If there is one thing you should have at all times when visiting shady areas, then it’s to have situational awareness.
You need to know where you are, what you’re doing, and who the potential troublemakers are…

Which is exactly what Eddie Bravo kept in mind when he went to a Los Angeles gas station after midnight.

It was during the COVID pandemic, when almost everything was shut down, that – as Bravo says – he kept training classes open in a 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu gym.
He hung around with his friends and training partners after training. And at around 30 minutes past midnight, he had to go home.

However, Eddie noticed that he almost didn’t have any more fuel in his car.
So, after some driving, he reluctantly went to stop at a gas station. He was well-aware of the dangers of stopping there in the middle of the night.

The gas station was closed, but the pumps could still be used.
And that’s when the trouble began:

I pull up, I drive in.
And I see two dudes with hoodies on, holding bags, maybe 20 yards away from me… They’re just standing and walking in a gas station that’s closed, and away from me.

And I’m just sitting there, just parked, and I’m like: “F*ck it.”
I open the door, and as soon as I open the door and I walk out, this dude pops up – boom! Right in front of my car. He’s got a mask on, he gets right in front of my truck.

Dude, I just jumped in and I was, like [locking the door and starting the car really quickly].
And he was, like: “I am gonna wash your windows, man!” And I was, like: “F*ck you”, and I drove away dawg.

Dude, if they just waited until I started pumping…