle perfectly to take down the attacker.

In this video, we see how effective this technique can be. Now yes, it's true if the criminal had a firearm, they still may be able to get shots on you. You need to assess your individual circumstance to decide on what is the highest percentage play. This video just illustrates another option.

Now, from the other side of the coin, this video should show us the danger of trying to stop someone who may be stealing our vehicle. Officers know this well, yet many have been injured and killed by getting dragged or run over while fighting with a driver.

No doubt the guy who got run over suffered some serious damage to his legs, ankles and feet. However, once again, we see someone get up and limp away, even if only for a short distance.

Allright hopefully these videos were helpful to you and at the very least remind you to stay aware and make the best choices you can.