Really Happened How Would You Respond?

[The Night Rider]

 WAS walking out of the locker room at the gym the other day. Two kids who could not have been more than 15 years old were walking in the opposite direction and as they passed me in the hallway out of the corner of my eye I saw one of them turn around and posture up like he was going to jump me. As soon as I started to turn around he turned back around and kept walking away.

I am not kidding when I say that the kid did not weigh a hundred pounds and I doubt very seriously he was more than 5'1.

I don't know what was going on in his head so I'm going to state this as an opinion.

Unless he really was as dumb as he looked, he didn't have any intention of hitting me or attacking me he was just trying to look cool for his buddies.

My biggest concern was had I turned around or reacted it was highly likely that I would have been seen as the aggressor. Especially because there would have been two of them as witnesses against one of me.

I didn't say anything to either one of them, I didn't respond. I don't even know for sure if they knew I was aware of it. I kept right on walking and reported it to the front desk. The manager (who is my granddaughter) assured me that the next time she saw them she would ban them from the facility forever.

The reason I'm asking this is because people do stupid things like this.

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away when I was still in the Army one of my buddies thought it would be funny to grab me from behind in the ER at Evans Army Community Hospital. He had the nerve to be pissed off when I dropped him.

If that had happened anywhere else I probably would have gone to jail for it. I would have beat the rap but I bet you I would have got arrested.

Edited for typo.

 

[chicharrones]

I wasn't there, but younguns' full of energy love to horseplay.

Back in the day, I would go to a local gym in morning before high school started with two of my friends. We were in band, but not yet in a school (UIL) sport, so we had no access to the school gym. We were stupid little chits. We made fun of several middle aged guys in there because we were immature imbeciles. And we got put in our place when deserved, but all without physical force.

Edit to add:

So, "How would I react?". We are all using the same gym, assumedly all being gym members? Honestly, I would have probably greeted them in some way as we were walking towards each other. Maybe even do a little small talk with them in the hallway. Seems like when I talk to people of any age as a person, they respond to me in kind.

Now, get me on a public sidewalk in a downtown of a large city and I hardly greet anyone. I just keep on moving.

 

[Outlaw75]

Who's walking out of the locker room at the gym the other day. Two kids who could not have been more than 15 years old we're walking in the opposite direction and as they passed me in the hallway out of the corner of my eye I saw one of them turn around and posture up like he was going to jump me. As soon as I started to turn around he turned back around and kept walking away.

I am not kidding when I say that the kid did not weigh a hundred pounds and I doubt very seriously he was more than 5'1.

I don't know what was going on in his head so I'm going to state this as an opinion.

Unless he really was as dumb as he looked, he didn't have any intention of hitting me or attacking me he was just trying to look cool for his buddies.

Not dumb so much as sheltered. Boys these days don't get into fistfights like they did in the past and don't understand the ramifications of such behavior.

My biggest concern was had I turned around or reacted it was highly likely that I would have been seen as the aggressor. Especially because there would have been two of them as witnesses against one of me.

I didn't say anything to either one of them, I didn't respond. I don't even know for sure if they knew I was aware of it. I kept right on walking and reported it to the front desk. The manager (who is my granddaughter) assured me that the next time she saw them she would ban them from the facility forever.

I think you handled the situation correctly.

 

[Coyote3855]

Kids that age are prone to messing around. You reacted appropriately.

I have concern for all parties involved in social media "pranks." One had a kid putting a five gallon plastic bucket over the head of an unsuspecting customer, usually older, in a home improvement box store while a friend recorded it for clicks. I would consider that incident an assault and respond accordingly. Other pranks seem even more dangerous to the perpetrators and in some cases have resulted in fatalities.

 

[Simple Shooter]

Agree with other post it was likely a kid horsing around. One of my son's buddies snuck up behind as if he was going to attack me last summer. He is maybe 100 soaking wet, whereas I am 6'1" 250. Same thing happened: I caught him out of the corner of my eye. He about messed his pants when I turned on him. My son and his other friends ended up rolling on the ground laughing. He was later advised this is not a good idea with me and a very bad idea with strangers.

My son's friend was just horsing around. But for a stranger to do that to you he was placing himself in danger and you in a predicament of having to assume his aggression was real. You reacted quite properly.

 

[armoredman]

Decades ago, while doing armored trucking work in Nogales, AZ, I was followed out of the store by a group of 5 or 6 teens, making comments and acting the fool. The chance they were going to do something stupid was extremely low, but not zero, so I kept my hand on my sidearm, at that time an EAA Witness 40. The front of the store, Safeway on Mariposa Ave, had very wide, square pillars in front, just about even with me as I reached the truck door. AS I reached for the handle, one of the most vocal of the teen idiots jumped out from the pillar with his hands in a classic two hand hold, aiming at me. I reacted like we trained and was on target/off target in a heartbeat, as I observed that the kids' hands were empty, and he was yelling "Bang, bang!" He walked away laughing as I reholstered, completely unaware of how close he came to dying. I had the shakes all the way back up to Tucson.

 

[The Night Rider]

We are all using the same gym, assumedly all being gym members?

Nope, unfortunately it's Planet Fatness and every summer they allow anyone between the ages of I think it's 14 and 17 to use the gym for free all summer. They won't even let you be a member till you're 16 but they'll let you come into the gym and generally be a nuisance when you're 14.

This particular group of kids has had multiple compliance because all they do is hang out in the locker room and vape

 

[old lady new shooter]

Nope, unfortunately it's Planet Fatness and every summer they allow anyone between the ages of I think it's 14 and 17 to use the gym for free all summer. They won't even let you be a member till you're 16 but they'll let you come into the gym and generally be a nuisance when you're 14.

This particular group of kids has had multiple compliance because all they do is hang out in the locker room and vape

<sigh>

So have they been banned now?

 

[shafter]

I would have continued on my way. Typical dumb kid stuff but nothing crazy. I wouldn't have bothered with the front desk.

 

[The Night Rider]

<sigh>

So have they been banned now?

I presume so.

 

[Blue Jays]

Planet Fitness would still be wise to mandate a $0 membership card.
It will be very difficult to ban someone who needs nothing to enter.
They can simply take this behavior to any Planet Fitness they frequent.

 

[old lady new shooter]

I presume so.

 

[scaatylobo]

 WAS walking out of the locker room at the gym the other day. Two kids who could not have been more than 15 years old were walking in the opposite direction and as they passed me in the hallway out of the corner of my eye I saw one of them turn around and posture up like he was going to jump me. As soon as I started to turn around he turned back around and kept walking away.

I am not kidding when I say that the kid did not weigh a hundred pounds and I doubt very seriously he was more than 5'1.

I don't know what was going on in his head so I'm going to state this as an opinion.

Unless he really was as dumb as he looked, he didn't have any intention of hitting me or attacking me he was just trying to look cool for his buddies.

My biggest concern was had I turned around or reacted it was highly likely that I would have been seen as the aggressor. Especially because there would have been two of them as witnesses against one of me.

I didn't say anything to either one of them, I didn't respond. I don't even know for sure if they knew I was aware of it. I kept right on walking and reported it to the front desk. The manager (who is my granddaughter) assured me that the next time she saw them she would ban them from the facility forever.

The reason I'm asking this is because people do stupid things like this.

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away when I was still in the Army one of my buddies thought it would be funny to grab me from behind in the ER at Evans Army Community Hospital. He had the nerve to be pissed off when I dropped him.

If that had happened anywhere else I probably would have gone to jail for it. I would have beat the rap but I bet you I would have got arrested.

Edited for typo.

About 2 years back I was a member of a gym that I still belong to.
There were 2 young [ 18 y/o ] lifters that started a conversation with me as they heard I was a retired LEO.
After a while they expressed the opinion that I was not tough enough,in their opinion to be a street cop.
Well I laughed it off and told them to ask the other officers at the gym who worked with me.
That just got them wound up,when they were told I was once a bada$$ on the streets.
They opined that they could take me anytime as they were boxers.
It finally,after a few weeks that one went behind my in a manner I knew as per attack mode.
Iturned and confronted him,advising him to not play at attacking me.
He admitted he was about to,with his friend videoing it.
He was advised that he would get hurt,and we would not be talking to each other if he had done so.
He said " oh what,you'll fight dirty".
I told him I do not fight to play,each & every attack is a life threatening moment for me.
I was 73 at the time and told him " I dont play".
Both of them stopped talking to me and that was the end of that.
just a different situation and how an old man handled it,no complaint to the desk.

 

[The Night Rider]

just a different situation and how an old man handled it,no complaint to the desk.

Yeah, I'm not going to threaten a minor who weighs less than a hundred pounds and whose biceps are the size of my wrists.

 

[Chief TC]

 WAS walking out of the locker room at the gym the other day. Two kids who could not have been more than 15 years old were walking in the opposite direction and as they passed me in the hallway out of the corner of my eye I saw one of them turn around and posture up like he was going to jump me. As soon as I started to turn around he turned back around and kept walking away.

I am not kidding when I say that the kid did not weigh a hundred pounds and I doubt very seriously he was more than 5'1.

I don't know what was going on in his head so I'm going to state this as an opinion.

Unless he really was as dumb as he looked, he didn't have any intention of hitting me or attacking me he was just trying to look cool for his buddies.

My biggest concern was had I turned around or reacted it was highly likely that I would have been seen as the aggressor. Especially because there would have been two of them as witnesses against one of me.

I didn't say anything to either one of them, I didn't respond. I don't even know for sure if they knew I was aware of it. I kept right on walking and reported it to the front desk. The manager (who is my granddaughter) assured me that the next time she saw them she would ban them from the facility forever.

The reason I'm asking this is because people do stupid things like this.

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away when I was still in the Army one of my buddies thought it would be funny to grab me from behind in the ER at Evans Army Community Hospital. He had the nerve to be pissed off when I dropped him.

If that had happened anywhere else I probably would have gone to jail for it. I would have beat the rap but I bet you I would have got arrested.

Edited for typo.

Sounds like you got your head on straight but on a swivel too. You keep aware of your surroundings, so you WON"T be surprised. Doesn't surprise me you are a vet. I've noticed vets tend to be better at monitoring their surroundings and assessing the environment due to all the discipline and training on this issue. However, anyone can be surprised because we can't be 100% aware of everything, 100% of the time. So hopefully when we do have to react to a surprise situation, we can make the right and quick decision with the proper force/response. Reminds me of a video I saw of a guy scaring people as they walked by a trash can and he was in a scary clown suit I think suddenly popping out with a scary scream. 99% of the people jumped back and were scared. One guy's reaction was to knock him out in one punch as an immediate reaction and not after assessing the situation. Moral of the story is don't surprise strangers because you don't know what type of reaction you will get. Some people can assess the situation quickly and respond accordingly and others not so much.

 

[scaatylobo]

Yeah, I'm not going to threaten a minor who weighs less than a hundred pounds and whose biceps are the size of my wrists.

Sorry but did I not mention we were in the WEIGHT room ,and he was a BOXER ?.
And my age was almost 4 times his,and in this state it is a FELONY to assault anyone over 65 if your at least 10 years younger.
Hope that makes you see it a bit differently !
And being 18 is not a minor.

 

[toxophilus]

I once saw a young man (not a teenager) pulling a prank & scaring people from behind a pillar as they were entering a store. I snuck around the other side of the pillar as he retreated for his next victim. Upon jumping out at the next person I jumped out at him and scared the bejesus out of him... he didn't expect that.

We had a good laugh.

 

[The Night Rider]

Sorry but did I not mention we were in the WEIGHT room ,and he was a BOXER ?.
And my age was almost 4 times his,and in this state it is a FELONY to assault anyone over 65 if your at least 10 years younger.
Hope that makes you see it a bit differently !
And being 18 is not a minor.

I understand how what you did worked for your situation but it most certainly would not have worked for mine.

Every summer for God only knows what reason Planet Fitness opens up their gym to kids between the ages of 14 and 18. It's not even a membership drive because you can't even be a member until you're 16.

What usually happens is a bunch of little thugs (Who have no intention of joing the gym) come in and either hang out or disrupt the gym. These little brats have been going around disrupting the gym pretty much since they've been there.

 

[The Night Rider]

I once saw a young man (not a teenager) pulling a prank & scaring people from behind a pillar as they were entering a store. I snuck around the other side of the pillar as he retreated for his next victim. Upon jumping out at the next person I jumped out at him and scared the bejesus out of him... he didn't expect that.

We had a good laugh.

I've seen a bunch of these prank videos on YouTube, I think most of them are fake.

Every so often they'll do a prank that goes wrong where the guy starts to prank and the supposedly "unsuspecting victim" draws a gun.

Isn't that something you should be thinking about before you go around trifling with people you don't know?

 

[TarDevil]

Can't fathom why you would be seen as the aggressor. Your situational awareness warned you, you reacted as expected.

 

[DukeConnor]

Kids brains don't work correctly. Who knows what they were thinking. Probably just being being idiots.

Remember when you were a kid ?

 

[The Night Rider]

Can't fathom why you would be seen as the aggressor.

Because there were two of them and one of me and no cameras.

"Officer, that crazy old man just turned around and started beating up my friend."

The odds are low but they're not zero.

 

[Outlaw75]

Because there were two of them and one of me and no cameras.

"Officer, that crazy old man just turned around and started beating up my friend."

The odds are low but they're not zero.

That's how it would start. Then their mothers (both probably named Karen) would show up and throw fits, screaming; "My baby would never do anything like that! That old coot's lying! He must've started it!". Meanwhile, the two little punks are tearing up on cue....

 

[JTHunter]

I've seen a bunch of these prank videos on YouTube, I think most of them are fake.

Every so often they'll do a prank that goes wrong where the guy starts to prank and the supposedly "unsuspecting victim" draws a gun.

Isn't that something you should be thinking about before you go around trifling with people you don't know?

Or, if you're an "old fart" like me that uses a nice hardwood cane, there might be some teeth on the floor.

 

[Rick McC.]

Or, if you're an "old fart" like me that uses a nice hardwood cane, there might be some teeth on the floor.

I don’t need a cane to get around at all; but ai do have a solid oak one that I made by cutting down a shepherds crook from Tractor Supply a few years ago. I use it when I have to enter a “genuine” GFZ; airport, in my case.