Jeff Piotrowski Almost Stabbed in Texas

[Dan Robinson]

Jeff's situation is a really rare one that I don't know how anyone could have seen coming. You might expect someone like that in a rough neighborhood, not wandering on a road near a tornado damage path. I guess the only takeaway you could glean from this one is to stay inside of your vehicle, and just get the heck out of there if you notice anything even slightly off about the person (how they respond to you, etc).

 

[Matt Petrulli]

Gotta expect the unexpected. Ed course, I was watching live, didn't expect that at all. Seemed like the guy was probably on some type of drugs or is suffering from mental illness. I mean, it is Texas. A lot of crazy stuff happens in Texas.

 

[Joey Ketcham]

Gotta expect the unexpected. Ed course, I was watching live, didn't expect that at all. Seemed like the guy was probably on some type of drugs or is suffering from mental illness. I mean, it is Texas. A lot of crazy stuff happens in Texas.

I'm not really familiar with what was going on in the video, where it was located or if that area was impacted. I'm going to go on the assumption that the area in particular where this happened was impacted shortly before by a tornado. If that is the case, then it is a probability that the guy experienced something that was very traumatic to him and caused behavior that was normal for him. I could be wrong, but I'm not going to be quick to conclude the guy was on drugs.

 

[Jeff Duda]

From my perspective, this turns out to be another major difference between chasing in Canada and in the USA. Having chased here for several years, I haven't had a single moment where I thought my safety - due to another person - was at stake. Sure, gun laws are different here (we don't have anything like the Second Amendment; and people usually only own guns for hunting, not self-defense), but I also can't imagine being attacked by a random person like this in Canada, especially under these circumstances. I guess anything could theoretically happen anywhere, but this whole discussion is quite intriguing to me. If anything, the thought of chasing in the states in spring makes me slightly apprehensive, knowing so many people are armed...I wouldn't want to accidentally piss off the wrong person or something. The only people I see with guns holstered to their belts around here are cops!

This was a pretty freak incident. Having chased in the USA since 2007, I also have yet to encounter a situation where I thought I needed any sort of weapon to feel safe.

In response to Steve's question, no, this does not change my mind about carrying a weapon while chasing. If anything, it strengthens my own pesonal argument in favor of staying away from an area that has been freshly damaged by a tornado (with exceptions for extremely improbable circumstances). I'll leave first responder duties to the police and EMTs who would be trained in how to handle fickle situations with people who may be injured and emotionally or mentally disturbed.

 

[Scott Robart]

Odds are that you will never need a weapon while on a chase, but after a storm hits, if you encounter looters (which, thankfully, doesn't seem to happen that often), it's probably better to have it than not to have it. Your best bet is to try to avoid situations where you might need to be armed. I'm former law enforcement and I very strongly support the individual right to carry. Having a firearm can actually prevent situations where you could be harmed altogether, without you ever needing to unholster your weapon. The one caveat that I would say for chasers/spotters is make sure you have a place to lock it up in your car when you're outside your car filming or observing, if you're not carrying it on your person. A lockable glove box is a great place. If you do get pulled over and you have a weapon in your car, telling the officer about it should be the first thing you do when the officer approaches your vehicle. Put your hands on the steering wheel where they can be clearly seen and inform the officer that you have a firearm inside the vehicle. Usually they will ask where it's located, sometimes they will pull you out of the vehicle for their own safety. If you're open and honest about this type of stuff, you will very rarely have issues, as the overwhelming majority of LEOs support the individual's right to carry.

I took first responder courses a number of years ago and I think this is a wise thing for all chasers to do. Hopefully you'll never end up in a situation where you need to render first aid, but if you are, it's better to have the training and be able to do it properly. Local fire departments, ambulances and police departments regularly take these courses, and if you ask, they would probably let you join in, especially if they know you're a storm chaser or storm spotter. The Red Cross also offers courses throughout the year in most cities, usually for free or for a very low cost. 99% of it is common sense, but it still is worth having the certification, even if you never need it. Chasers are sometimes the first ones on the scene, even before police and EMT/fire, knowing this stuff could save a life and that's ultimately why we do what we do.

 

[Rocky Rascovich]

Just seeing this video for the first time.. absolutely unbelievable but thank God, he's okay. I've known Jeff at least 25 years and consider him and his wife Kathryn good friends. It just goes to show the times we're living in. I plan on getting my CWP this year.. and also brushing up on my first aid skills.. long overdue.

 

[Shane Adams]

There have been several threads here about carrying of weapons, specifically guns. Does this change YOUR mind about carrying while chasing?

I can easily see how anyone who's comfortable with firearms would want to carry, but honestly I'm just not. I wasn't raised around guns, even though most of my friends had them growing up. I even had a 20-gauge when I was 14, but it was a surprise xmas gift that I didn't ask for. I used it some, because I felt obligated, mostly squeezing off Bluejays (because back then I hated those damn birds), but after a year or so the firing pin broke, and I just lost interest and never touched it again. Maybe because I've never needed one, is why I just don't like being around guns. A lot of it is I have major trust issues with anyone when it comes to being in possession of anything that could kill me with a trigger squeeze. Even people I've known 20 years, when they bring out a firearm, I get very uneasy. I grew up in a time when the worst thing to happen to you was you got your ass kicked, but you always came back to fight another day. Guns just seem, to me, to almost be inviting trouble. I know they don't in the hands of responsible owners, but that's just my twisted psyche.

Maybe if I found guns interesting, I might be more open to having one for self-defense. Until then, I'd rather just move to a better neighborhood. I don't feel like I have to have a gun, and I never want to.

Now as far as Jeff's incident, that's just another reason (though admittedly I never even imagined it before it happened to Jeff) I don't chase after dark, especially following a damaging tornado. I put more effort into avoiding tornado damage than I do finding tornadoes. I'm not trained in emergency services, and like guns, I'm just not comfortable purposely putting myself in situations that could expose us to that type of human trauma/drama. Storms and tornadoes provide all the drama we need; we've no interest in the aftermath.

 

[Marc R. O'Leary]

@Shane Adams ...if you ever find your way up to the denver area, feel free to shoot me a message and I'll take you out to my local range, if you're interested, and we can fire off some .22s. I shoot for fun only...I don't hunt, and hope to never need to use my guns to defend myself. For me it's a fun past time that I grew up with, so I understand your POV, but I love helping others get into it. My wife wasn't a shooter...now she giggles every time she double taps a pumpkin with her .22...and she's getting pretty good.

Offer is out there. If you're not interested, we can just grab a beer instead.

 

[Shane Adams]

@Shane Adams ...if you ever find your way up to the denver area, feel free to shoot me a message and I'll take you out to my local range, if you're interested, and we can fire off some .22s. I shoot for fun only...I don't hunt, and hope to never need to use my guns to defend myself. For me it's a fun past time that I grew up with, so I understand your POV, but I love helping others get into it. My wife wasn't a shooter...now she giggles every time she double taps a pumpkin with her .22...and she's getting pretty good.

Offer is out there. If you're not interested, we can just grab a beer instead.

Appreciate the offer. You never know, maybe someday I'll be a bit more open to the idea. In the meantime, if I'm ever up your way, I'll take you up on that beer.

 

[Bill Hark]

I was completely shocked by that incident. I think most chasers would stop to check on someone who appears injured near a tornado damage path. I usually keep my guard up while out chasing or doing other types of photography but I likely would have been distracted by the tornado damage and stopped to help without any thought about the possibility of being attacked. It wouldn't have crossed my mind until too late.

As for carrying a gun while chasing, I no problem with it. That's a personal decision but one must consider training, hassle factors and the potential of driving into an area with different laws concerning firearms. This is for another thread. With the speed of the attack on Jeff per viewing of the video, I doubt a gun would have helped him.

 

[Alex Heimberger]

Jeff's situation is a really rare one that I don't know how anyone could have seen coming. You might expect someone like that in a rough neighborhood, not wandering on a road near a tornado damage path.

This could of been a 'Rough' neighborhood that got hit by the tornado. Tornadoes don't discriminate. It'll hit a mansion or crack house. Never know who you're going to be dealing with. It's quite interesting that as soon as Jeff speed talks Cops are here or coming. The guy freaks & asked for an attorney. Make me believe he could of thought Jeff was a cop or authoritative figure. And possibly that he was in trouble. Doesn't make any of it right. Just an observation. I'll be sticking closer to the car and giving others a bit more space out storm chasing.

 

[joel ewing]

I'm a big 2nd amendment man. My wife keeps a .38 under wraps in her Camaro SS convertible 100% of the time. It wouldn't take much for her to be stopped at a stoplight or stop sign and some maniac with a knife to slice right thru her ragtop and get at her. I feel very comfortable having her drive alone....even on I-10 when she makes occasional runs between Tucson and Phoenix, knowing that she's got her pistol. She's never had to use it...hopefully never will. But if the need arises...she's ready.

 

[joel ewing]

@Shane Adams ...if you ever find your way up to the denver area, feel free to shoot me a message and I'll take you out to my local range, if you're interested, and we can fire off some .22s. I shoot for fun only...I don't hunt, and hope to never need to use my guns to defend myself. For me it's a fun past time that I grew up with, so I understand your POV, but I love helping others get into it. My wife wasn't a shooter...now she giggles every time she double taps a pumpkin with her .22...and she's getting pretty good.

Offer is out there. If you're not interested, we can just grab a beer instead.

That's very cool of you to make that offer to Shane, Marc. Very cool. Some range time with Shane, and he might find that he actually LOVES shooting. It's always better to be prepared than to be the victim.

 

[joel ewing]

Very glad he made it out okay. Sad times we live in... I used to pick up hitchhikers just to be a good guy... but you can't do that anymore. Now it is getting too dangerous to make sure someone on the side of the road isn't injured! At least he got away with what could had been a lot worse! Be safe out there folks, apparently, tornadoes are not the only threat!

I too used to pick up hitchhikers.....and I used to hitchhike all over the place myself. This was years ago....there's no way I'd do either one now. People are wound up real tight nowadays.....and you throw chemicals like meth into their systems at the same time, and well....I don't need to elaborate. Hitchhiking in the '70's, I used to keep a big blade in a leather sheath strapped to the inside of my right leg, down by the top of my sock. Only a couple of times did I think I may have to pull it, but thankfully was able to diffuse the situation verbally each time. Pulling a gun or a knife....even if it's in self-defense....must be the LAST option, always. Almost worse than whatever you might receive from your attacker is the years and copious expense of the defense attorneys you're have to hire to simply defend your "defending yourself"...along with all the time devoted to depositions, hearings, meetings with attorneys, plea deals, etc. etc. etc. Your life will be locked in a damn nightmare for a LONG time. But....I guess it beats being severely beaten, raped or killed by your attacker. But not by much. Nothing much worse than going thru the absolute nightmare of the legal system...I swear to God.

 

[Marcus Hicks]

I would not suspect this to become a common occurrence, but proof that threats are not just storms or car accidents. I would suggest checking laws of all states you plan to chase in to see what is acceptable and what is not, especially in the case of carrying firearms. The size of knife blades could play a factor as well and could turn a simple traffic ticking for a rolling stop into a legal nightmare. Also know that open carry does NOT mean concealed. A firearm out of sight in a glove box, center console or under the seat would fall under the concealed category and could seriously get ugly in a hurry. My personal thoughts are that some level of protection should always be considered but should not place you in potential jeopardy with the law. We know there are some areas in which LEO's would get super excited to bust a chaser(s) packing heat illegally.

That was my $.05 worth.