Robbery Victim Broke the Rules but Survived

When a trio of robbers, ski-masked and carrying handguns, demanded he get out of his car, Phill Carter slammed his door shut and tried to back away. They shot him.

When they ordered him to open the door to his house, the Encino man cursed and threw his keys as far as he could. They beat him in the head.

When they ordered him into his house and told him to lie on his stomach next to his shaking, curled-up wife, Patricia, Carter refused and eventually bolted for freedom, shedding the tackle of one of the robbers at his front door.

The 66-year-old Carter and his wife, victims of a home-invasion robbery on March 26, are lucky to be alive, particularly given the fact that Carter disobeyed his attackers, said police and trauma experts familiar with the potential horrors of such attacks.

“He did the exact opposite of what you should do in that circumstance,” said LAPD Det. Ken DeBie, who is handling the case. “It was a huge, huge risk. Somehow it worked out for him.”

Carter, the owner of the Red Barn Feed and Saddlery in Tarzana, knew the risks well. For nearly 30 years before he bought the feed store in 1986, he was a parole officer and professor of social work and criminal justice. He still teaches a once-a-week course on parole and probation at Cal State Los Angeles.

“I’ve been thinking, reading and teaching about crimes like this for years. I know how they can end,” he said.

Fighting back that night may not have been the wisest thing, Carter admitted. His actions could have backfired, raising the level of violence and possibly resulting in his and his wife’s deaths. But, he said, he felt he had no choice.

The ordeal began about 6:30 that Friday evening, when Carter, arriving home from work, was surprised in his driveway by three men in ski masks. After he was shot--the bullet glanced off his hand and nose--a bloodied Carter was pulled from the car and led to his front door.

“They said they would kill me if I didn’t let them in the house,” said Carter, his face still bearing plum-colored, puffy bruises under his eyes from the beating. “I would have given them anything they wanted if they had just wanted to rob me out on the street. But when someone takes you off the street and gets in your house . . . “

Carter said he felt survival would depend on how well he could establish some sense of control over the situation, no matter how small, and keep his attackers off balance.

That’s why, he said, he refused to keep his head bowed after they pistol-whipped him outside his home. Looking up enabled him to identify their blue compact car.

And it’s the reason he tossed his keys and cursed: “There’s no money in this house, so just get the hell out!”

Inside the ranch-style home, the men became increasingly frustrated at their inability to locate any valuables, and when they began pulling down window shades, Carter said he felt the situation was about to turn deadly.

Sitting on the living room floor, Carter noticed that the man guarding him and his wife was momentarily not paying attention.

He looked at his wife, whom he described as paralyzed by fear, and knew he had a decision to make. If he tried to get away to get help, he would be leaving her alone with the men. Was it worth the risk?

Carter bolted for the door, fighting the grasp of one of the assailants. He made it to the street and alerted neighbors to call police. The robbers fled without harming Patricia Carter, and within minutes police and emergency crews arrived.

“Looking back on it now, leaving Patricia alone gives me a feeling of tremendous guilt,” said Carter, whose wife declined to be interviewed. “Part of me said I couldn’t leave her. The other part said if I didn’t go, we’d both end up shot. We’ve talked about it since then and she was happy I was able to get out and help end this thing.”

Police were quick to caution that they don’t endorse Carter’s actions.

“My only bit of advice? It’s simple: If you ever find yourself in a deal like this, follow orders. Don’t do what he did,” cautioned DeBie, who said he has some solid leads in the case but could not divulge where he is in the investigation.