Get ready to get sick to your stomachs...

[samcolt87]

First of all, Hello! I am new to this forum

I wanted to tell you all of an incident that occured the other day, it's rather enraging.

I'm originally from New York. Currently, I am a student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (probably a big mistake.) Last week, one of my good friends was walking down a street in Amherst, when a car filled with drunk "frat boys" pulled up alongside him. They started off as just being verbally abusive and it progressed to violence. I assume that they were just picking on him because he's a small guy, and was alone on a deserted street. Anyway, one of the guys got out of the car, hit him four or five times in the head; breaking his nose, giving him a black eye, and a severe concussion. Now liberal Massachusetts law is anti-defend yourself (of course.) So my friend was completley in compliance with the law, he didn't fight back, and wasn't carrying any (ILLEGAL) pepper spray.
The first person he called was me. I am an EMT, and a good friend, and he thought I would be of help. I arrived to his location, saw his condition, and immeadetly dialed 9-1-1. A police officer showed up to the scene, suggested he go to the hospital, and that the following day, he could talk to a police officer about pressing charges.

He was dscharged from the hospital, and I took him over to the Amherst PD, where we talked to an officer for about fifteen minutes. His response was that no charges could be pressed due to no witnesses present. (So if you don't have any witnesses, the entire assault never even occured in the eyes of the law right?) He lead us out the door with the statement "Well that's a good lesson to you... don't be at the wrong place at the wrong time."

I left the station COMPLETLEY enraged. Not only is a person, more-so a student not even allowed to defend onesself with NON-LETHAL methods, but when you try to use their 'method,' you're tossed out on the street. Not only was my friend victimized, but now he cannot even find justice for the crimes commited against him. How could our country have come to this? When did getting assaulted suddenly become the victim's fault? How was my friend in the wrong for walking down a public street alone?
:banghead:

 

[Bula]

Wow, aweful. Hope your buddy gets better quick. It's things like this that the State Attorney and the Mayors office should find out about. Get the officers name and badge number and get some letters out post haste. I'm betting if it it were the officers son/buddy being beaten, it would have been a different story.

 

[ilbob]

The first person he called was me. I am an EMT, and a good friend, and he thought I would be of help. I arrived to his location, saw his condition, and immeadetly dialed 9-1-1. A police officer showed up to the scene, suggested he go to the hospital, and that the following day, he could talk to a police officer about pressing charges.

As an EMT wouldn't you be in a better position to decide he needed medical treatment more then he needed to press charges?

He was dscharged from the hospital, and I took him over to the Amherst PD, where we talked to an officer for about fifteen minutes. His response was that no charges could be pressed due to no witnesses present. (So if you don't have any witnesses, the entire assault never even occured in the eyes of the law right?)

The crime still happened. Many college police forces actively discourage the reporting of crimes to make their statistics look better. Chances are that without witnesses, your buddy is not going to be able to make a charge stick.

He lead us out the door with the statement "Well that's a good lesson to you... don't be at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Not the nicest thing to say, but perhaps some wisdom there.

 

[armoredman]

Wrong place being Massachusetts? No offense to those stuck there, but with those laws in place, I would encourage moving.

 

[Badlander]

Many years ago an incident like that would have been taken care of by the mans buddies. I know that is not PC. But I don't care!

 

[BADUNAME37]

Imagine that statement - - not to be in the wrong place at the wrong time!

 

[MisterMike]

That's baloney. The victim is a witness, assuming he can provide info to help ID the perps. I agree with elevating the complaint within the PD.

However, while it was put poorly, there is some merit to the officer's advice: your pal may need to increase his situational awareness.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Legal? Firearms?

Can't really find any relevance to legal or firearms.

There seems to be some strategic/tactical relevance, WRT situational awareness.

Moving to S&T.

Don't be real amazed if it gets closed over there.

If it just morphs into state bashing, a lock is pretty much assured.

 

[samcolt87]

lil bob,
EMT stands for Emergency Medical Technician. We are by no means definitative care, and without the medical supplies provided on an Ambulance, there is little to be done about a deformed and bloody nose. Hence why I called 9-1-1. This way, I could relay the information of the event, and get him to a hospital, which is definitative care and in an ambulance, there are EMTs on duty with all of the necessary equipment for the nature of the call They are in an Emergency vehicle, so he could get to the hospital more quickly than if I were to take him. I made my assessment, and my descision and followed through by calling for back-up. Besides, I did want police on scene to report the information as well.

Just like if a cop were to witness a crime off duty, he wouldn't tranport a criminal in his own private vehicle (I hope.) He would cuff the criminal and call for an on-duty squad for assistance and transport.

Hope this helps.

 

[BHP FAN]

+1 for the $2.00 pepper spray card and $8.00 worth of pepper spray. A $10.00 investment or a broken nose ? everybody has to make thier own choices,but I know what mine would be.

 

[61chalk]

Wonder what that cop says to rape victims...? Please report this higher up on the chain, perhaps even the state police? An I would tell the story to the newspapers...what good will come who knows....glad I live in a carry state.

 

[9MMare]

Pepper spray? With a group of guys?

You'd enrage a couple and the rest would beat you up worse.

You'd get a worse beating or even disabling injuries for the 'satisfaction' of zapping a couple?

SA might or might not have saved him....either way, I love how so many people here are blaming the victim.

 

[Art Eatman]

Hindsight says, "Get into the pepper spray business." Now both samcolt87 and his friend know this.

Next is that one think about tactics: Think about running, for one thing. Unless it's in a downtown area, I'd be running through yards and jumping fences in a heartbeat. Absence makes the nose less broken. Raw terror adds wings to one's feet, also. It's an adrenalin thing.

Generally, drunken frat rats won't exit a car to chase, while they may exit and take action toward one who remains near. That's pretty much an historical truth. And spray the nearest and run is always an option.

And while harshly spoken, the cop's advice was good. Avoid possibly-bad places, particularly at times when the drunks are out--as are the predators.

There are some joints where I'll stay 'til Last Call. There are a gazillion more from which I'll leave before drunk-thirty, when attitude adjustment sessions become common.

 

[PT1911]

"absence makes the nose less broken".... that is just great man... just great.

sorry that happened to your friend, but there are steps as mentioned above that could have decreased the likelyhood/severity of the situation.

 

[Lou McGopher]

Options are limited in such a situation.

1. Flee
2. Fight back
3. Join the Lambda Lambda Lambda fraternity

In the mean time, plenty of smaller guys have learned the value of weight lifting and martial arts training. Being accosted by a group of belligerents is never an easy situation, and one needs every advantage possible in that situation.
Carry pepper spray. Go out with a group. Stay in populated areas. Ignore and or placate belligerent drunks as much as possible.

 

[sig220mw]

A sherriff deputy told my wife to use wasp spray instead of pepper spray. It will spray farther and neutralizes the attacker quickly but is non lethal. Unless of course the poor bad guy in allergic to it. So far it is also completely legal to carry.

 

[chevyforlife21]

im mad just reading that that is complete garbage

 

[SalchaketJoe]

I dont buy the "dont be in the wrong place" arguement. Wherever trouble finds you is the right place to defend yourself. The above attitude is why those of us that abide by the social code have lost control of our own streets. We sit by and let them be taken over by thugs. We sit by and let those that would rule us pass more and more laws that castrate us.

 

[Sebastian the Ibis]

Two thoughts:

1. University Police departments do not prosecute anyone ever! If you ever actually need action taken, report it to someone else. Also, if you dial 9-1-1 does it connect to the Amherst Pd or someone else? If it connects to some other department go there instead, they are the real police. For some reason, universities (even as private institutions) can get their own do nothing police departments.

2. There are Civil Courts in addition to Criminal Courts. Your friend should explore these options immediately. Call a Personal Injury attorney immediately. Any competent attorney should be able to recover medical bills. A good one ought to recover punitive damages from the frat boys, find a cause of action against the National Fraternity and/or University and obtain a restraining order against the frat boys. The restraining order has the same effect as a felony conviction as to their gun rights. The lawsuit against the university and fraternity for failure to provide security ought to provoke them into expelling the perpetrators. A claim for punitive damages ought to put money in his pocket.

In a situation like this where your friend is absolutely in the right, a good attorney can ruin someones day much more effectively than a can of wasp spray, with little or no cost to you (i.e. possibility of prison). Don't get sick to your stomach, get even - Legally.

 

[freonr22]

talk to the higher up @ the pd. call the DA dont sit on our butt. take as many pics before the bruises go away

 

[Extremely Pro Gun]

I guess frat boys in Mass are allowed to beat on whoever they want.

Pepper spray would have worked just fine in this situation.

 

[freonr22]

Hi, This is not me, but handled very poorly. I do not have the campus police email, maybe someone can figure this out and contact the original poster..
freonr22

the original post was emailed
'

I emailed [email protected] <[email protected]>

university relations, maybe you can do the same w/ contact info

 

[Echo9]

This doesn't sound right. Considering the relative severity of the guy's injuries, it seems a little odd that the cops would refuse to press charges right off the bat without even looking into it. Having no witnesses does not mean that the crime can not be investigated.

At least at my school, our cars are registered before we're allowed to use the parking lots. They take the make, model, year, and name of the owner before they give you a parking sticker.

If the victim here could just identify the car and give the police a decent description of the assailants, they could definitely make some progress. It's weird to me that none of this is apparently happening.

I'm not saying the OP is lying or anything. It just doesn't add up. It could always be a lazy or completely incompetent cop.

 

[ilbob]

This doesn't sound right. Considering the relative severity of the guy's injuries, it seems a little odd that the cops would refuse to press charges right off the bat without even looking into it. Having no witnesses does not mean that the crime can not be investigated.

College police forces virtually always discourage reporting crimes. The federal government requires those crimes to be publicly reported so it makes the school look bad. Thats what they care about.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Get a lawyer and sue them in Civil court.