Interesting robbery tactic

[Preacherman]

A friend of a friend was robbed over the weekend outside the main entrance to our biggest local shopping mall. He reports that as he approached the entrance, a man standing to one side called him by his first name. He didn't recognize or know the man, but because he'd used his first name, went over to him. The man then displayed a handgun in his waistband and told him that unless he handed over his money, he'd shoot him. Needless to say, the money was handed over, and the thief disappeared into the mall.

It seems that our friend had a front plate on his vehicle with his first name on it. It would therefore seem likely that the thief saw him drive up, saw his first name, and used it as a means to get him to approach him, out of the way of most of the traffic in and out of the mall.

Now, if it had been me, my response would have been "Sure" - whereupon my pocket gun would have been drawn and a head-shot delivered from about 5 feet away! However, our victim here doesn't carry a gun...

Just thought the tactic might be of interest. I hope none of us have our names emblazoned on the front of our vehicle(s)!

 

[BryanP]

Interesting. Nothing on my car or person has my name. He'd have to say "Hey, you! Yeah you, the fat guy with the beard!"

 

[Snake Eyes]

I'm always amazed at the stuff people plaster all over their cars...the trend here lately has been to put on little cartoon stick figure families with dad, mom, the kids and even the pets, all with names underneath.

How would you react if some one said "Hey Bob, I've got your little Emily hostage and I'm not giving her back until you withdraw all your money from the bank"?

Then there's all the firearm oriented stickers that announce "here's a good place to find a gun" or "follow me home and case my house for your next robbery".

I personally put nothing whatsoever on my vehicles, not even a college sticker.

 

[skidmark]

"The man then displayed a handgun in his waistband and told him that unless he handed over his money, he'd shoot him."

Is display of a handgun sufficient threat to shoot? I can easily see pulling mine if his is merely displayed in the waistband, but ....

How many of you practice CQ drills with gun strikes and the like? DO you have an option when there is a threat but it does not meet the legal requirements of your state for self defense?

All this is coming from an "old fart" who put his butt on the line last night and knows it was mostly luck that got me out without a scratch, or worse. Please go to my thread anf flame me there, but let's look at this to see if it qualifies for a Bill Drill.

stay safe.

skidmark

 

[HankB]

Then there's all the firearm oriented stickers that announce "here's a good place to find a gun" or "follow me home and case my house for your next robbery".

Especially when the stickers are on an expensive vehicle. I've seen a Cadillac Escalade SUV around which has, among other things, 1) a "Quit Honking, I'm Reloading" license plate frame; 2) A dinner-plate size NRA sticker on the lower right part of the back window; 3) A "911 is my 357" sticker on the lower left part of the back window, with a silhouette of a Beretta 92.

Nope, nothing worth stealing in that vehicle.

 

[Parallax]

Another stupid thing people do to their cars (usually teenage girls) is hang stuff on their rearview mirror. Not only does it swing around and distract you while you're driving, but it broadcasts to every mugger and rapist in the area that this car belongs to a 16-25 year old girl

 

[Jeff White]

I can't understand why people buy vanity plates and such. It's been my experience that if a witness can't tell you anything else about a car, he/she can tell you what the vanity plate says.

The same goes for stickers etc. All you'll find on my vehicle is the DOD sticker that's required to get on base (retired Army).

Jeff

 

[Dionysusigma]

BryanP: He'd have to say "Hey, you! Yeah you, the fat guy with the beard!"

Oddly enough, I get that quite a lot...

 

[one-shot-one]

Samething

when i was in high school ('75-'79) a friend of mine and i was at the local mall, when a salesman called my friend by his first name "Mike" mike turned around and the sales guy begain talking to him, confused because mike couldn't figure out who the guy was or how he knew his name, (we were both in a cowboy phase at the time) when i realized "hey mike, you idiot you have your name on the back of your belt". the sales guy just grinned.

 

[TMM]

this is a good reason to carry what you guys harshly call pressurized hot sauce. Mr. Robber would get 5 million SHU's in his face if he did that to me, or i'd pop him in the head with my fist or cane.

~TMM

 

[Tim Burke]

Is display of a handgun sufficient threat to shoot? I can easily see pulling mine if his is merely displayed in the waistband, but ....

Ability, opportunity & jeopardy are all present.

 

[20cows]

"Hey, you! Yeah you, the fat guy with the beard!"

YOU TALKIN' T' ME?!!!

 

[walking arsenal]

You know.

If the guy displayed a gun in his waist band it really wasn't a high threat yet. Displaying the gun and threatening me probably would have earned him a punch in the nose or a good kick in the groin or some of those other martially arty things guys like me know.

 

[Standing Wolf]

...our victim here doesn't carry a gun...

One hope he's undergone a sudden, sweeping attitude change.

 

[Bear Gulch]

Sorry but if BG ain't got his mitt on that gun, he's gonna get an old fashioned butt whooping! I am 6'4 and go 270 I doubt that I'd be a canidate for this method!

 

[Warren]

There is nothing on my car that identifies me.

When I have mail in the car I make sure to turn it over or hide it.

When I have an order slip with a customer's info on it I turn it over so that no one walking by can read it.

My wife and I did not send a wedding announcement or birth announcements to the local paper, and we have nothing sent to our mailbox where we live.


And here I thought I was being unreasonalbly paranoid.

As for the attacker one dose of gutfu would be all that he could take.

 

[DarkKnight01]

The only identifying thing ive ever had on any of my vehicles was about 10 years ago on my truck, front plate airbrushed with my CB handle on it. We used CB's when out 4-wheeling

 

[mbs357]

If the guy displayed a gun in his waist band it really wasn't a high threat yet. Displaying the gun and threatening me probably would have earned him a punch in the nose or a good kick in the groin or some of those other martially arty things guys like me know.

Monkey steals the peach.

 

[Spreadfire Arms]

skidmark wrote:

""The man then displayed a handgun in his waistband and told him that unless he handed over his money, he'd shoot him."

Is display of a handgun sufficient threat to shoot? I can easily see pulling mine if his is merely displayed in the waistband, but ...."

it's not just the display. the verbalization of "give me the money or i will shoot you" is the clincher.

sounds like the commission of the robbery. use of force or fear is present. attempt coupled with present ability.

sounds like a clear cut shooting in self defense if it went that way. grand jury or D.A.'s office would have a hard time convicting someone of shooting someone who told you to hand over your money, told you they'd use deadly force if you didn't comply, and then exhibited the means of the deadly force.

i'm not an attorney, but as a former police officer i hardly think this doesn't meet the requirements of self defense.

 

[MaterDei]

Is it enought to justify using deadly force?

You bet.

A lot of times people get shot after handing over their money. Happens all the time in convenience stores.

 

[walking arsenal]

Quote: "Monkey steals the peach."

Huh? Who you callin monkey? (is totally clueless)

 

[azrael]

Walking Arsenal,
Dude didnt mean it as a slight

"monkey takes fruit" or "Monkey steals peaches" is a "martially arty" move where ya grab the guys nuts in a deathlock and hang on till he calls ya "daddy"...works like a charm

gets there attention REALLY quick

 

[mbs357]

Monkey Steals the Peach:

 

[homeka45]

MBS357 I had an inkling but thanks for making it crystal clear, Ouch!. Preacherman, is that friend of a friend thinking of CCW as a solution or is he just getting rid of the vanity plates?

 

[walking arsenal]

OHHHHHHH!!!! (bing!) lightbulb.

Kind of thought so but wanted to be sure.