+1 on this advice. Always leave an exit route for yourself. Sometimes hard to do but I do this all the time now.
You have some expensive bums in your area.
Near self defense encounter today
- Thread starter M-Ful
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You have some expensive bums in your area.
Texan Scott
Member
crystal meth is like surplus AK ammo... it's really cheap, but some guys burn through a lot of it.
And he's right. It costs twenty bucks and a bit of your pride. Even if you successfully defend yourself, the finanacial cost can be many, many times greater.
Beyond that, for all the talk, twenty bucks is a very cheap price for not having to live with taking a life, whether other's think it would be better to do so or not.
The OP asked for alternatives focused on SD. Even in spite of that, most of us have focused on evasion/avoidance and SA. I'm throwing out the strawman flag on this one to keep the discussion honest. No one here has said that it's better to kill a guy than pay 20 bucks to get out of an SD encounter, so the veiled jabs aren't really necessary.
WilleRupert
Member
I got hit up for change by a bum in a liquor store parking lot. I turned the guy away and called the liquor store to let them know. A good business doesn't tolerate that stuff.
bigfatdave
Member
Which would be great if the roadside extortion artist was trustworthy and had fixed prices.
Why are you so quick to trust in the goodwill and human decency of a mugger?
Lost Sheep
Member
Not trusting in those. Trusting in laziness. $20 in the hand is a tacit promise that I won't shoot him in the back if he leaves. Anyone who has the foresight to carry "throwdown money" may also have other preparations the mugger would rather not test.
In any event, having gotten SOME money changes the dynamics of the encounter. Whether it has strengthened your position (as I hinted above) or weakened it (as in saying, "Here's the free money, but I do have more") is open to question. But it generally buys some time for you to move your other hand and your feet to a better defensive posture.
On another subject. When a mugger takes his eyes off you to pick up the dropped money from the ground you have an opportunity moment (to run, attack, reposition, etc). BUT. Some muggers will take exception to you tossing the money on the ground and consider that an insult that must be addressed with violence. Use your judgement.
Saying it firmly (with the implied "FOR YOU") at the end may work for the casual panhandler and novice mugger, but unless the O.P.'s local drive-through takes credit cards, everyone knows he has at least some cash.Arp32 said:
I suppose you could embarrass the mugger out of the crime by asking, "You SERIOUSLY want to steal my lunch money?"
To the O.P. Sorry I didn't think of this before, but did you notify the restaurant that there are people victimizing their customers in their drive-through line? The business has a VERY STRONG incentive to crime-proof their property. And they can take steps much more concentrated (on their property) than the police can.
This place may already have video surveillance in place, which could identify these guys.
Lost Sheep
I think the young man did OK in this encounter; he got home safely, albeit $20 poorer, while perhaps pride/self respect got dinged up a bit.
former co-worker told me about an incident a few years back.....he was going through the atm, one car ahead just about to pull away, car pulls up behind him w/bright lights om. guy jumps out of passenger side.
Said miscreant runs between friend's car and bank wall, screaming "gimme that money, Mo-Fo!". "come get it, dude"..about the time miscreant gets up to car window, friend cuts toward the wall, stomps on gas and rolls miscreant down the bank wall. Car did not follow him out of the ATM lane.
former co-worker told me about an incident a few years back.....he was going through the atm, one car ahead just about to pull away, car pulls up behind him w/bright lights om. guy jumps out of passenger side.
Said miscreant runs between friend's car and bank wall, screaming "gimme that money, Mo-Fo!". "come get it, dude"..about the time miscreant gets up to car window, friend cuts toward the wall, stomps on gas and rolls miscreant down the bank wall. Car did not follow him out of the ATM lane.
harrygunner
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Decades ago, my wife, with daughter in a car seat was in a drive-thru driveway and a guy opened the back door and robbed my wife. Wife obviously wasn't into self-defensive thinking before that.
I always keep that in mind when I'm in a drive-thru. If it's life threatening, I keep a lookout for ways to drive over the curb and bushes or brush the cars in front out of my way. Cars can be repaired.
I carry a handgun, but I also look for ways out of those tight driveways.
I always keep that in mind when I'm in a drive-thru. If it's life threatening, I keep a lookout for ways to drive over the curb and bushes or brush the cars in front out of my way. Cars can be repaired.
I carry a handgun, but I also look for ways out of those tight driveways.
GunnerShotz
Member
Ditto... always give yourself an 'out' if you can. Don't make it your life's passion but do make it an every day habit... Practic makes better
When confronting BG's in situations like that, look them in the eye and confidently say "What?".... make them repeat themselves or think twice about what they are doing while giving you more time to respond appropriately also.
This, of course, depends on the situation and always being aware is important. You did just fine M-Ful, because you survived and only lost 20 bucks.... always much better than some alternatives....
good job. no lecture from me but I am sure you came out of this situation with some self taught knowledge . Growing up in NYC during the 90's was a rough time crime wise and luckily I escaped all guns or knives pulled on me with no injury! If your ever in this situation again I am sure you will handle it again.
Auf Grosser Fahrt
Member
You did OK for a 1st in your life kind of encounter. You didn't get hurt and you didn't kill anyone. Keep the windows up when you approach anything remotely like this situation. I wouldn't say squat to one of these people. Never do. Just look at 'em steady for a moment, shake my head no, and turn away (while really still keeping an eye on 'em).
I was walking in downtown Dallas once. Passed a homeless guy in a doorway, who growled, "Hey, you got a dollar?!"
I just kept walking, but looked back at him and said, "Yep."
I don't know, but the friend with me thought it was hysterical and busted out laughing. Don't get me wrong, I was prepared to deal with the situation, if needed, but the look on his face still tickles me to this day.
I was walking in downtown Dallas once. Passed a homeless guy in a doorway, who growled, "Hey, you got a dollar?!"
I just kept walking, but looked back at him and said, "Yep."
I don't know, but the friend with me thought it was hysterical and busted out laughing. Don't get me wrong, I was prepared to deal with the situation, if needed, but the look on his face still tickles me to this day.
When a person makes you think you might need to reach for a weapon, don't follow them to prolong the encounter after it's already over.
Unless I'm misunderstanding you, you were home free and then, even though the initial encounter made you nervous, you intentionally and voluntarily created a second encounter.
Yeah, I'm not following this at all.
I don't understand how the situation changed from "in a vehicle, about 40 yards behind him across 2 lanes of traffic" to having to throw him a $20 to get away from him.
If someone makes me nervous enough to reach for a weapon and then leaves, the last thing I would do is close the distance from "about 40 yards away" to the point where I'm again worried that I might need to use a weapon.
I don't understand how the situation changed from "in a vehicle, about 40 yards behind him across 2 lanes of traffic" to having to throw him a $20 to get away from him.
If someone makes me nervous enough to reach for a weapon and then leaves, the last thing I would do is close the distance from "about 40 yards away" to the point where I'm again worried that I might need to use a weapon.
Ok, so there was only a single confrontation during which you gave him the $20 and the comment about following him was interjected in the middle of the retelling of that single confrontation and out of chronological order.
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