I got mugged

[Siani]

I had the delightful experience of being mugged at knife point yesterday, in broad daylight, about three minutes away from my own front door. Luckily, I was only carrying a small amount of cash, and didn't get hurt.

If you should be unlucky enough to have this happen to you, please do as I did and keep as calm as possible, and just hand over whatever it is they want. It's not worth fighting them, and getting hurt or worse, over mere possessions, however valuable they may be.

I'm more pissed off at losing a couple of sentimental items, having to spend 7 hours at the cop shop looking at mug shots, etc, and then waiting another 3 for an emergency locksmith to let me into my home, than anything else at the moment. The good news is that the cops called earlier - they have someone in custody that they believe is responsible, so I'm now just waiting for a call to go down and pick him out of a line-up.

 

[Stillborn]

I got mugged when I was 15. Hit in the head with a pipe while at the beach, took all my money which was 50 bucks. Ruined my vacation among other things.

 

[Tommy Allison]

Getting mugged is never fun.

Your mugger lives close to you. Your Mugger isn't a spree mugger, he knows your patterns. That's how you end up being mugged. They mark you, and then they mug you.

Rare is it that a mugger does a cold mugging. Just a random act. They usually make sure that there will be no resistance.

You'll be mugged by the same guy within a year.

I'm saying this because the rate of recitivism on muggers is high.

I would wager that you probably know someone or will know someone close to you who will also be mugged.

I've had people try to mug me. They've tried and failed. I never carry a wallet in public. If I have to carry money, I carry a small amount of cash. Like less than 10 bucks. Usually enough for coffee, and not much else. If I need to make a large purchase, I usually use the debit card, and those are easy to cancel.

The quickest way to get rid of a mugger, is to make a big scene about it. Go into freak out mode, and the mugger will usually run off. I would encourage you to find a Jiu Jitsu dojo, and take a self defense course.

If you have the ability to defend yourself, and take the knife away from someone, you have real power. I've recently begun working out, and taking martial arts classes again.

Get healthy, become dangerous, live with peace of mind. That's my motto.

 

[Bixyboo]

OMG, Siani, I'm glad you are ok! Wow, that must've been frightening as helll!

And to the rest of you who've had similar experiences, glad you all are ok, too!

A good friend of mine also got mugged at his night job in the parking lot. A gun was held to his head and he had to hand over his wallet. Was ordered to lie down face down on the parking lot and wait.He was terrified to move for what seemed like hours, but finally did and the mugger was gone.

But it was terrifying, and he could've so easily been shot or killed!

Some good tips Tommy. Thanks!

 

[mike]

very unfortunate, i am sad to hear you had to experience this event.

sadly even the concrete jungle has its predator/ prey models.

i am glad to hear you are essentially all right though, i hope the perp is picked up by police before they hurt someone or even themselfs.
its always best a career in mugging end quickly ,its not a healthy way to survive even in the concrete jungle.

the conciousness of youth can sometimes be so very shallow

Tommys advice has lots of merit, never carrry large amounts of cash, use plastic where possible , and a decoy purse/wallet is often a good idea, a small cheap one with a few small denomination paper notes, and some phone change, having such offered in the scenario represents goal completetion to the mugger who usually nervous will take the decoy and run, happily convinced they have what they came for

lizards drop their tails when attacked by birds is an example

 

[AnnetteMarie]

glad you are all right; hope they changed your locks while they were there to let you in.

may karma visit itself upon your mugger very soon.

 

[pixelsmith]

i pity the mugger who targets me. i am a total pacifist hippy type with 39 years of martial arts training.

 

[Gareth]

That sux. Glad to hear youre ok.

 

[Tommy Allison]

i pity the mugger who targets me. i am a total pacifist hippy type with 39 years of martial arts training.

Takes Pixelsmith off of his mug list.

 

[Ally]

Siani,
First of all glad to hear that you are OK. Were you actually calm or just pretending to be?

 

[David Biedny]

Jeez, Siani, I hope you're recovering well. Sorry to hear that you went through that nightmare, I hope they catch the guy and do some justice on his ass.

Sadly, as economic conditions deteriorate, I expect these types of crimes will become more commonplace. Is it legal for folks in the UK to carry pepper spray?

dB

 

[Siani]

Thanks for the kind words, advice, etc, everyone. I really appreciate it. Ally - I suppose I should have said I kept my wits about me. Numb is probably a better word than calm. It's strange what the survival instinct makes you do when it kicks in. I'm a little over 5 ft tall, have arthritis in my neck and upper spine, and had my little dog with me, so had no chance of fighting the guy off, so the only thing I could do was co-operate in the hope he would leave quickly, and just take the bag.

David - alas, pepper spray isn't legal in the UK for civilians, only the police. Believe it or not, it's classed as a firearm, and is banned under the same legislation that bans carrying a rocket launcher . The do-gooders in this country have created a situation where anyone who defends themselves against a criminal, risks getting into more trouble than the original aggressor. How ridiculous is that?

The good news is they have someone in custody for carrying out a massive spree of similar attacks in the area over the last couple of weeks. I don't know if it's the same guy - I'm waiting to hear from the police to see if he has admitted it, or if I have to ID him. Because knife crime levels have become so bad in the UK, judges are now handing out stiff sentences to offenders, on government insistence. This little shit should go down for a long time. The UK courts are now treating anyone who brandishes a knife exactly as if they had used it. About bloody time.

 

[Tommy Allison]

And to think they banned guns in the UK, and are banning knives.

The UK has a lot of problems, all of which could be solved with an armed law abiding population.

 

[Siani]

The UK has a lot of problems, all of which could be solved with an armed law abiding population.

Not even our cops are routinely armed, just the special firearms units, and a handful of detectives. There's no chance of civilians getting handgun licenses. The biggest problem the UK has at the moment can be summed up in one word: drugs.

The police simply do not have the resources to do the job they want to do. The only way this country will be safe again, is when the civil libertarians stop championing the rights of criminals above those of their victims, and when the government give the police adequate funding and manpower. As for the cops, I have nothing but respect for them at the moment. That skank robbed me at around 5 PM. By around 4 AM the next morning, they had him.

 

[status4]

And to think they banned guns in the UK, and are banning knives.

The UK has a lot of problems, all of which could be solved with an armed law abiding population.

The laws regarding weapons are basically the same here in Canada as they are in the UK. I have to seriously question your assertion that having access to guns makes you safer. The population of the US is 10 times that of Canada, yet the homicide rate is probably 1000 times that of our country. The number of people killed in the entire country of Canada in a year is about the same as an average month in New York city.

Guns in the hands of ordinary citizens don't prevent crime, statistics often show that people who are victims of gun violence are many times killed with their own guns. There is no need for hand guns to be in the hands of anyone other then the police. Despite the nonsense that the NRA would like you to believe, countries with proper gun control are far safer. Criminals don't carry guns here, it's very rare for someone to have an illegal firearm here, fact is they just are not that easy to get. $50 will get you a 38 calibre revolver on the street in New York city if you know where to look, and it's because a huge percentage of legal guns are stolen and become illegal firearms which are sold to criminals and used against law abiding citizens who then go out and buy legal guns, which get stolen and become illegal guns......etc.etc....

 

[AnnetteMarie]

Status4, I have to disagree with part of what you said. Guns are a wee bit more prevalent among the criminal of our species than you have stated.
Vancouver - 7? shootings in this past month, and those are more than likley gang-related, despite what the Vancouver PD has to say about them not having much to do with gangs...
Regardless, in Vancouver and Toronto, and some of the hub cities, we do have a problem with criminals accessing large amounts of illegal firearms. In my town alone, a large cache of weaponry was confiscated about 2 years ago, and the numbers and types of firearms were very disturbing.
That said, we do have fewer gun-related crimes than in the US.
I do not consider myself to be a redneck gun-toting hardass, although I grew up in a home where rifles hung on the wall, my brothers and I used 22s to shoot gophers from inside the side porch, etc. We were dumb and lucky, and I don't recommend lax security and safety measures in the home of any person who owns guns, but I will argue very hard against my hubby giving up his rifles if the time comes the gov't wants to take rifles away from the populace.

I have no problem with very strick gun control laws, but I also think those laws are a knee-jerk reaction to tragedy. We have very good gun laws in Canada, often criminals get off because they admit to a lesser crime rather than the weapons offense, and the legal beagles say that saves the country time and money prosecuting them. whatever.
There are many other things in our countries that are the direct cause of premature or violent death, however, they don't seem to be getting the press coverage that guns do.

my two cents. and a bit sideways to the original conversation, but topical, nonetheless?

 

[pixelsmith]

our right to bare arms is not for hunting. it is for rogue governments like the one we have.

 

[mike]

Thats all going to change in the new world order....

a wise man once noted, more brave and honerable men have died at the hands of cowards since the invention of gunpowder, than at any other time before.

a gun has a specific purpose, its offensive............

its been said the best defense is offense........, but a gun is not a defensive device in function, perhaps in application, but its function is simple and clear.

its for killing things. if you dont need to kill things, you dont need one.

 

[pixelsmith]

everyone should have a gun. most people in minnesota have lots of them.

 

[Siani]

I went to the police station again yesterday, to view a video ID line-up. It turns out the guy they have in custody is not the one who robbed me. So the skank is still out there.