Followed Home

[targeted]

Just a reminder out there to be mindful of your surroundings. In short, a car tried to follow me home. The only reason I can fathom was because of my car, a 930. This wasn't road rage--the car tailed me from a distance for over an hour in traffic. My wife and I don't dress in a flashy manner. And even though this is LA, no paparazzi is mistaking us for any celebrities. But if you you're driving around the LA or OC areas in your air-cooled 911, and notice a white Chevy HHR with license plate 8BVL992 (crash damage to the driver's side rear door, faded Chevy bowtie badge on the front grill), you've got to figure out something other than going home.

[targeted]

The long story: Yesterday, my wife and I took a trip to Laguna Beach. The moment we left Laguna Beach, I took notice of a car following me. Partially because the guy (well, 2 guys, actually) followed from such a courteous distance (like 100 feet back--no one does that in LA). It was moderately thick traffic, with a lot of stop-and-go, so I didn't think much of the car always being a little bit behind us. But then we got onto the highway, and so did he. And for the hour-plus that we drove along the stop-and-go traffic of the 405 North, he was always a hundred feet or so behind us. Always in the same lane. I made couple random lane changes, and so did he. I went in and out of the carpool lane (always legally) at the last moment, and noted that he did, too. To the point where he would have to cross over the double-double yellow line separating the carpool lane from the #1 lane. If I slowed, he slowed--even if he was in a neighboring lane where he was holding up traffic by not going along with the flow in his lane. Finally, approaching the 10, I made a sudden 4-lane dash to the transition road to catch the 10 West (I checked beforehand--there was a window in traffic that allowed me to do so safely). The HHR followed suit, but due to traffic a ways back where he was, it wasn't so safe for him to do so.

At that point, I had my wife dial 911.

Approaching Santa Monica, I took a sudden exit onto Lincoln, crossing over the gore point paint. The HHR followed, also over the gore point paint. This time he was right behind me at the end of the offramp, which is how I was able to get its license number. Traffic backed up making a left onto Lincoln, and I waited for the light to change yellow before I made a dash across the intersection to make the left off the freeway. The HHR had to run the red to keep up.

My plan, as recommended by the CHP dispatcher, was to double back onto the 10 East. So I kept to the far left to get into the left turn lane back onto the freeway. Because my left turn lane was backed up fully (I was the last car to fit), the HHR had to go around me into the 2nd left turn lane (to the right of me). This shuffle actually left him a couple car lengths ahead. This was the beginning of the end of the shenanigans.

Once our light turned green to allow us to make our left turns, I could see that he tried to hold back in his lane to let me catch up. I drove slowly, too (thank you guy behind me for not impatiently honking) and the HHR was forced to make the turn onto the freeway onramp. I thought of bolting straight at the intersection and skipping the onramp, but traffic to the right of me prevented that (it's hard to lose someone in traffic if you're unwilling to do illegal or immensely dangerous things), so I made the left, as well. As I turned the corner, I saw my out--an unexpected little side street branching off the onramp. I could see the HHR trying to hang back to let me pass him on the onramp. So I hung back, too. The traffic behind him forced him back onto the 10 East. As he passed the gore point with the little side street, I bolted (again, first checked for traffic to make sure it was safe) onto the little side street to ditch him. And that was the last I saw of the HHR.

The guy followed me from Laguna Beach to Santa Monica. Given the afternoon traffic, that took about an hour-and-a-half. It wasn't road rage. He wasn't trying to sell me Bibles. The only thing I can think of was the car we were driving. Either he was going to follow me home to figure out where I lived, and then return another time to steal the car. Or he was going to follow me home for a home invasion robbery.

In retrospect, I should have driven to LAX--they have lots of cameras and cops there. I thought of driving to a police station, but honestly I have no idea where they all are, other than my local one. And my local police station is embedded within a government complex with other municipal offices and courthouses--not a place where I can just drive up in front of the main doors and expect to have cops milling around to save me.

White Chevy HHR
8BVL992
crash damage on the driver's side rear door
and the Chevy bowtie on the front grill is faded (no longer yellow)
2 guys in sunglasses (I know, not helpful)
passenger was Asian with a polo shirt

[stevej37]

You probably have a tail or brake light out. He was trying to help you out by telling you when you stopped. Kudos to him.

[Edoyle]

Better safe than sorry.

[djb25]

Good on you for noticing. I don’t know that I would catch something like that.

You’re probably lucky they were in something a bit weird, rather than something more ordinary, like a Ford Focus.

[da Vinci Dan]

Well done. Get a spoon that fits nicely in the glove box. You will worry much less when you are confident you could take care of business if needed.

[wareaglescott]

Next time you are on the phone with 911 in this situation just ask them where the nearest police station is and go there. Or have your wife use the map function on her phone.

[SCadaddle]

"passenger was Asian with a polo shirt"

You probably just blew your chance at a street race against the Farm Truck.

The few times this has happened to me, I use the "Go pedal" to my advantage. Unless it's an Asian kid in a Honda Civic. Then I use the "Slow pedal" and let him go on his way feeling like a road warrior.

[gwinnch]

Sorry to hear it. I had a couple of scary instances when I first bought my targa about 5 years ago, but nothing recently.

I stopped at a stoplight and a guy raced through the empty left turn lane, whupped his chevy impala in front of mine-effectively blocking it-then hopped out yelling loudly "I want your car!". His appearance and vehicle would fit any number of profiles. Turned out he only wanted to buy my car and left when I told him no-but it scared the s#@t out of me.

Another moron pulled up in my drive while I was under the car and basically did the same thing.

I drive with a loaded glock now, and typically have one on my belt when I work on the car.

[QueWhy]

A guy in a 930 can't ditch a Chevy HHR I guess these air cooled 911s really are slow and outdated.

Bizarre first post but welcome to the forum.

[Sabai]

"Targeted" 2019 feat. Liam Neeson

[jjeffries]

Very worrying, especially with your wife on-board; nothing to make light of. I applaud your measured approach to not put others at risk. These are strange days. John/Connecticut.

[aread]

So are we going to see pictures of this 930, orrrrr........

Just curious what all the fuss is about

[AG81]

Better safe then sorry.......I carry everywhere.

[75 911s]

The only problem I've had was when an old lady in a pimped out WRX crossed three oncoming lanes of trafic to pull out RIGHT in front of me doing about 45. Then she changed lanes, met me at the light after I passed her - rolled her window down and yelled at me for going fast.

[SalParadise]

Originally Posted by targeted

2 guys in sunglasses (I know, not helpful)
passenger was Asian with a polo shirt

I lived in San Diego for years. It was just these two guys. They have been prowling the streets since the '80s. LA is their stomping ground.

[Bill Douglas]

A good trick is to pass a row of cars that are in the slow lane then safely cut across them and take an off ramp. Or stop at a stop sign then wait until some cars are coming then (again safe margins) drive across in front of them so the other guy can't follow.

[GH85Carrera]

One time I had someone following me. I stopped at the local police department. The guy came over as I walked inside the police department and asked if my car was for sale. It was not. He left and I went another way to go home.

[Jdub]

A professional thief would only need the license plate on your car. If you have registered the car elsewhere than home (vacation; work) then you've diverted them from the car's actual overnight location. Otherwise, noise is the number one thing all thieves hate, plus chaining the suspension to the concrete floor if you suspect the car will be lifted.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by QueWhy

A guy in a 930 can't ditch a Chevy HHR I guess these air cooled 911s really are slow and outdated.

Bizarre first post but welcome to the forum.

That's exactly what I was thinking...his 930 obviously needs a tune-up.
No follow-up post either.