Confronted Someone Breaking Into My Car Last Night

[TinyEvel]

Last night I took my (young adult) kid into San Francisco for dinner.

I drove his car (2017 VW Golf wagon). Any time I go into the city I know not to leave even a charger cable visible in the car and I moved a thermos and beach chair into the trunk before we left.

Driving through the city I mentioned "A lot of people say SF is full of tents and human feces. Look, there's none of that anywhere" (true on our route).

Parked at the curb in a residential street and went to the restaurant. While being seated I said "did I lock the car? ... I must have, no way I would forget to."

I should've gone to check, but it was a three block walk and we were seated. I thought no big deal.

After dinner walking to the car we came around the corner, I beeped the key fob, saw the lights flash on our car, but the drivers door was wide open.

Everything after this, happened really really fast.

I was at the driver's side of the car face to face with a guy who looked kinda like Joe Burrow. He was standing by the open door, holding the entire contents of the glove box and center console.

I said, loudly, "Hey this is our car! that's our stuff!"

He immediately put everything on the roof of the car and stepped back.
"I'm sorry man. I'm sorry. Okay...I'm sorry. Just trying to get by."

I said "Not us. Not tonight. it's my kid's car, man. There's nothing."

Dude walked off briskly.

That was it, over as fast as it happened.

Basically it was a $4 pair of liquor store sunglasses and a stack of old car repair receipts and expired registration slips and old UC Santa Cruz parking passes.

Now, we'd all like to think we're a bunch of badasses on here. And I've played out robbery or mugging scenarios in my head plenty of times, imagining me the hero. I'm 6'2" 240 Lbs, bald (no goatee) but I've been told I have a mean resting face.

I'm no badass. But I've been told I have an "Imposing look"

I checked that my kid was OK. He said yeah. I apologized for not locking the car.

Probably the most tame car robbery incident I could imagine, and I am glad.

I'm a bonehead for forgetting to lock the car. And more so for not going back to check.
I'm lucky we walked up when we did but he really would not have stolen anything of value. But I don't want anybody having anything with my name and address on it.

Just glad I didn't try to tackle the guy or escalate it. And lucky he didn't have a knife or other weapon. Dude looked like he was late for his shift at Chipotle. No hoodie, not tweaker face. Didn't even seem on drugs.

Just saying, it didn't go as I would have imagined but I'm glad it didn't, especially with my son there.