As GAT Daily’s resident Florida man, I stay up to date on the local ramblings of my fellow Florida men. Earlier this month, a couple were subject to a violent assault in which they barely escaped with their lives. The couple’s tragic story is a stark reminder of the power of situational awareness.
Casinos, Low Lifes, and Situational Awareness
Numerous news outlets reported that the couple was out on a date night. According to Kim Chambliss and Val Delacruz, they only get one date night a month. Both work hard to provide for themselves and likely enjoy the precious time they get. This couple chose the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa as their venue of choice.
In a stroke of fortune, Val Delacruz won 3,300 dollars in a slot machine jackpot. In a stroke of misfortune, his big win attracted the attention of Tristin Wright and Marcus Jenkins. The two men proceeded to watch the couple for two hours as they enjoyed their night at the casino. They kept following them after they cashed out and headed home. The drive from the casino to their neighborhood was roughly 20 minutes.
As they arrived home, the two lowlifes launched their attack. The attack was captured on the couple’s doorbell camera. The thugs fired several shots, hitting Delacruz three times in the legs and Chambliss once in the calf. The masked men assaulted Delacruz and stole his watch and Chambliss’ purse. They both wore masks and wielded semi-auto handguns.
Both men were partly identified and apprehended due to the casino’s security cameras. They captured the men following the couple. Marcus Jenkins was a career criminal currently on bond for trafficking fentanyl, resisting arrest, and DUI. His rap sheet includes 53 felony charges, 18 misdemeanor charges, and five stints in state prison.
Staying Aware
I would never blame the victims or state they didn’t do enough to protect themselves. However, it would be remiss not to learn lessons from this case. While the victims lived, their lives were forever changed. Physically and mentally, they will likely suffer long-term effects. The best thing we can do is beware of the power of situational awareness.
As the couple enjoyed their date night, the two thugs followed them around a casino for two hours. That’s forever. If you are paying attention to the world around you, you might start to find it a bit weird that you keep seeing these two guys as you move through the casino. The season has 245,000 square feet of casino. That’s the gaming space, not the bars, restaurants, or hotel portion of the campus.
When you’re out and about, you should pay attention to people’s faces. You don’t need to remember every detail, but if you’re practicing proper situational awareness, you should be able to recognize a face that keeps popping up. As the old quote says, “Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern.”
If you keep seeing the same people, especially the same men, who tend to be more prone to violent crime, you should notate it. Your spidey senses should be going off. My wife and I love to travel, and we find ourselves in all sorts of places. We keep our eyes open without being paranoid or ruining our fun. If I keep seeing the same person everywhere I go, I’ll take note of it and plan to deal with it.
Riding Dirty
The couple arrived home after five in the morning. They must have left the Hard Rock at around 0445 or so. Even a city like Tampa is pretty dead at that time. You should be able to notice someone following you. In a busy city, it’s tougher to tell if you’re being followed at night. Cars just look like headlights in the middle of the night. All the situational awareness in the world doesn’t help you if it’s just a lot of lights.
It’s tough to tell if you’re being followed on a highway or a busy road. However, spotting someone following you isn’t hard when you get into a suburban neighborhood. Especially if its late at night. Headlights stand out. In that situation, the last thing you want to do is stop at your home. Keep driving, call your local nonemergency number for police, and drive to a police station or arrange to meet an officer.
Don’t expect to get indoors before someone can shoot you in the legs three times. Even if you can, these guys now know where you live, and who knows what they can do.
Be Smart, Be Aware, Have a Gun
Situational awareness is a great tool, and so is a means to defend yourself. It’s unlikely the couple could have carried it at the casino. It could be considered a bar under Florida statute, which means it’s prohibited. Leaving a gun in your car isn’t always a great option unless you have a sturdy safe.
Having a gun is great, but situational awareness is probably your best tool. It allows you to avoid conflicts, whereas a gun only allows you to react to a conflict. No matter what, I always suggest you carry a firearm everywhere you legally can. When the crap hits the fan, it’s the last tool you’ll have to preserve your life and life of your loved ones.
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