So "this" happened again.

Sigmund Av Volsung

Hella noided
Dec 11, 2009
2,999
0
0
So, today, me and two other friends agreed to go to a local park to play table tennis, after we were finished, we went to sit on a log in a "kid's zone"-type thing.

We talked for a bit about various things, and up comes this guy, swearing at us, asking us for "credit"(a mugging, obviously) whilst gesturing that he has a weapon behind him.(what complicates matters is that he was black, so he had a go at me, saying I was racist because I was already ready to go as he was approaching, the fact that he was swearing at us and gesturing that he had a weapon, apparently had nothing to do with anything in his head)

Having experienced such situations before, I stood up and got my things, and I was ready to leave and about to tell my friends to leave, but I was also quite scared, (my hands and my legs were shaking and my voice gave that distinction), but the guy who walked up to us had suddenly dropped the gesture and was insulting me directly(since I was way taller than he was, he assumed I was older, so he started calling me a woman, etc.). Then I told him that I was actually 16, and he backed off from me at least.

Then, he tried to grab my friend's table tennis bat and started swearing at him too, and to my other friend, he started touching his face and hair(because he has really long hair).

At that point, we all left, and were on our way back home.

So suffice to say, this has shaken me, for one: I had felt so helpless, and for two: I am angry at him for having the audacity to to do this, and at myself for just standing there, being afraid.

Tell me, fellow Escapists of experiences you had similar to this or things to do to a) prevent these sort of situations and/or b) ways to handle them better.
 

Angie7F

WiseGurl
Nov 11, 2011
1,704
0
0
Today I saw a guy who seems a little bit "off" and kept talking to himself in the train.
Each time a seat opens up he will sit down, and then as soon as he spots a older female standing, he insists that she take his seat.
It sound very good in concept, but the problem was that all the women he offered his seat to were not old.
So they kinda got offended.

This wasnt a violent situation or anything, so i was not scared.
However it did make me wonder about what the appropriate measure was when you get pestered by people like that.
It is just so ....weird.
 

Foolery

No.
Jun 5, 2013
1,714
0
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Damn. First off, I hope you feel better. Yeah, getting approached by a mugger is a scary experience. I'm not really sure what advice to give. In my case, I actually fought the guy. Sucker punched him immediately in the jaw when he made his threat and knocked him to the ground. I ran to a grocery store after that and phoned the police. As for prevention, same old routine. Stick in groups or with a friend, stay in public areas with plenty of people around, don't carry any valuables visually (ipod, phone, etc)
 

Zhukov

The Laughing Arsehole
Dec 29, 2009
13,769
5
43
Okay, how's this?

I'm walking home from work one night. I live a fair ways from my workplace, so it was pretty late by this time, as in 10pm or so.

Guy approaches me on the footpath. Young, maybe twenty, nothing out of the ordinary, never seen him before. I assumed he was going to ask for directions or something.

The exchange goes like this, word for word:

Him: "Do you have a forty five behind you?"
Me: "Uhh... a forty five?"
Him: "Yeah, a forty five calibre."
Me: "Wait, you mean like a gun?"

Then he throws a punch at my face.

I half saw it coming and kinda sidestepped, so it just clipped my jaw. I'm not sure if he was actually taking a swing or just feinting.

Him: "Fuck off!"

Then he stalks off down the footpath.

I just stood there utterly confused. I wasn't scared so much as completely baffled as to what had just happened. I briefly considered going after him, he was smaller than me after all, but the moment had passed and the mention or firearms, however vague, made me nervous. So I kept walking home wishing I'd stomped the crap out of him when I had the chance.

Never seen him before or since. I still have no bloody idea what his issue was.

So yeah, that's it. Not as dramatic as your, but there you go.
 

Shadowstar38

New member
Jul 20, 2011
2,204
0
0
The only situation like that I've been in is my friend calmly asking if I could drive him home to pick something up. When we got to his place, he got back in the car and started loading a pistol. Not sure why he thought I'd be cool with that but, fuck.
 

The Funslinger

Corporate Splooge
Sep 12, 2010
6,150
0
0
Someone tried to mug me a couple of years ago. The exchange led to me being stabbed in the leg.

Kept my wallet though. Get on my level, muggers! ಠ_ಠ
 

kgpspyguy

New member
Apr 18, 2011
96
0
0
Stuff like this never happens to me. it could have something to do with the fact that I'm taller then most people. I'm also kinda scary looking (depending on you're definition of scary of coarse).
 

The White Hunter

Basment Abomination
Oct 19, 2011
3,888
0
0
Binnsyboy said:
Someone tried to mug me a couple of years ago. The exchange led to me being stabbed in the leg.

Kept my wallet though. Get on my level, muggers! ಠ_ಠ
The muggers cannot get on that level.

Idk when I was like your age I'd have just got the shit kicked out of me, but now I'm a lot bigger and stronger so I'm not an opportune target for that kind of crap.

You did the right thing though it's never wise to fight an armed man when you are not. Especially when firearms are involved. I'll take my chances with a knife, but a gun is a whole other thing.

In recent memory a guy was hitting on my friend (in the rapiest way I've ever seen) on an evening out, she was with her boyfriend, as her boyfriend (he's a frail little thing but a nice enough guy) was getting up to do something about it I'd grabbed the guys head and slammed his face into the bar.

The bartender didn't even seem to notice.
 

Mossberg Shotty

New member
Jan 12, 2013
649
0
0
That sucks, I hope you're feeling better. The important thing is not to dwell on it, and take preventive measures for the next (hypothetical) time. I live in Texas, where it's just assumed that everyone is packing a gun, so these things usually don't happen in well-traveled areas.

But when it does happen and I'm alone I'm a fan of the whole "sucker-punch and run" approach. But if I'm with a group of friends, we'll just face them down. Never be afraid to throw your hands up to an attacker, because they're just cowards looking for an easy score. They're the hyenas of the human world.
 

sanquin

New member
Jun 8, 2011
1,837
0
0
If someone tried to mug me with some pocket knife I'd literally laugh in his face and then try to beat the crap out of him. If the mugger had a large knife or a gun, I would probably just comply. I LARP. Some of the guys at the LARP I go to are friggin' scary, and in the heat of 'battle' the line between a real and a fake weapon blur a little. You're going to be scared of that realistic looking latex weapon whether it can hurt you or not. So I'm used to dealing with aggressive people trying to attack me. And a pocket knife really doesn't scare me any more.
 

Galletea

Inexplicably Awesome
Sep 27, 2008
2,877
0
0
A couple of years ago I was walking through the park and was accosted by a bangladeshi chap who said he wanted to practice his english. I was already suspicious by this point, but no one was around and he wasn't going to leave me alone so I kept talking to him and making my way towards where there would usually be people. There were no people, then he was saying how much he liked me and wanted me to go back to his place. When I declined and tried to leave he got me in a bear hug. I somehow wrestled out of it and punched him, then I ran into town. I wasn't scared until much later on, when it suddenly dawned on me how much trouble I could have been in. No muggings though.
 
Sep 24, 2008
2,461
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Back in the Bronx, this used to be such a common occurrence that it's second nature to me. What to avoid, where not to go, how to walk, how to keep moving and where to be visible.

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.

I never was safe growing up, so I never take anything for granted. Everyone and everything is a potential threat. It's been doing alright by me so far.
 

Milanezi

New member
Mar 2, 2009
619
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0
I know how you you feel, about 4-5 years ago I got into a "GI Joe" vibe, so I decided to scrounge in a nearby toy store for GI Joe action figures (the normal stuff, not the deluxe figures), I figured it would also double as a nice relaxing walk after Law School. Then, right damn near my place, this group of guys, probably younger than me, bit there were 4 or 5 of them started to stare strangely at me as they came down the street.
Now, I had time and opportunity to just turn around quicken my pace or downright run to a nearby store or a building or whatever; but I acted stupid instead, i was actually thinking "what if they are NOT going to mug me? they might be just a big group of friends and all, and it's gonna be damn insulting if I just run away", well as I got closer they formed a circle on me, one of them held me in threatening manner and told me to hand over my cell phone (which wasn't even showing, but that's a given since everyone has a cell phone nowadays), he told me to just hand it over quickly and smooth and they wouldn't hurt me, they also said they didn't want money nor anything else, only the cell phone, a Motorola Razr I remember...
I did as I was told and they went their way with my cell phone. Soon this other guy came, from within a building that was right behind me and informed me that he had seen everything and had already phoned the police. I went to the Police Department knowing it was a waste of time, because here in Brazil a group of muggers is nothing, they exist in such a high amount that the cops will arrest them sure but won't make a big case on top of it.
In short, I know that in the end we get pissed because of the humiliation, of this sense of "fragility" of "just standing there". I know we feel dirty after the fact, we keep reliving the scene, asking what we could've done differently, in my case, I didn't give a fuck about the cell phone, heck if the cops found it i wouldn't want it anymore, it was soiled by those fucks, what I wanted was something that had been lost in time, my dignity at that very moment.
But dude, we lived to see the next day. A colleague of mine said I should've fought, even if I knew I had no chance due to their numbers, but he's wrong, those guys could kill me if they wanted, and even if there was only ONE, you never know if there ain't a hidden knife or gun, or even how strong the guy really is, maybe he has backup around the corner just ready to get you if you react (a friend of one my ex-teachers died that way). We are alive and where are they? Hiding, living their "lives" of servitude to whomever leads them, life has a way of working full circle, I guarantee you, you were not a coward, you were BRAVE to stand your own and swallow the pain instead of giving in to your rage and maybe ending your life. Always ask yourself in those moments, is "it" worth my life?
Sooner or later the feeling will pass, take care man.
 
Jun 16, 2010
1,153
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sanquin said:
If someone tried to mug me with some pocket knife I'd literally laugh in his face and then try to beat the crap out of him. If the mugger had a large knife or a gun, I would probably just comply. I LARP. Some of the guys at the LARP I go to are friggin' scary, and in the heat of 'battle' the line between a real and a fake weapon blur a little. You're going to be scared of that realistic looking latex weapon whether it can hurt you or not. So I'm used to dealing with aggressive people trying to attack me. And a pocket knife really doesn't scare me any more.
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!
 

Milanezi

New member
Mar 2, 2009
619
0
0
Zhukov said:
Okay, how's this?

I'm walking home from work one night. I live a fair ways from my workplace, so it was pretty late by this time, as in 10pm or so.

Guy approaches me on the footpath. Young, maybe twenty, nothing out of the ordinary, never seen him before. I assumed he was going to ask for directions or something.

The exchange goes like this, word for word:

Him: "Do you have a forty five behind you?"
Me: "Uhh... a forty five?"
Him: "Yeah, a forty five calibre."
Me: "Wait, you mean like a gun?"

Then he throws a punch at my face.

I half saw it coming and kinda sidestepped, so it just clipped my jaw. I'm not sure if he was actually taking a swing or just feinting.

Him: "Fuck off!"

Then he stalks off down the footpath.

I just stood there utterly confused. I wasn't scared so much as completely baffled as to what had just happened. I briefly considered going after him, he was smaller than me after all, but the moment had passed and the mention or firearms, however vague, made me nervous. So I kept walking home wishing I'd stomped the crap out of him when I had the chance.

Never seen him before or since. I still have no bloody idea what his issue was.

So yeah, that's it. Not as dramatic as your, but there you go.
That guy saw too much Fight Club and wanted to make sure you weren't armed before he replayed the movie... Asshole... Seriously though, there are some twisted fucks out there.
 
Oct 2, 2012
1,267
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I've been mugged a lot. Was once mugged not for my money or other assorted valuables but for a deck of yugioh cards.

The weirdest one though was when I was walking home alone from a friends house. This dude walks up to me with his finger in his shirt pointing at me, like a fake gun kinda deal ya know? Except he tells me that he has a knife and demanded I give him my wallet.
It immediately reminded me of this stand up comedian I saw once who told a similar story.
But anyway, I reach for my wallet but instead grabbed my knife that I took with me everywhere. I held it in front of the guy and told him something to the effect of "Turn around, drop ya pants and bend over. Oh and would you like the blunt end or the pointy end first?" (paraphrased).
Yeah he ran off real fast. Later heard from a friend that he was a relative of his and a crackhead. He'd been pulling that fake knife stunt for a few months and it hadn't worked on anyone.

I'm sorry you had to go through that though :/ Muggings, attempted or otherwise aren't a nice experience.
 

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
Legacy
Jul 18, 2009
19,570
4,374
118
No nothing like that has ever happenend to me.

I live in a neighborhood that consists about 70% of senior citizens, so the only confrontation I have to worry about is some old lady telling me to clean up me dog's poo.
 

AnthrSolidSnake

New member
Jun 2, 2011
824
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0
I was approached asking if I wanted to join a gang once. It was in the distance so I kept walking thinking they weren't talking to me. A few steps later and they were pretty close to me. "Yo, I asked if you wanted to join a gang?"

I just stood there because I wasn't sure what to do. Do I say no and they feel insulted? Do I say yes and get myself into something I have no interest or business in? I thought it was a joke, eventually even asking "Is this a joke?"

"No, man, I'm serious." He replied, with his two other friends behind him.

These were at least 6 ft, muscular, 20-some men, dressed in baggy clothes and one had rags on his head, coming up to an 18, average build teenaged white kid. I wasn't exactly scared, but very, very confused on what to say. Eventually I said no and he said something like "alright, come find us if you change your mind" and they walked away before I did.

Never saw them again, even on the same street, and I'm still confused to this day what they even saw in me.
 

Wraith

New member
Oct 11, 2011
356
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0
Was once beaten and robbed a few miles from my home after visiting a girlfriend. Happened just a few yards from her house. Had to hitchhike home, on the side of a highway that night, or risk the people coming back to finish me off for not "Staying on the ground for five minutes" like they told me to.

There is of course more to that story, if anyone would like to know don't be afraid to ask.