The Angry Man

Angry man behaving badly (Mark Gordon)

If you've been photographing for any length of time out in the wild, you've probably come across some version of the angry man. A bored rent-a-cop, a drunk, a pissed-off wrongdoer anxious that you'll uncover with your camera whatever he's trying to hide, or just some jackass entertaining themselves by messing with you.

Alex Stone, as you might have read elsewhere, kinda ran into the Big Daddy of the angry men out in California. Alex and his team were photographing an Audi on a strip of almost-empty blue highway out in the middle of nowhere (actually Ramona, near San Diego) when a big drunk in a big truck pulled up and started screaming at him to "get off my driveway." (They weren't anywhere near a driveway.) What follows was harrowing, given that it easily could have escalated into something much worse. Very fortunately, firearms didn't become involved—it was exactly one of those situations that the presence of firearms can turn into something tragic.

You can read the story and see the video on DIY Photography. Note, however, that the video is laced with profanity and is not workplace-safe. It's not very pleasant to watch, either.

The local sheriff subsequently arrested Mark Gordon, 52, on three charges, the most serious of which is felony assault with a deadly weapon (non-firearm), which carries a penalty of up to four years in prison and counts toward the "three strike" rule. (In many places in the U.S., a third felony conviction carries harsher penalties.)

Right between the eyes
The reason this story is so popular is that one person is so obviously in the wrong, and that person got nabbed and bids fair to be punished. Which is very satisfying. People love to see, and read about, just punishment. Consider "Judge Judy," a popular TV program in the United States—the most popular of the TV courtroom reality shows pioneered by "The People's Court." It certainly isn't because she is a good judge—she is an awful judge, creating for the public about the worst possible model of what a judge is supposed to be. But she's a matchless scold—she really gets after people and gives them a piece of her mind. Maybe more than one piece. That's what people love. So among photographers, Mark Gordon stands for every jerk who ever hassled any of us, and we all fervently hope they throw the book at him and that it hits him hard between the eyes. Well deserved. We wouldn't mind if Judge Judy gave him a good dressing-down in public, either, for good measure, and screeched at him to "shush" if he talked back.

Incidentally, if you descend into the comments at the link at DIY Photography, you'll see a textbook example of why I have expended my irreplaceable days and hours on Earth for the past decade-plus moderating more than 200,000 comments here on TOP. The comments on that post veer fatally off topic from only the second one, and the commenters get into a ongoing back-and-forth squabble that has very little to do with the opinions the article author specifically asked for. It demonstrates the problem with comment sections and shows how not to moderate comments. For the record, Brandon Cowart's subversive two-word comment, second from the top, would never have seen the light of day here.

I hope somebody follows through and reports on what becomes of Mr. Gordon. And I'm glad no one was hurt.

Mike
(Thanks to Rob Spring)

Original contents copyright 2016 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Marcus Peddle: "The truck driver is a scary person and should be punished for using his truck as a weapon but I wonder if Alex got fined for blocking the road with the car he was photographing. I know it's nothing compared to what Mr. Scary did but it's the first thought that popped into my head when I started watching the video."

Eamon Hickey: "Although in this case it doesn't seem to be specifically the photographer's camera that sets off this Angry Man, it's still a useful reminder to all of us that a camera is sometimes seen as a threat, or at least as something to be suppressed. I think it behooves all of us to make some mental preparations for this kind of thing—to think, beforehand , about what you'll do in various likely scenarios if you're confronted when you're taking pictures. I have my own set of responses loosely worked out, depending on the situation. (I do not respond to unjustifiably aggressive rent-a-cops the same way I would to a real police officer or a drunk, enraged, or mentally ill person, or a protective parent etc.)."

Dan: "Many years ago when I was but a wee clod-kicker in high school, I had amazing conversation with a pretty blonde girl in english class about the 'news.' She stated proudly that she didn't pay any attention to current events...bragged actually. I was flabbergasted. She reasoned that since she had no plans to do anything about what she read, why bother. I had no retort beyond stunned indignation. All these years later she now appears as a wise woman in my memory. If only I could resist having my emotions hijacked by stories like this one. Why be angry? I'm not going to do anything about it."

Comments

[Ken Bennett]

Yikes. I'm happy no one was hurt, but my heart is still pounding after watching the video. As much as I think there are too many firearms out there, it would have been very reasonable to shoot this guy as soon as he started driving directly at the photographer.

[Ann Burlingham]

My partner brought this to my attention, likely because one of my photos of a local (western New York) Confederate flag being displayed (many more have popped up in the past year) suddenly received a torrent of objection, claims of invasion of privacy, and harm from numerous friends of the householder.

One claimed to have called the local sheriff, so I did the same. As opposed to what the person who claimed to have called told me, the sheriff I spoke to expressed a clear understanding of what was legally allowed as public speech on Facebook (including, as he pointed out, outright lies).

A glass bottle was thrown at and smashed in front of my business, but so far we are holding onto the notion that it could be a coincidence.

[Hugh Crawford]

That's nothing compared to the trolling on petapixel.

[Randall Teasley]

My personal rules for commenting 1. Would I say it to your face? 2. Would I still say it if I took time to think about it? 3. Would I say it if it was hurtful?

[Smart. Very good ideas. --Mike]

[cfw]

In addition to jail time and a fine, under Calif. law the state can (and should) confiscate his truck and sell it. This applies even if the property is held jointly with another person (like a spouse). Of course, the state will have to pay off any existing lien on the property first, then it can keep the remaining proceeds. The photographer can (and should) also sue this man in civil court. I can't think of many things more traumatic than having some wing-nut try to run you over with a truck. Civil damages could be substantial!

--Penal Code 245(e) says:
"When a person is convicted of a violation of this section in a case involving use of a deadly weapon or instrument or firearm, and the weapon or instrument or firearm is owned by that person, the court shall order that the weapon or instrument or firearm be deemed a nuisance, and it shall be confiscated and disposed of in the manner provided by Sections 18000 and 18005.")

--PC 245(a)(1) reads:
"Any person who commits an assault upon the person of another with a deadly weapon or instrument other than a firearm shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years, or in a county jail for not exceeding one year, or by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment."

[Marty]

Has it been confirmed that he was drunk? I mean, he seemed like it but I watched the video and didn't pick that part up.
Either way, I'm glad the jackass was arrested.

[David Zivic]

I'm familiar with Ramona and it is somewhat in the middle of nowhere. In the least sense a very rural community. That is a great photo and I am going to assume that Mr. Gordon did not know it was being taken, bcause raising a camera to your eye and snapping a shot at that moment in the conversation is an extremely significant flash point. to touch on some recent posts....Don't you think that flagpole coming out of the roof of the truck should have been photoshopped out of the composition !

[Hi David, I'm pretty sure it was a frame grab from the video. --Mike]

[john robison]

It would be interesting indeed to see how this all turns out. I wonder how a person could check or follow up on the final disposition of this case.

[Speed]

At TOP, posting a comment is a privilege, not a right.

At TOP, reading comments is enlightening and a joy, not a slog.

Moderating is hard work but so is cleaning the bathroom.

[Warren Maas]

Kudos to Alex for keeping his cool so well. Not sure I'd have been so nice. Sad individual whom I hope gets nailed. Glad we all know who he is. I'd say he's having a really bad day, but his problems extend far beyond 24 hours.

[bandbox]

I wouldn't want to be Gordon's defense counsel. He'll probably ask for a suspended sentence and probation, maybe even argue that Gordon would benefit from "anger management" classes or some other New Age sentencing alternative. Of course, the judge will have that video in his mind's eye, again and again. So I think Gordon is going to get some time to serve, lots of time to think about impulse control, anger management, and his "driveway".

[toto]

There was only one lane each way, with double yellow lines in the middle. The Audi should not have been blocking the road. This comment is not related to the guy's behavior.

[Frank Petronio]

I'd have shot him once he drove the truck at me. So what?

[So...then you would have been arrested and spent at least some time in jail before negotiating bail; so you'd have to hire and pay an attorney to defend you, and spend an extended period of time in uncertainty over whether you could successfully prove self-defense or not; so you would have had to face the man's distressed and bereft family at some point, whose lives you would have grievously disrupted, many of whom were blameless in his misjudgement but would be suffering anyway; you would disrupt your own life for the extent, at least, of the trial; you would be guilty for the rest of your life of the one act most cultures agree is a crime and most religions agree is a sin which might be fine with you now but which you might regret later; and you would have transformed a transitory loss of temper and poor behavior with a permanent and irrevocable "solution."

You would risk the real possibility of prison, the possibility of a civil suit, and the possibility of further unpredictable repercussions in your own life. You'd certainly lose a lot of time, suffer a lot of worry, and waste a lot of money. And you'd end the life of a fellow human being who might have been acting like an asshole but didn't deserve to die for it. If you were truly in peril of your life and saw absolutely no other way out, you might risk all that. Otherwise, it would be pretty stupid, petty, excessive, and pointless.

So that. --Mike]

[Ger Lawlor]

Yet another good reason to avoid Facebook Mike - I made a very innocent comment lately questioning the level of rudeness towards a friend of mine, and not only was I excoriated, but my poor wife got dragged into it as well - for being unfortunate enough to be married to me! There's a PhD for someone exploring peoples online behaviour!

[Ger Lawlor]

...Moderation in all things......

[mike plews]

Had to take an Atenlol after watching this. I believe California has concealed carry but it is not as loose as say Texas.
I shudder to think how this might have played out if you added guns to the mix.

[Manuel]

Although I've had my fair share of photographic contretemps, I've never come across someone like this in my photographic excursions. Fortunately.
And thanks for arousing my curiosity about the comments on the article you linked to. If you didn't, I would have never found this wonderful piece of wisdom:
"assumptions are like a***s. don't expose it in public.»
It made my day!

[Mick Ryan]

Mike your moderation is the reason this is the only website that I would even dare to glance at the comments section.

[Mike]

I was pretty appalled by the behaviour shown in the video. The assailant should suffer the full consequences of the law.

However, whilst I am completely opposed to the USA's approach to gun ownership (living in the UK it doesn't impact me directly, of course) I have some sympathy with Frank Petronio's simple response. Appreciating and sympathising with your comments Mike, I can't help feel that, when someone deliberately drives a vehicle at you and you have no way, really, of knowing if they will stop, then using whatever force is at hand is entirely understandable. If you live in a country where carrying guns is normal, then the perpetrator has to expect that response. However, I expected him to be the one pulling the gun.

Two things spring to mind:

- tonight's attack in Nice - a man drove a lorry through a crowd for over a mile an dhas murdered dozens of people in that one shameful act.

- a man has recently been sent to prison in the UK for the murder of an elderly gentleman who was involved in a minor car accident with him. He was so out of control that he stabbed the old man some 39 times.

I can't defend the generalised right to bear arms, but there are too many victims.

Mike

[fred]

I wonder if the photographer and his crew obtained a permit to use a public road for the shoot.I'm guessing he didn't as it probably would have required flag people for traffic control amongst other requirements. This alone might have mitigated the situation.As a previous commentor (toto) stated,this comment in no way addresses the behavior of Mr. Gordon.

[Stephen]

Excellent response to Mr. Petronio's comment, Mike.

[Frank Petronio]

Had I shot him with this same video evidence of his truck attack I'm confident I'd be cleared with a simple hearing, it would never make it to trial and be well worth the $500 or so for a middling country lawyer.

I would however feel dumb if I were out in the country in that context and did not have my CCW weapon on me.

[R. Edelman]

Check out the "Road Rage" Trunk Money commercial.
You might also enjoy some of the others in the series.
http://www.suburbanautogroup.com/trunk-monkey-videos/

[Eduardo Cervantes]

"So among photographers, Mark Gordon stands for every jerk who ever hassled any of us"
My thoughts too but I couldn't find the words to describe my own emotions with such brief accuracy. Very nice writing Mike, as usual.

[Alan Carmody]

What a day to contemplate this post, Mike. It was a truck that was used as a deadly weapon in Nice, France last night, to deadly effect.

[I really hate coincidences like that, and I'm sorry for it. --Mike]

[Steve Smith]

exactly one of those situations that the presence of firearms can turn into something tragic.

Exactly why I'm glad I live in England where this is not an option.

[Leonard Salem]

The "pretty blonde girl" referred to in an earlier post" didn't bother to read the news because she "had no plans to do anything about" what she read.
I live in a country where I have the right to vote to choose who runs my country and, along with millions of others, I cherish that right. I like to think that reading the news informs my voting decision and voting, at the end of the day, is what I can do about what I read. So can all of us who are fortunate enough to live in a democracy.

[Richard Alan Fox]

Many years ago I was photographing a tree in New York's Washington Square. I had a little pocket camera pointed at the upper branches when I was punched in the back by an unseen assailant who ran away shouting back that I better not photograph him again.

[Chico Ruger]

I, too, wonder about the photographers blocking a public roadway. Not that it excuses the guy's reaction.

[Duke Groover]

There is a part of me that says the whole video was staged.

[Andrew Lamb]

What a depressing state of affairs.

I just hope that Mark Gordon feels suitably humiliated by all the adverse publicity on social media to add to what the police charge him with.

[Jim Metzger]

And on the other hand...every once in a while we are surprised by random acts of kindness which should also be shared.

At Frank Gehry's Disney Performing Arts Center in LA one morning at dawn I was getting set to photograph when I was approached by two security guards. Expecting to explain I was on public property, etc. they asked if I would like to come inside to shoot the lobby and directed me to the upper outdoor levels to shoot from the building itself. I still smile when I think of this wonderful moment.

We need more of this kind of behavior but I fear it is rapidly disappearing in this climate of fear and hate.

Jim

[gary isaacs]

on the one hand "inexcuseable" and a poor reflection on what i imagine is his profession ( if he's not a student ) . . . . on the other hand just plain "inexcuseable:b . . . .

[Kirk W.]

I've never experienced this level of response to my photography activities as I am drawn to the wilds as far from humanity as possible. However, as an avid road cyclist, this sort of behavior from angry motorists is almost expected. This is a whole other debate, and cyclists can certainly provoke motorists to anger on occasion. I have personally been a part of a similar reaction before while riding and I am astounded to this day by the amount of rage that one can unleash based on the most trivial of circumstances. This is also a good reminder to get the GoPro attached to my bike to provide witness should a similar event happen again.

[Dogman]

I've had my share of confrontations in the past, usually by people who simply want to Be Somebody. I'm pretty easy going so I've never had any actual physical confrontations. However, I have to say that the presence of firearms in itself doesn't necessarily lead to an escalation of such confrontations. I have a concealed carry permit and the presence of a firearm is comforting when and if you are faced with a potential life threatening experience. As I noted, I'm pretty easy to get along with, I don't practice the "in your face" attitude that seems to cause so many problems these days and I attempt to avoid potential confrontations. I realize there are people who carry a gun (or use an vehicle, as in the case of Mr. Gordon) and strut around trying to provoke others just to show off and Be Somebody. But I'm not that person and the presence of a firearm on my person actually keeps me grounded in trying to avoid such dumbass behavior. Luckily morons like Mark Gordon are in the minority. Unfortunately, even a few Mark Gordons tossed into the mix can cause an awful lot of real problems for the rest of us.

[Wayne]

The question of whether or not the photographer will face legal consequence for setting up on a public road is a good one. Right here (TOP) we have read several reminders that one should not use railroad tracks as photography shoot locations...How is a public road any different?...Even if it does appear safe for the moment.

Bottom line, there are procedures for getting a permit to use certain public facilities for private use. I would be interested to know if the photographer sought, or even inquired, about such procedures. Such things are in place for good reasons......Is this particular spot a popular one for auto related photo shoots? How frequently are local inconvenienced by such shoots.

No news- on a major scale- here: one indvidual does something irresponsible, and it ultimately attracts another irresponsible, albeit less tempermental, person to react.

Confirmed: There are numerous, and varied, irresponsible persons in this country.

[Alex A. Naanou]

I mostly shoot the street and similar outbursts of rage are not that uncommon, but the more you deal with them the earlier you learn to avoid them, and most of such cases are relatively easy to avoid even before they unfold...

Here's my last encounter:
https://www.instagram.com/p/3XUYP8Lsu3/

and a pic that started the last (and only) time I had to call the police for help:
https://www.instagram.com/p/p9faGNrsoe/
(the guy accused me of being a spy! ;) )

I'm not saying that this particular situation could've been avoided or eased in any constructive way, the guy was playing out his own scenario and did not respond anything outside of it... to the contrary, my two examples above are of two situations where being there with a camera was enough of a spark.

I might have done things a bit differently, but keeping a cool head and being polite, respectful (even if not justifiably so) is key.

[Rich]

See the Notable Residents section of Wikipedia for Ramona, CA. This jerk had made himself infamous:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramona,_California