OMG!
My Experience in This Movement Saved My Life Tonight!

I had just finished shopping at TJ Max in Aliso Viejo (that's in South County Orange County. It's suppose to be an upscale area, but there has been recent gang activity in San Juan Capistrano and it is spilling into these areas. This is ALSO the town that Jim Gilchrist lives). The store was closed and I was one of the last ones out. It was about 9:15pm. The parking lot was almost empty, just my car and another in the row where I was parked. Three cars were in the next row.

Just as I exited the store with my big basket of stuff, a man started to follow me into the parking lot. All my womanly senses were alerted and I KNEW what was going to happen. I got to my car and began putting the bags in the backseat when the man stopped and acted like he was looking for his car (the parking lot was almost empty). He had a cellphone cupped in his hand, (not the way one would hold a cellphone) and there was also something else underneath the phone in his hand.

He walked around the far side of my car and around the front to come right up behind me. He didn't say a word, but I knew what was going to happen next. I had to do something quick, so before he could get too close I turned really fast and stood and glared him right in the eye, as if to say "I know what you are doing." He stared back at me with a knowing look in his eye, like "How am I going to pull this off now."

Right at that time two customers came out of the store, a man and a woman. I slammed my door shut with my purse and everything inside and I ran to the couple while yelling. It took the couple a few seconds to figure out what I was saying and by that time the man started to walk- half-run away. Once he got far enough away he started a full run.

The customer said "You're safe now. Go get in your car and get out of here." Instead I jumped in my car and dialed 911 and took off after the guy. I was on the phone with the dispatcher telling her which way he was going when I saw the sheriff pulled in to the parking lot. I flashed my lights and drove right up to sheriff. We both jumped out and I only had enough time to yell a description of the man to him and point to where he was running.

The sheriff (a police man and a police woman) jumped in their car and sped after the guy. I wanted soooooo bad to follow and watch the guy get arrested, but my heart was beating real fast and I wanted my husband. I called my husband and he persuaded me to come straight home.

I'm fine now. This happened about an hour ago. I'm more PROUD of myself than I am scared. I did all the right things. I was alert to my surroundings. I was completely aware of the man following me to the car. I made a mental note of what he was wearing, what he was carrying, how tall he was, whether he had facial hair, and when he confronted me I acted strongly and as soon as possible I ran and made lots of noise.

I know it was my experience in this movement that may possibly have saved my life. The man had something else in his hand concealed under his cellphone. He was staking out the shopping area and he saw a lone woman with a large amount of bags to deal with.

There have been two cases of women in OC this year that have had their purse snatched coming out of a Marshalls or TJ Maxx. One woman refused to let go of her purse and she was stabbed 5 times in the chest. The other was threatened but gave up her purse and was spared. In both incidences the mugger was a lone Hispanic man.

WELL, HE MESSED WITH THE WRONG WOMAN THIS TIME!!!

If anyone has any contact with the sheriff that patrols Aliso Viejo, I would love to know what happened when they caught this guy.
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