Fight

[Raph84]

I have never before posted in strategies and tactics so please be gentle.

I had an interesting occurrence a few days ago. I work in an office park with allot of business that are not 9-5 office type but more landscaping and heavy lifting type of jobs.

I was in my office (upstairs) doing some data entry yesterday I hear a blood curdling scream. I think *** and start high tailing it downstairs to where the rest of the office is and look around, my boss and the secretary are looking at me like *** thinking it was me. I ask, "What’s going on?" they reply, "I don't know,...... what is going on?" So I immediately realize that the sound came through the wall (not through the floor which is what I thought). So thinking there could be an emergency I run next door and knock (with the intention of trying the door if no one answers).

A receptionist type comes to the door and opens up in a normal manner, but immediately after the door is open two people appear through an interior door and are obviously verbally fighting.

I didn't really think about it I walk in with the receptionist still holding the door and start trying to cool everyone out, I am just getting out the words "Hey fellas calm down." when one starts to put the other in a head lock, and it looks like he plans to follow the lock up with face punches. I again say in a much louder tone, "Calm down!" I am already on my way over to them to pull them apart I grab the guy who is putting the head lock on and say again "Calm down" as I get there he immediately lets go of the guy. I start to move him in the direction of the door. He tells me it’s his brother and they are having a disagreement and he is trying to get his bro under control. I convince him to come outside for a minute to cool out and I want to see if I need to call 5-0 or if everything will be cool.

Anyway we get out side and he calms right down tells me what is up and apologizes... I tell him if he needs any help come on over and knock and we shake hands and part company.


I do not have a CHL and do not carry a firearm, I usually carry a knife that is more than capable of being used for defensive purposes...I did not have it on me at the time.

I went over thinking there may be a medical emergency and walked into a fist-fight/family dispute. I don't think my tactics were very great, but it was gut reaction.

So what did I do wrong? What would you do? How would your answer change if you were armed (aka hopping into a fight where you might get disarmed).

 

[taliv]

who screamed?

 

[WT]

Two adult males in a fistfight? I'd start placing bets on who the winner would be.

I'd hesitate getting involved with 2 idiots duking it out.

 

[FPrice]

You separated them, calmed everyone down, and no one got hurt.

You done good.

But just realize that there is the possibility of getting hurt if it goes wrong. Make sure if it happens again that you leave yourself a way to get out and call the pros.

 

[Raph84]

who screamed?

One of the two who were fighting, apperently they were yelling at each other and one of em screamed in rage.

 

[asiparks]

I've split up brawling brothers/best friends when I was doing bar work. I found that I often became the common enemy for intervening in what the participants considered a family/friendly matter....

 

[carebear]

What you did seems to have worked.

I'd recommend the book "Verbal Judo" if you have spare reading time. The author points out that telling an agitated person to "calm down" will typically have the opposite effect. It's an enlightening book and can add a more options to your conflict tool kit.

 

[Joey2]

Family dispute? Best to stay out of it if no one is being killed. This is one of the worst calls the police like to make.

Both parties can and may turn on you. So instead of fighting one you are now fighting two.

 

[Kodiaz]

Listen that was a wonderful thing you did. BUT sticking yourself between two people that want to hit each other is never a good idea. I grew up in a not so nice place and have been in and seen lots of fistfights. And the guys I've seen take the worst lumpings were the ones that tried to break it up. Congratulations on being a good Samaritan. Now if it's a guy hitting a girl or a kid that's different. But one adult male against another adult (or full sized teenager) well you should just call 911.

 

[Raph84]

Normally I would agree wholeheartedly that stepping between two guys who want to fight is a bad idea. If it were a bar or outside I would have walked away, but seeing two people fight in the middle of a bussiness was just way out of what I was expecting (honestly I though someone cut their finger off from the sound of the scream that took me over there) so my natural reaction was to try to break it up.

Need to retrain the instincts I guess.

Nobody has really mentioned what do you do if you find yourself in the middle of a melee and you are packing (which I was not). How do you ensure the piece stays in it's place and doesn't end up on the floor, or worse yet in the hand of someone who is not in a rational state of mind?

 

[Jim March]

Never get physically between two parties who want a piece of each other. That's called a "crossfire". It's a bad place to be. Real bad. Unbelievably bad.




















































It's just bad, m'kay?

 

[RyanM]

Nobody has really mentioned what do you do if you find yourself in the middle of a melee and you are packing (which I was not). How do you ensure the piece stays in it's place and doesn't end up on the floor, or worse yet in the hand of someone who is not in a rational state of mind?

Don't get into that situation if at all possible. De-escalate if possible. Run away if possible. Start shooting if not. And only what it takes to get away unharmed.

 

[FPrice]

Nobody has really mentioned what do you do if you find yourself in the middle of a melee and you are packing (which I was not). How do you ensure the piece stays in it's place and doesn't end up on the floor, or worse yet in the hand of someone who is not in a rational state of mind?

First you find a good holster (or other method of carry) that will secure your firearm during moderate to strenuous movement.

Second (like Ryan mentioned) do your best to stay out of such situations when carrying.

 

[Kodiaz]

A melee well I'm not sure what you mean by that by one time I went to a party and after the party there was a fight that turned into a full on 100 person riot.
I really do not miss NJ. I having no more need for excitement(at the ripe old age of 22) parked my car a block away and waited it out. Unfortunately I didn't go to this shindig solo so I had friends that had to satisfy the curiousity(stupidity). Then my buddies' sister(damn she is still cute) came out of that mess in tears saying her brother was stabbed. So I had to get my friend now. The police had begun to arrive and started using anti riot techniques which basically consists of beat everyone who doesn't do what you tell them to.

(To the LEO's thank you for using this ineffective technique I know that in most other countries they use the much more effective and safer to the officer technique of shooting into the crowd to disperse it)

So I wade into this disaster looking for my friend I'm not going to get into detail here. I found my friend and carried him to the car the back of his necj was cut but I had my first aid crap for racquetball I am a fat guy who still did judo this really does a number on your joints especially on city streets. I cleaned wrapped it with what I had and took him to the hospital.

Don't get into melee's or riots. I didn't get hurt only because I was lucky I had a LEO problem on the way to my friend. But I shouldn't have been in a riot in the first place but extenuating circumstances put me there. And the LEO had other things to deal with so I thankfully didn't get in trouble.

Stay out of large scale stuff like that there is no way for you to be safe. Now if such a thing is coming down your street well look above for the Totalitarian method of riot control because you by yourself will not be able to use the LEO method unless you have 50 friends with body army billy clubs and riot gear.I'll see if I can find the little blurb in the paper because you guys probably won't take my word on this one.