So "this" happened again.

[OneOfTheMichael's]

Shit like this always happens, like it just happened to my friend a few days ago in which he was mugged of phone and 70$ by a group of aboriginal (who in Canada are sorta like african americans 'gangsters' in America). I've also heard of these 2 men who recently went on a crime spree in my city who, assaulted a man for no reason, broke into and robbed a house only to have the residents flee by simply saying they had more money in the car, so they broke into another house after hearing cops and were surprised to find themselves being attacked the by the guy in the house who kept a machete under the bed, and finally they fled and were caught by the k9 unit. And this all happened under 15 minutes.
You'd think some people just are crazy to just break all the laws for no reason.

 

[aidopotato]

I live in Dublin and while I've not been attacked or mugged myself, you hear a lot about it happening and you have to put up with a lot of scumbags looking for trouble or junkies aggressively begging from you as you go about your business. Usually I try and remain confident, not back down and to talk or walk my way out of any prospective hairy situation. This happened last year though:

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/murder-of-journalist-gardai-arrest-two-men-in-connection-with-eugene-moloneys-death-26869012.html

To paraphrase; A journalist was on his way home from the pub one night, some drunk guy starts slinging abuse at him as he's walking. Journalist turns around to start slinging abuse back; the guys friend comes up behind journalist, punches him on the back of the head. Journalist goes down, and dies shortly afterwards of internal bleeding. Drunk assh*les steal his wallet and phone while he's laying dying on the ground.

This tragic event made me think long and hard about how best to handle these low-level street encounters. I've decided you just have to keep your head down and get as far away from the situation as you can, as quickly as you can. If that means swallowing your pride and handing over your phone / wallet / watch- so be it. You'll live to get another one.

 

[danintexas]

I will prob get some hate for this but I won't apologize for it. Wife and me were in an apartment on the 1st floor at the time. Was about 2 am. On the 2nd floor was a young girl (about 18-19) who had just broke up with her boyfriend. So about 2am this ex-boyfriend came tearing into the apartment complex parking up on the grass. Then ran upstairs to her apartment and started kicking the hell out of her door. I could hear her screaming and heard him start yelling he was going to kill her.

Wife and me both got up wondering what to do. When I heard the guy say he was going to kill her I told the wife to call the police. I grabbed my 357 from my bedside and went upstairs keeping the gun behind me. Saw this drunk kid kicking the hell of her door and I said - "Hey you need to not be doing that"

Drunk guy turns to me and says "F you fatty" (yes I am fat but whatever).

The next thing that happened was so surreal. I pulled my firearm from behind my back and pulled the hammer back telling him he needs to step away from the door that the police was on their way. He looked at me shocked and then flipped me off and ran.

Girl was thankful I stepped in apparently the guy was abusive (not a big shock there). This was the only time I have pulled a firearm on someone and it has stuck with me ever since. I have a concealed weapons permit and I have gone through alot of training.... but knowing I was just a flick of my finger from killing a kid. I still don't know if what I did was right. The cops told me not to worry about it. I just don't know if that guy had of stepped to me if I would of pulled the trigger.

Something that still sits with me every day that I pointed a loaded weapon at another human being. I hope nearly everyday I never have to use my firearms in a defense situation. I am not sure how I could deal with it.

 

[GabeZhul]

This happened to me back in high school. I was 17 and I was on a three day school field trip. Since we were that old the teacher let us wander around the town in the evening, and there was this roadshow coming into town at the time so everyone was pretty hyped. My best friend and I, on the other hand, were pretty reclusive guys who didn't like partying, so we just hung around the dorms and played poker and whatnot. On the second evening the teacher called us and told us that a group of the girls were not picking up their phones at the roadshow and he wanted us to find them (so he practically sent us on a wild goose chase, but the guys was an asshole to begin with, so it was expected).

So, we went in, and by the time we got to the place it turned out that the girls were already on their way back. As such we decided to return to the dorms as well when three kids of our age or a little younger (and another ethnicity, though again, skin color and being an asshole rarely correlates) started tailing us. When they caught up with us they started with the typical mugger speak about being asking for a time and what my pal was carrying in his pack and such. So, these guys focused almost entirely on him, and then... He bolted like a jackrabbit and left me there with the three guys.

Now then, for the record, I am a thin and relatively short guy, however that day I was wearing a leather jacket that arguably made my frame look wider and was pretty pissed at the teacher already, and then my best friend also just left me there like that. Needless to say, I was pretty cross and it probably showed on my face (which is apparently a little scary by default, or so I am told). Also, while I had no real experience with muggers (since I was a village boy), I had plenty of experience with wild fucking dogs, and I decided to use the same treatment as I did with those: straighten myself and walk in a confident stride without making prolonged eye-contact.

Needless to say the three guys had no idea what to do with me, so at first they started asking me for the time, then told me that they were only joking and that I should call my friend on the phone, at which point I told them to fuck off and that I am not so stupid to take my valuables with me after dark. At this point they really didn't know what to do and they started acting all buddy-buddy with me and tried to befriend me, asking me not to tell this anyone and that they were only messing around. In the end they said goodbye and left at an intersection without even as much as touching me.

And the icing on the cake? Past about 200 meters of that intersection I found my friend... collapsed in the ditch beside the road because he got a horrible cramp in his leg from running too hard and couldn't even get in his feet. And then the police showed up and they refused to take my description of the three guys because I told them not to substract 20 centimeters (0.6 foot) from their height, for which they answered that it was standard procedure because "I was very afraid at the time and being afraid makes them look bigger". Then I asked him if he really believed that we were attacked by 1.2 meters (~4 feet) tall midgets, at which point the patrolman told me to shut up and sent me away to ask my pal instead.

So yeah, that was one weird way to end a school outing... -.-

 

[IamLEAM1983]

I'm from the suburbs, but I've rambled around Montreal following late-night parties, back in my Bachelor's days. See, there's a thing most people don't know, and it's that muggers apparently have a sliding scale of opportunity.

White male, mid twenties, obviously well-endowed on the financial level and with the smartphone "du jour" in plain sight? Yeah, that's a prime target. Myself and two other guys from my promotion were accosted, and I was completely ignored.

I was in my later twenties, quite visibly getting closer to thirty, not so well-endowed financially as most bachelor-level Literature students are wont to be, and my cell phone was a crappy Nokia flip model with a first-generation LCD screen. Top-of-the-line back in 2003, definitely a budget-priced model by 2010. Add my visible limp to that and you have every definition of the one guy you'd have no reason to mug whatsoever.

I've been jostled, called names, jeered at and kicked at - but never outright mugged. I guess wearing your "starving artist-slash-university student" mantle on a permanent basis gets you some kind of protection, and being disabled compounds that.

All this does is corroborate the common big of wisdom saying that if you're wandering about, don't keep your valuable belongings in plain sight. I've upgraded to an iPhone 4 recently and I never carry it openly unless I'm in a public space.

Never, ever try and snag one of the public WiFi signals around the island while on the sidewalk. Just don't. First, turning on the spot with your phone raised up makes you look like a tool, and it tells virtually everyone that you have a snazzy piece of tech.

Wouldn't white females be better targets, because they are probably smaller and less muscled? Unless its a honor code thing which would be..odd. Then again I would expect disability to be a sign of exploitable weakness, so what do I know.

You'd be right, normally. All I know is the bored kids past Montreal's meaner corners don't seem to give a fuck about a guy who's still in the "Yay, I have twenty bucks in my account!" stage of life.

 

[nepheleim]

snip

Hey, I absolutely agree that you should be able to protect yourself with whatever you want, and I am a cop. I'm happy to tell citizens that they need to arm up, since police are usually minutes away at best, and thanks to budget cuts, maybe hours away. I've even faded heat for it from my higher ups. Any cop who tells you you can't protect yourself is either a.) having to pay lip service to his higher ups by promoting their BS agenda, or b.) an idiot.

I can only recommend you move away from wherever you are where the law is more interested in keeping criminals cozy than protecting you.

 

[AITH]

The number of posts in here talking about how badass folks think they are because they LARP with foam swords or their mom told them they have a mean stare is priceless. What's that? You take karate and the guy you're paying says you're supoer good? You're in a class with baby-boomers and high school kids and you're the best? Dang bro, look out.

 

[Beat14]

Guess I'm lucky. Some guy tried to steal my bike as I road past him. He had stepped out onto the road way to early and I knew something was up. Cycle on by, ha.

As others have said, be a bad ass in the town you live in, but in a big city you will probably end up getting what's coming to you.

I don't know how I would react, and it's something I don't really want to find out.

I given someone a crazy stare before, but it's wasn't really for the sake of scaring, it was a legitimate crazy stare I guess. The context being, you punch me in the face again, and I'm going to start throwing jabs at you. I confess this was in a club.

My thought are, I would fight it I had no option, otherwise see you later or take my money.

 

[Asmundr]

As I don't have a CHL yet I carry a...well, unspecified amount of knives, multi-tools, and other utility objects on my person whenever I go out. I learned a long time ago that the best way to deal with people who want to start a fight is to show that your ready for war.

It saved my life in high school and again in college.

The tools I carry also come in hand during everyday events and its always funny to watch my professors or classmates react to when I pull an multitude of stuff from my person. I haven't gotten called out on it yet and even my campus officers are cool with it as I'm not breaking any laws.

OT: The only times I had to draw my weapons was during the the two times I mentioned above. The first time was when I as in high school and some wannabe toy tried to start a fight with me during our art class. The second time was during college and one of my (now former) clubmates took a swing at me due to some argument (or simply cause the dude was a smug snake and didn't like me, I can't be to sure of which.)

So I make sure now to carry many things that are or can be used as weapons. I know where they are, have practiced drawing them from a variety of positions, and I also hope I don't actually have to fully use them in the future.

 

[AITH]

I just don't know if that guy had of stepped to me if I would of pulled the trigger.

Something that still sits with me every day that I pointed a loaded weapon at another human being. I hope nearly everyday I never have to use my firearms in a defense situation. I am not sure how I could deal with it.

In that case you may want to consider buying a smaller gun than a 357...or at least consider shooting them in the leg. Had he come after you and you blew his ass away, you probably would have gone to prison for manslaughter. The legal definition of self defense is not what the layman thinks it is, especially if the guy was unarmed.

 

[ellieallegro]

I have been mugged twice. Once in Paris and once in New York. I always carry a "mugging" wallet on me when I'm in big cities or any high-risk area. The mugging in Paris was a group so I just played dumb and tossed them my wallet and ran the other way. The one in NY was solo and he was wielding a huge knife so used my krav maga baton (5 yrs of training, woo!) that I carry with me and laid him out. I anonymously called the police after the fact so I don't know if he was still in the area when they arrived. Every situation is different: the best course of action is obviously one that preserves your life and avoids unnecessary legal paperwork.

Be aware of your surroundings and pay attention to your instincts is the best advice anyone can follow. I also encourage people (esp those with slight builds) to take serious self defense classes. No, not that fake "kick boxing" workout at the gym... sure that class is great for checking out the hot instructor and wearing some cute yoga pants but it's let's be real: It's not for self defense.

 

[Smurf McSmurfington]

Like the solution to many other problems in life, all you really need to do is always carry a broadsword.
Always.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Even now when I live in the suburbs, my friends and I can be the only people there and I still look around and make sure I know where and how to exit if things goes wrong.

while i don't live in a horrible area (shit happens nearly every night within a 5 mile radius, weekly stabbings/shootings on the news/etc...but not the bronx, most definitely) i have always been "blessed" with the knowledge of how to best avoid situations, and to always prepare before i go in or to somewhere and which route to take. Hell I can be even driving and I do this, or if I'm waking on the sidewalk I always make sure to know which side of the street is safest and easiest to run/hide if someone is coming, and even then I usually jaywalk to avoid running into anyone.


OT: The only incident that PERSONALLY involved me, was at a party where this dude was being the biggest douchebag known to mankind, and he came up to me and starting talkin shit and tried picking a fight with me, where I looked at him right in the eye, with a very "lol, you're talking to me douchebag?" look on my face, and he pushed me thinking I would stand down (he was maybe half an inch taller than me, but not remotely as muscular) and I got into a super serious tone where I said "I dare you to fucking try that again, I'll slam you down by your throat and choke you to death, is my face the last fucking thing you want to see before lights out you fuckin ****?" and he left, and haven't seen him since. Most of the people there were either already friends of mine or became my friend that night lol, they thought he was a big cockface too and wanted to back me up.

 

[nepheleim]

I just don't know if that guy had of stepped to me if I would of pulled the trigger.

Something that still sits with me every day that I pointed a loaded weapon at another human being. I hope nearly everyday I never have to use my firearms in a defense situation. I am not sure how I could deal with it.

In that case you may want to consider buying a smaller gun than a 357...or at least consider shooting them in the leg. Had he come after you and you blew his ass away, you probably would have gone to prison for manslaughter. The legal definition of self defense is not what the layman thinks it is, especially if the guy was unarmed.

I'm not sure there's a state in the union where you won't go to jail for intentionally shooting to maim. That said, make sure you know your local self defense laws. If in Texas, you shoot to stop the threat based on a reasonable fear for your life. Get a lawyer anyway, cause even if the police decide it's self defense and don't take criminal action against you, the civil suit is basically guaranteed.

 

[nepheleim]

Like the solution to many other problems in life, all you really need to do is always carry a broadsword.
Always.

AKA the Mad Jack Churchill approach to.... well life really.

 

[Magicmad5511]

Some years back me and two of my mates were walking over to one of their houses. One of my friends had bought an mini Oreo bucket from the shops and was eating it as he walked.
As we were going a guy came up to us and asked if he could have an Oreo. My friend said no. The guy punched him and ran off.
My mate seemed a bit shaken and his jaw hurt but nothing major.
One of the oddest experiences of my life. Attack due to Oreos.

 

[keniakittykat]

Okay, everybody, keep in mind what I did was legal in my country.

Anyway, I was out on a friday evening and about to go home. Three (moroccan) guys kept following me and my friend, demanding sexual favors from us because we're not muslim, and whores by default.

I finally got enough of it and turned around, waiting for them to come closer.

Because you see, my dad always told me to take his pistol with me when I go into the city without escort. Not a real gun, mind you, one of those old alarm pistols that just look real. It was unloaded and broken, but these guys didn't know that.
So I asked once nicely for them to leave us alone and I even called one of them a whore in their face, something they didn't expect. But then one of the guys grabbed my friend's arm.

So I pulled her behind me and pulled out my gun, and held it right in front of their faces. I yelled at them to back off or I would shoot. Two of them understood the situation and left. But the other guy probably saw through it, and made a step closer. So I lifted the gun, twisted it around my finger and clubbed him on the top head with the heavy iron handle, knocking him out. I grabbed my friend and ran!

I want everybody to understand that while it turned out great, it was a stupid thing to do. I wanted to protect my friend so I acted tough to what could be potential rapists and brought us into danger by pulling out the gun. I should have just kept on walking, instead of trying to be a hero...

 

[Sunrider]

As much as I want to tell you to beat his ass the next time someone pulls that sort of shit on you, OP, I can't, because you never know what kind of concealed weapon he's carrying. Be safe.

 

[Natdaprat]

When I was a teenager 2 other boys (younger than me) stopped me in a dark side street. They had skin heads and such. After asking me what I was doing, they drew a miniature cricket bat and came at me. One of them was really small, probably a couple of years younger than me, and one punch to the face and he was rolling on the floor screaming. The other boy hit me repeatedly in the neck and face with the bat. I can still feel it. I managed to get it from him and hit him in the jaw with it. He fell and I ran.

That was the only fight I have ever been in.

 

[Elric_de_Melnibone]

This is the funniest post I've read in a long time.

I'm assuming the comedy is intentional, but if not that's even more hilarious.
Kudos, in either case!

Not intentional, actually. Larp over here can get pretty horror movie-esque. And if you have a lively imagination like me, those lines really can blur. In gaming they call it immersion, which...I guess applies to LARP as well.

Most larps are crap at immersion, but trust me...the one I go to isn't.

Next to more modern martial arts, I do medieval full-contact fighting with live steel weapons and crazy Russians. We use swords, axes, maces, pollaxes, hammers, along with heavy armour. I've been injured and scarred quite a bit by now, as the sport is just rough. The armour prevents most life-threatening injuries though.

I doubt you could compare that LARP event to having the real thing right in your face.

My experience and passion in martial arts and fighting has become somewhat of an aura, so bad people usually don't pick me for mugging or other nasty things on the street. There's just something that tells people that I (And other experienced martial artists) am not the ideal target. Also, I'm always up for a good fight, and when you look like you're out for trouble, you rarely ever find it.

All that aside, I'd stand and try to destroy the mugger/aggressor like I already did quite a few times - don't be the one on the defense, be the aggressor, do the hunter-hunted and bring that **** down.

Alas... that is only for unarmed opponents. There is next to no chance of getting out of a knife fight unscathed, probably even less of a chance as weith guns. If he had a (decent, small pocket knife won't do it unless he looks like he knows how to sue it) knife, I'd try to negotiate and / or make a run for it, if he has a gun, I'd just hand over my money unless he does something really stupid when taking the money from me (like leaving his gun arm wide open while not pointing at me).

To sum it up: I don't get mugged that often, I've defended myself the times I was, with success - but if there was a knife or a gun, I wouldn't take any chances - I must repeat, getting out of a knife fight unharmed is very, very hard. And guns just raise the stakes too high.