B5 Systems

Get Off The X: Lessons Learned From The Ambushed Orange County Deputies

Last month, deputies from the Orange County Sherriff’s Department responded to a possible suicide call. One minute after arriving on scene, a man with an assault rifle ambushed the deputies.

Recognizing their tactical disadvantage, the deputies minimized their silhouette and maneuvered out of the kill zone. The deputies involved stated, “We did what we had to do to survive. Training just kicked in.”

Recently released dash-cam footage of this event is so powerful because it demonstrates why we must model flat range training after what actually happens in the real world. If the deputies involved had subscribed to the trendy and unproven methods being pushed on law enforcement (i.e. “stacking pillars”, and treating windshields as cover) disaster would have ensued.

Outstanding performance gentlemen.

Portions of this article appeared first at BehindTheBadgeOC.com.

Author Aaron Barruga is the founder of Guerrilla Approach LLC.

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63 Responses to “Get Off The X: Lessons Learned From The Ambushed Orange County Deputies”

  1. But in the movies bullets always spark and bounce off of vehicles and just bounce off windshields.

  2. Captain Obvious says:

    So wait a second, the VCQB circus claims they trained these guys, yet their training, and common sense said not to stack pillars in a gunfight?

    Can we finally all agree that this VCQB crap is just a scam run by the muzzle flash midget after he got off on the wrongful death lawsuit??

    • The internet has been our best and worst asset with passing down credible information to shooters.

      • SSD says:

        Hey, the Army finally admitted you can rest your rifle on your magazine while shooting.

        • Chuck says:

          Thanks for sharing, Aaron. Spreading awareness of well executed maneuvers and movement techniques will no doubt save more lives of the good guys. And that’s what we’re all hoping for.

        • Joe says:

          Alas the Marine Corps has yet to see the light. No magazine floorplates on the deck for you Pvt. Pyle!

    • Matt says:

      What is stacking pillars?

      • straps says:

        Engineer Wins the Internet but vehicles have A Pillars (the structural member that joins the car’s roof to the car’s chassis at the windshield) B Pillars (joins chassis to roof between the doors and rear windows/doors) and C Pillars (chassis to roof at the rear quarter panels). The idea is to put enough pillars between you and a threat to deflect/absorb incoming fire.

        It’s the kind of stuff that sounds plausible on a flat range where the instructor speaks Dynamic Pie Concepts and the adversary is represented by a target stand that never once moves.

        Everywhere else, under every other condition, you play the hand you’re dealt and use your engine for cover. And Tactical Blind Fire:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU28VypI-o4

  3. Terry Baldwin says:

    Aaron,

    Thanks for sharing this video and your perspective. I agree with all the points you are making.

    VR Terry

  4. Larry says:

    Sooooo….using car doors as cover? Are they armored up in these cars now?

    Also the first few cops that approached to suspect, in a rapid pace never looked at the open garage, they were blinded by their focus on the suspect. It was not until the AR bearing cop came up after to cover the garage. He even popped back a second (looked like it). Had a second suspect been in there, he could have caused some havoc.

    • mr bean says:

      Tell us again how you’d do it from your keyboard

      • Larry says:

        Ummm get behind the engine block in some fashion or the axles/tires on the OTHER side of the car.

        Not rocket science. One can youtube search bullet passing through car doors…

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10hrP6MQ1MY

        3.1 seconds of Google FU right there, from behind my keyboard.

        As to covering the garage? Really that is basic situation awareness. From our limited view the guy walked out, dropped the rifle and put his hands in the air. They told him to get on the ground, all the way down, he did (the angle of the cops guns tell us he is down). At that point you have all day. Let the moron lay there for 10min while you and your team secure the garage. Let him think his last moment, while tasting pavement, is any second.

    • jbgleason says:

      I was going to comment earlier that I am not entirely sure the doors on that unmarked aren’t armored. The way they were using them, the look of the doors and the way the light came through the glass looks like up armored doors I have been around. Not to mention the way the glass frosted up when shot but didn’t fall out of the frame. I know there are companies out there that sell armor kits for Crown Vic doors.

      • Engineer says:

        They did sell crown vics with armored doors. For what it’s worth, my buddies in ocsd say their cruisers have the ballistic panels in the doors, I’m guessing the older vics are level iii.

        The internet tells me Ford now sells the new Taurus and explorer based police vehicles with level IV.

    • straps says:

      Those are CVPIs and the vast majority in California ARE armored. Like 99%. Next year’s Explorer will be rated for rifle.

      All the other sharpshooting indicates that you know one of the responding officers personally and got the AAR over beers at the Yard House or know jack shit.

  5. Esteban says:

    I guarantee no armor doors. Just complacency and lack of knowledge that vehicles are not good cover.

    • Engineer says:

      And I guarantee they did have ballistic panels in the doors.

      Segueing into a story as relayed by an LASD buddy:

      End of Watch has a scene where Jake Gyllenhal’s character holds his pistol up to the door in case the Cle Sloan’s character makes a move. Apparently this is an LASD tactic do this as they don’t have the ballistic panels in their crown vics.

      I can’t attest to the veracity of the story, but it seemed interesting.

      • Just Tim says:

        My first assignment out of the jail was at LASD’s Firestone Station and the “shoot through the car door technique” was taught and practiced. That was way back in the early 80’s. I don’t think LASD routinely up armors their doors except in very specific cases or assignments.

        I might be getting old, but what these OCSD Deputies did was simple retreat and regroup under fire. Looks like plain old common sense, not some new fangled tactical Kabuki Theater bullshit. Why are we applauding their techniques? Their rifleman should have been in a better position to shoot the dumbass that was shooting at them. These guys just did what any copper with a brain would have done in the same circumstances…ran away and regroup. Remember the old “distance increases response time” saying? Apparently that still works.

    • Eric says:

      Uh … They do have armored doors. I Train with those dudes. When you watch only a couple minutes of a video it’s easy to sit back and say well they did this wrong …. there is more to the story

  6. Echo says:

    Aaron, I don’t know what you teach or what Wil teaches. My question is based on 20 years as a cop. For those in rural areas or interstates like Troopers or Deputies when your car is the only thing to use as contact/cover what are your recommendations? I’m not suggesting you are doing this but I’ve seen some light up Wil when they haven’t taken his class or have never been a cop in the above situation. I’ve had stops in the middle of no where with empty cornfields all around. The car, either mine or pressing the fight to the suspects car, is the only option to fight from or to in those situations. I guess my question then is if any of Wil’s stuff is appropriate in the above situation?

  7. Nate says:

    I’m going to say that they rolled up WAY too close to that house. Maybe its a cultural thing, but you park a few houses down when you are taking a cold Theft report. If its a suicidal guy with a reported firearm? Even further out and PCs and rifles are on when you are bailing out of the car. And you use stuff like…cover and concealment when making your approach. Your $50K car shouldn’t be where the guy can shoot it up from his house. He shouldn’t know you are there until you tap him gently on the shoulder…no OIS if you never give the guy an opening.

    That mess would have gotten a rookie put on a remedial FTO loop around here. Kind of really avoidable. Hope they gave those guys mountain bikes to replace their shot up cars, because they don’t deserve replacements.

    I do agree with Mr. Barruga that a cop car (and door pillars) is not very good cover. If its all you have, you might have to work with it, but if you are in it or around it after the fight starts, it might as well be a coffin with wheels on it. Unless its a Bearcat.

    • straps says:

      Cameras compress distances. One could argue that they were minimum prudent distance. Stacked calls? 2 cars short, as stated by the article? The mobile Deputies are gonna be upside down all night. This is how resource shortages endanger officers AND the public. Also, the other 99% of distressed individual calls can be cleared with less lethal, which you don’t want too much of a hike to access. Lastly, distressed individuals will either be hiding in a closet at the call or in a back yard 3 doors down. Or in the garage chambering a round. Box o’chocolates.

      Other forums are debating the value of approaching from opposite sides, but modern subdivisions can take the opposite unit waay out of his way.

      If rifles and plate carriers why not helmets?

      Lots to be learned from the footage for sure. There are 5 things that every one of these deputies will change for every call they answer from now on. Would be interesting to know those.

      Even nuttier story upstate, home invasion that devolved into a vehicle chase. Another reason not to put too much ground between the car and the call.

      http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_29889243/redwood-estates-shooting-violent-home-invasion-ended-homeowner

      Take their cars? In OC? You’re cruel.

    • Just Tim says:

      Nate you’re dead on. They were way too close and way too bunched up given the nature of the call. Not to besmirch OCSD, but they don’t have a lot of hyper busy urban ghetto type cities that they police in the OC. They just don’t get the street experience that many of OC’s city police officers get.

      Why didn’t the rifleman position and conceal himself to cover the front of the house and the other Depuy’s approach? Look more like a tiny little bit of a tactical cluster than an example to applaud. It all turned out fine, but many missed opportunities and potential fatal mistakes to not repeat in a future incident.

  8. straps says:

    Off-topic question: Was the rifle used by shooter the confirmed to be full-auto?

    Any info on pedigree (pre-FOPA, off-books import, parts kit or basement mod)?

    • Chuck says:

      Would also like to know if possible. Thanks.

    • Airborne_fister says:

      I hate to say it. But I’m guessing no. It sounds like he gets 5 shots off pretty quick. Then he has to reload. Using a bullet button or some other way. Then 3 shot followed by two. They seem to not have the same rate of fire as the first 5. Might have switched from FA to semi. But I’m just a keyboard judge.

      • SSD says:

        So, you think he shot full auto but he had a bullet button? It didn’t sound full auto to me.

        • majrod says:

          Agree SSD. One of the first things that came to mind considering the headline says “automatic”. Might be a simple mistake. The anti 2A guys use “automatic” all the time though.

  9. Nate says:

    I know how the camera compresses things. Heck. I recognize that is an L3 camera.

    I agree on helmets. And I can get all of the stuff I mentioned on from the drivers seat if traffic is slow enough. But they didn’t deploy anything.

    Yeah, your less lethal shouldn’t be a block away, but you should have figured out who was getting that before you arrived.

    They are still WAY too close. On this sort of call, nothing should be on the vehicle MVR except for loud noises and radio traffic, because they shouldn’t have driven onto the ‘X.’ Even though 99.999% of these end with Officer Friendly talking the crazy person into an ambulance or the CIT car with no drama and the officer’s heading to the next disturbance call or desperately trying to find somewhere to take a leak, you still don’t park that f—-ng close to the call. Treat every single one like you are going to take fire if you get to close, be cautious and stuff like this can be avoided.

    I’d recommend 40 hours without pay for “Fail To Follow Department Tactics in a High Risk Situation” (it’s in the disciplinary matrix like that), remedial training on basic patrol stuff and assignment to a walking beat or bike post for six months on this one, because these guys aren’t responsible enough to drive one of my CVPIs.

    • Chris says:

      Your recommendation of 40 hours no pay blah blah blah at the end makes me wonder, where do you work and when was the last time you worked call to call to call for 10-12 hours a week straight? They came out alive and can learn from it. Ot wasn’t lretty but I have never seen a video where any cop ever does everything right.
      Our TAC/SWAT guys are the only ones with any training that involves moving off the x and so on. The guy who mentioned that this is what happens with manpower shortages is spot on, not to mention WTF are you all talkkng about plate carriers and helmets for? What fucking department issues every cop one? That must be nice. We just got rifles to our guys. The only firearms training we get is what we go out and learn on our own. My department only does qualifications 2x a year. If this all sounds dumb, write the Chief of the Oklahoma Coty PD and set his ass straight, because he doesn’t listen to any of us.

      • Chris says:

        Excuse my typos please, tiny fing phone.

      • Just Tim says:

        Things are very different in Orange County California. I believe every Officer and Deputy in the county are issued both Kevlar helmets and state of the art gas masks, not to mention uniform body armor as well as in many cases tactical body armor, laptop computers, etc. The basic, advanced, and in-service training is first rate and would probably be considered at TAC/SWAT levels by many agencies. As far as OCSD suffering manpower shortages in their contract cities? That’s silly on it’s face. If these guys are suffering personnel shortages it’s because someone didn’t schedule enough Deputies in a specific area…and that this type of call is very unusual. OCSD is anything but lacking manpower, money, resources, or nice low-crime places to work. OCSD has it’s own brand new regional and advanced academy, full-time SWAT Teams, Bomb Squad, K-9’s (bomb, attack, tracking, and dope), Search and Rescue, Air Operations Unit, extremely advanced new 270 degree shooting range, state of art tactical shooting village, full-time Narcotics Units, Special Investigations, Jail Divisions, Transportation Unit, etc. OCSD really doesn’t want for much in the way of training or resources and their Deputies are very well educated both academically and in law enforcement matters…they just don’t police areas that are crappy enough or busy enough to built good street smarts. It’s a great agency with a ton of resources and great pay, but just no good ghetto areas to teach their Deputies that certain je ne sais quoi that one gets from being constantly scared, out numbered, out gunned, five to ten calls down, and running from one horrible situation to another.

        • DB says:

          Just Tim, you’re living in a fantasy world. I guarantee you OCSD does NOT issue everyone plate carriers or ballistic helmets. Only CIRT-qualified personnel get them, and that’s only a fraction of the Deputies working for the department. No, we do not have a Full-time SWAT team or a 270 degree shooting range. Personnel shortage? You bet your ass.. volun-told to work an OT shift per pay period. You may think OCSD is Beverly Hills PD, but I guarantee it is not. I think you’re one of those from the Internet that say you “know someone that knows someone” and believes you know everything.

          • Just Tim says:

            And you sir, sound just like a “slick sleeved” jail deputy. OCSD does have a relatively new 270 degree shooting range…right next to the advanced officer training facility and right behind the regular range, I know because my dept uses it. I’ve never seen an OCSD Patrol Deputy that doesn’t have access to a surplus ballistic helmet, and most have tactical vests that they may, or may not, have purchased themselves…my sincere apologies. By the way, I never insinuated that OCSD was BHPD…that would be silly because it would be comparing apples to oranges. OCSD does have full-time SWAT, but what would I know…I’m just from the Internet and should never be believed. I do, however, know what thirty years of being a police officer in both LA County and Orange County teaches you. What…no pithy come back on my other statements…? What’s that…nothing?…cricket sounds? It seems you’ve missed the forest for the trees.

            • mike says:

              Just Tim, sorry but you have no idea what you’re talking about when it comes to the manpower, money, and resources at OCSD.

            • DB says:

              First off.. thank you for your 30 years of service, but it seems as if the 30 years didn’t teach you wisdom to not troll like a 12 year old boy going through puberty. Plus your 30 years as a cop has nothing to do with what I said about your comment knowing the ins and outs of my Department. I guarantee you our TTR range that you are talking about is not 270 degrees. How do I know? Because I am one of the firearms instructors that teach at that range. We do have a full-time SWAT office, for scheduling and training, not a full-time SWAT team. There’s a difference. And I’ll say it again… our department does not have enough ballistic helmets or plate carriers to pass around for our patrol Deputies. But seem like because you know Deputies that shoot train at our Katella facility and have met our patrol Deputies, you are now the expert of the logistics of OCSD. Wiki-Tim

              • DB says:

                I bet now you’re gonna troll me about my grammar, too.. with your 30 years of experience. Get the fuck out of here

  10. Nate says:

    A lot of agencies do issue PCs, helmets, IFAKs and carbines. I can understand that some of that stuff is expensive, but at some point, agencies need to ask themselves what they are doing if they fail to issue this kind of gear to their line personnel. Collectively, we know those sorts of gear and decent training and leadership are needed by street troops. If senior leaders aren’t providing that, then they may well be incompetent. Call ’em on it (or let you association rep do it).

    Being busy is no excuse for parking too close or using other stupid tactics in order to clear faster and get to the next one. Particularly out in California where 9th Circuit has created a whole “state created danger” and “bad tactics” standard for poor tactics in 1983 suits.

    Collectively, LE is too afraid to have decent AARs or be critical when other cops screw up, or be self-critical when WE screw up.

    We need to fix that culture, because without decent internal criticism, we will never identify problems that need to be fixed and fixed.

    As to this, they parked to damn close. I don’t carry how many calls were holding. They parked too close and the whole incident was avoidable.

    • Chris says:

      I wonder how the call came out and how it read? In that situation and in retrospect, ueah they parked too close, but still a few houses down. They should have at very least, parked on the other side of the street and not given the shooter room to see them, BUT, even if they did, they would have to approach on foot, with little to no cover. If they ducked behind a house and the shooter went after them, they could have easily been stuck in a corner while trying to get over/through a fence. They may have parked there so they could use the PA to communicate, or because they wanted a good vantage point on the house. We don’t know.

      As far as departments and equipment, we only got torniquetes and IFAKS after my partner was shot and almost bled out. Luckily I carried a TQ on my belt for years, I had put 2 proposals in for the department to order them for everyone but they refused until he was shot. We only got more rifles after that because it took so long to get long guns the suspect ended up kiling a hostage. We only have plates in our drivers doors on our newest cars. We only get static range training unless we seek it out ourselves and pay for it. We don’t get helmets. We don’t get plate carriers and someone even tried to tell me not to order my own to keep in my car because reasons, but I am going to. Our new cars don’t have shotgun or rifle locks up front, and old ones only have shotgun locks up front. Chief refuses to let us carry rifles up front.

      Until the Federal standards and guidelines mandate that equipment and training, we won’t get it. We are also about 500 officers short of what we are supposed to have for a city our size. We have a lot that needs improved, but my loint is that most departments don’t get the training and equipment they need, and you know it is damn near impossible to convince most cops to spend more of their money on training and equipment.

  11. Walt says:

    I have a gun cuz I bought it. I have a rifle cuz I bought it. I have a plate carrier cuz I bought it. I have bullets cuz I bought em. I work for one of the largest cities in the country. I get shoot and move training cuz i look for it and pay for it. How far away should they have parked? 5 houses? 10 houses? A mile? Possible suicide does not necessarily mean disturbance with a weapon. Ugh. Why do I read the comments section? It just makes me mad. Lot of hot air coming from between ass cheeks.

  12. Esteban says:

    These comments are interesting to read.
    Did they park to close? Maybe. We don’t have the full story. Looking at the video on it’s face. This thread got started about positioning behind the door. Even if the door had ballistic panels, the glass is not bullet proof and most of the important fleshy human bits are from the waist up (for most of us).
    Did they seek better covered when fired upon? Yes
    Did they add distance while being engaged? It seems so. Be it a nuclear blast or bullets. Distance and shielding are good, yes?
    Should they have planned a better response? The dude gives up before they could pull their socks out of their ass and come up with a plan. I would have liked to have seen them shoot back just a little at least. Lets get some duress on that guy. Personally, I would have ran to the rear of the houses on the opposite of the street and bound forward via backyards to give me a better cover and angle on the shooter. Who knows that could have been happening, but dude come out and gives up.

    As for man power shortage and equipment. You make do with what you have. We get a zillion of these 5150 calls a day. Seriously. We go and handle the business with the people logged on. Do I want to say complacent? Yes and no. We can’t be there all day gaming the “what ifs”. You try and be safe and mitigate tactical problems as they come.

    As for equipment, a surplus kevlar helmet won’t stop rifle bullets folks. You guys know that. The helmets that you see in patrol are the surplus kevlar type for bottles and rocks – riot response. The high dollar ballistic helmets are for the SWAT guys. I don’t know of any So Cal agency that issues ballistically rated helmets to patrol. Showing up to this call in ballistic plates doesn’t happen. Like I said, patrol responds to these calls and shootings all the freaking time. Wearing ballistic plates isn’t practical to be quite honest. Policing is a weird job. One call your talking to grandma about the gangsters tagging her fence over night. The next call is dispute over a shopping cart and then you starting getting shot at with an AK (real call) by one of the disputers.

    We try to do the best we can with what we have and figure out the rest on the X.

    My mantra to my team mates “If you THINK you need a rifle, bring it!”

    Stay Low!

  13. Lone Element says:

    Wow, that was all really painful to read… Hey Aaron, since you have been in the tactical training industry for all of about 15 minutes now let me give you a small piece of advice….you should spend more time being a “quiet professional” and just focus on the learning points you are trying to high light and less time making snide comments about Will’s training… We are all on the same team, we all have different experiences to draw from to educate others, its fine to agree to disagree, but to continue to lead every post and article you write with some type of negativity pointed towards Will and his training makes you look unprofessional.

    • Old Skool Fu says:

      The only team will petty is on is team $. He is fleecing individuals and agencies.

      • Lone Element says:

        He is making a living like the rest of us, I’m not sure how that constitutes fleecing.

        • Carlos says:

          Example of fleecing…

          Selling loads of rebranded shit other people taught when he was in grade school as his own material…..

          Claiming agencies adopted his fantasy camp, when it was truly only an officer taking the class.

          Claiming he trained SOF when it was an insider deal with 19th Group and the owner of 88 Tac who also happened to be a training NCO with 19th…

          Those are just some quick examples of “fleecing” or in some cases outright lying….

          • Lone Element says:

            Carlos or should I say “Aaron”? If you haven’t been to his class how would you know exactly what he’s selling loads of?

            Agencies are training with him on the reg, FBI, US Marshals and NYPD jump on social media plenty of photographic proof.

            So you’re saying 19th SFG isn’t SOF?? The 19th group guys I worked with in AFG were every bit SOF and flesh eating, head popping monsters..But I suppose only Active duty units like 1st Group are REAL SOF right?? Those reservists that go through the same selection process training and schools are just posers huh? Who gives a shit how the training came together.. Thats called “capitalism” in a free market, having inside relationships especially in the government space is how it’s done. Maybe I could give you a power point flow chart on it sometime.

            • Carlos says:

              Lone Element,

              First off I am not Aaron, haven’t met Aaron but would like to because he gets it.

              Secondly, as your “proof” in pictures, I’ve got pictures of CAG friends and myself in country, does that mean I can say I’m CAG?

              19th group are SOF, don’t step off talking shit when you don’t know who your actually talking to. Based upon your AFG experience, I’m assuming your a reservist who was used as BDOC for 19th. So why don’t you just sit your little ass down and leave the industry bloodletting to those of us actually doing shit in this industry.

            • SSD says:

              I’m going to step in at this point.

              People know what Will Petty is selling because he has produced long videos describing it, complete with claims and examples. He’s also been quite vocal online, to the same end. Everything the public knows about VCQB, Will Petty showed them. He’s quite the self promoter.

              I want to begin by correcting something you’ve been saying. Will Petty didn’t just say people took his class. He made claims about who has adopted his methodology which are untrue. Those agencies included 19th SFG(A) and the FBI. I know the 19th Group thing is total and complete bullshit where someone’s greed got in the way of their military duties. You might think that’s how things are done, but military ethics regulations don’t agree with you.

              I also spoke with an FBI agent who had attended the training and he did not support Petty’s claim. Other agencies I checked with, it was the same story.

              He was called out on it by me, publicly. I gave Petty an opportunity to prove his claims. He refused. He knows he has lied, other people know he has lied. In my opinion, everyone should know that he has no qualms about lying.

              One of the agencies he claimed had adopted his methodology is Orange County. It isn’t true, and thankfully so. If those officers would have used the exercises taught at VCQB, relying on windows and trying to stack up pillars, they would have been casualties.

              He might be your bro and you might think he’s some cool dude but quite frankly, he’s not. He has done one of the most uncool things you can do in this business. He has lied. Will Petty has purposefully misled potential customers about who has adopted his training. That is a serious ethical problem, particularly for someone who claims to be a Law Enforcement officer. So yeah, if someone called Will Petty an opportunist, that’s the least of his worries.

            • JB says:

              19th Group belongs to the National Guard, they’re not Reservists. There are no Reserve SF Groups, but being an expert on SOF, I am sure that you already knew that.

              • Carlos says:

                Reserve component… Not active duty….

                But I was a cook, so what do I know..

  14. Fleur de lis tactical says:

    Calling out another instructor who is peddling “science” that will get people killed? See the above video on how applying his “science” would have ended badly for these guys.

    • Lone Element says:

      Peddling science huh? Interesting comment considering it actually is science, a combination of three really, The first being physics you remember? “A body in motion stays in motion until acted on by an opposite body of equal or greater mass”, some Metallurgy and lastly ballistics. And it looks like science worked as Ive experienced in this case when the shooter launched a 5-7 round volley from 20 yards away and the car, and glass deflected all the rounds away from the officers…So maybe instead of jumping on a band wagon you should be objective enough to go to Will’s class and see for yourself.

      • Carlos says:

        Lone element eh? Sounds operationally awesome… Yet I digress.

        If this methodology is so proven, explain to me why the officers in the Agency from the video (whom have “adopted” Petty’s bullshit according to Petty himself) chose hard points other than pillars, and glass… I’ll wait while you find me an example from where this shit circus VCQB has saved a life… I’m sure it’s in the same stack of papers that all the agency letterheads praising VCQB are filed…. You know, the ones Petty himself couldn’t produce when pushed on showing proof??

        While glass may deflect rounds enough not to aerate your cranial cavity, I’m not sure if one should bet their life on that.

      • fleur de lis tactical says:

        and it looks like science worked for me to when I have seen single rounds go through wind shields several times. Judging from the video it doesn’t look like your science matches the rounds going through the units windshield.

        • Lone Element says:

          Look guys first off I”m not going to dick measure here, this is where the huge disconnect is… Petty doesn’t consider glass or pillars as “Cover” he doesn’t advocate or teach using glass and stacking pillars as a tactic, he gives a great vehicular ballistics class to illustrate what bullets actually do to certain parts of the vehicle, yes bullets do in fact go through glass, its how the glass deviates the flight path of that bullet that’s important to note ..and the disclaimer is; in a short distance quick duration high intensity moment where there’s no where to run to “Get off the X” use what you’ve got. Conversely it was great information for engaging threats that are inside the vehicle. I am a skeptic especially after working in this industry for over a decade… I like to see things with my own eyes. So I attended the class to see for myself. It was a great course and Petty is a good instructor, his vehicle ballistics class was a huge eye opener so all Im saying is maybe you should have some objectivity and question what you think you know and challenge current paradigms surrounding vehicle specific training, instead of band wagoning on the guerrilla approach hater train.

          • Fleur de lis tactical says:

            Perhaps attend some more classes on the topic to provide material to contrast and compare. My first class was a eye opener too….it wasn’t until years later after other classes and experience did I realize that it wasn’t that great. Sometimes people don’t know what they don’t know. The danger is when these people start teaching things they invented and trade mark them (ego)is when people get hurt. He has been caught in lies…see above. That should say it all. PS I’m not a guerilla approach fanboy…don’t care what he says or does. I care about integrity. He has out run his headlights as a “trainer”