Large intoxicated man causing problems at a show. What would YOU do?

[and103]

So this past weekend, I was at the beach and there were 2 street performers doing the disappearing human act. There was a crowd of about 70 people there including children.

Well this large intoxicated man (probably 6'7 or 6'8 and 300lbs) was asked to go up and help his 6 year old son who was part of the show. The man was asked to read a watch and tell his son when every 30 seconds went by. Well the man was too drunk to read the watch, so he started insulting it. Someone told him to be respectful and not to insult the persons watch, at which point he started shouting how he was going to "kick the **** out of anyone that looked at him wrong."

Now the guy is walking around looking for people to start problems with (while there are children around and his young son is in the show.) The cops are probably about 3 minutes out, which is plenty of time for someone to get hurt real bad if the guy did something stupid. So my question to you guys is, what would you have done had this man started assaulting people?

 

[W.E.G.]

Make sure he doesn't assault me or my kin.
I bet we can move faster than the fat man.

Then call the police.

 

[Cosmoline]

Drunks are all over the place around here. Someone that far gone will have horrible balance, but feel little pain. The best defense is to trip him and let gravity knock him out. Just hope he doesn't fall *ON* you LOL

 

[meytind]

DO NOT mess with large drunks unless it's your job and you have no choice. Why risk tangling with a freakishly large, violent man with no sense of pain. If it escalates to deadly force, you are screwed for not just getting out of there when you could have easily just walked off and ignored him.

 

[Shadow 7D]

In many states, the drunk is given a slight legal edge, as in what with a normal person would justify deadly defense, isn't the same with the drunk. For the threats, call the cops, tell the family, time to move on. Not your place to get into it with the guy. If you are feeling especially helpful, ask the performers if you can video the guy for the cops, otherwise walk away and make it easier for the cops to get him by not being in the way.

 

[JoeSlomo]

Large intoxicated man causing problems at a show. What would YOU do?

In this example, I would simply leave.

Drunk people in public are not worth my time, hence, I avoid them when possible.

 

[and103]

First off, I forgot to mention that the guy was not fat. He was a muscular build. And when I ask what would you do, I mean what if he came after you too?

 

[c919]

If he came after me, I'd react the exact same as I would with a sober person. I'd try to deescalate the problem. If there was a serious disparity of force and the guy was really out for blood, I'd defend myself and my own.

In any situation, I will do every reasonable thing to keep things from getting out of hand. I'd let the guy say whatever he wanted, insult me, etc and I'd let him think he was the big guy that "showed me." However, if things started going south, I'd react with however much force I had to in order to walk away. I've usually only got two options once things get physical: fists or gun. And I'm alot better with my guns than my fists.

 

[Straight Shooter]

If this guy is obviously drunk, he starts arguing with a watch, then gets belligerent with the crowd and you're still around, you stayed too long.

If this guy comes at you and you still can't get away, it sound like you're in a fight. Fight hard while trying to find an opportunity to get out (especially if you're armed and he's not).

Nowhere in your post do I see any reason to use lethal force. You don't draw to avoid getting your butt kicked.

 

[atomd]

These days it's difficult to just go on and clock someone. Not only do you usually wind up getting arrested or at least dealing with the police in a not-so-good way...but someone might get a lawyer involved later on to boot. A lot of people use that to their advantage and intimidate people....unfortunately. They know that no one is going to do anything about it. Sometimes those people need to get their clocks cleaned a few times to learn their lesson. That's probably not going to happen these days though. It's up to you how you want to deal with it....no answer is right 100% of the time.

 

[Shadow 7D]

OK and this thread is on the way to being locked

WHY would he??

you disengage and ensure that your people remain safe, and that means you don't make a scene with the obnoxious drunk, you let the people who are paid deal with it.

I mean you're fishing,
GO TO THE TOP AND READ S&T FORUM RULES
do you really think it's cool to blow away some guy in front of his kid???

 

[LibShooter]

Easy choice. Run away.

 

[c919]

Nowhere in your post do I see any reason to use lethal force. You don't draw to avoid getting your butt kicked.

I agree, but not entirely....

I completely agree that I'd rather take a good pounding than shoot a man, any day of the week. I hope and pray that I'll never have to even consider pointing a gun at another human. It would be well worth it to me to be roughed up and humiliated to avoid killing a man.

However, there's a very thin line between getting roughed up and getting paralyzed. You never know how the dice will roll in a fight. There a about a bazillion cases of people being permanently disabled as a result of street fights. Generally, the aggressor doesn't even mean to do it. All it would take was a good punch in the wrong place, falling onto something, a kick to the head... the list goes on.

As stated by others, I'd be out of there when the guy started cussing inanimate objects. The best thing to do is be gone if things get out of hand.

I think the OP brings up a valid question. Although it's pretty much agreed on that one should leave this specific scenario, there are plenty of ways to be caught off guard by crazy drunks bent on harming you.

I mean you're fishing,
GO TO THE TOP AND READ S&T FORUM RULES
do you really think it's cool to blow away some guy in front of his kid???

No offense Shadow, but where did you get the impression and103 was encouraging shooting the guy in front of his kids? He just posed a scenario and asked a question. What's with the anger?

 

[Old Shooter]

Large drunk on the beach getting mouthy?

Time to find another place on the beach or head to the car.

Nothing on the beach is worth it to me to begin to get involved.

No way you're going to win in that situation no matter how it plays out.

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

No way you're going to win in that situation no matter how it plays out.
and i've got enough experience already at losing don't need practice

 

[Shadow 7D]

No offense Shadow, but where did you get the impression and103 was encouraging shooting the guy in front of his kids? He just posed a scenario and asked a question. What's with the anger?

#7

First off, I forgot to mention that the guy was not fat. He was a muscular build. And when I ask what would you do, I mean what if he came after you too?

#1

Now the guy is walking around looking for people to start problems with (while there are children around and his young son is in the show.) The cops are probably about 3 minutes out, which is plenty of time for someone to get hurt real bad if the guy did something stupid. So my question to you guys is, what would you have done had this man started assaulting people?

Number 7 sounded like he was trying to steer the thread away from the previous replys of "leave the scene"
anytime you draw it's because you already lost the less lethal battle of non violence and you are FORCED to defend yourself.

Like I said, drunks in some states are treated like mentally impaired people so the criterial for use of deadly force is higher than a sober person, I.E. him hitting you might not qualify, even in castle states. I like this thread, hate to see it join the ranks of the the locked "bloody fantacy" and SHTF threads

 

[Oyeboten]

Ya need those 'Dart Guns' that shoot a big Syringe of some knock-out-drug, like they used to have on Mutual of Omaha's "Wild Kingdom".


Dosed for Ohhh, a Wildebeest or smaller Hippo.



Those need a CCW???


Anyway...that'd be the Ticket I think.


"Phooooot!" dangles there and falls out, he looks around, staggers a little, then 'Brahm's Lull-a-Bye".




( Just being playful...do not try this at home! )

 

[Sunray]

Big doesn't mean much when they're drunk. Bartenders and waitresses deal with 'em regularly. Not all 'bouncers' are big either. Talking, calmly and authoritatively works every time.

 

[mrokern]

Big doesn't mean much when they're drunk. Bartenders and waitresses deal with 'em regularly. Not all 'bouncers' are big either. Talking, calmly and authoritatively works every time.

This.

If I wasn't working in a job where I had to deal with him?

I'd walk away.

If he started after me (which seems to be the point of the thread)?

I'd still walk away and not engage him unless absolutely forced to.

Just an observation from someone who has had a lot of experience dealing with large, belligerent drunks over the years: chances are that if he's spouting off that much noise about making trouble, he's not actually going to make much trouble.

Barring weapons, it's usually not the loud drunks you need to worry about, other than a random haymaker. It's the quiet ones who go dead in the eyes when they get angry. Then, you're in trouble.

Granted, if he did want to play stupid I'd be happy to introduce him to Mr. Gravity. My gun isn't my only option.

-Mark

 

[GLOOB]

So assuming you can't get away. There are a lot of people around. Shout for help. Tell him to get away from you. Plead for someone to call the police.

If any of that seems out of line, then there's certainly no need to be putting guns into the mix.

 

[Oyeboten]

Well...with Puppies, when they get into something one would rather they had not got into...the kindest thing is to introduce something else to them, which is okay for them to get into...and never address the misdemeanor directly, rather, direct their attention into a new and better direction.

Women can usually do this a lot better than another man can, for managing a big drunk guy, but either way.

It needs to be indirect, non confrontational, admiring somehow of the Man, everythng from the side, to turn him toward a new preoccupation, and away from danger, away from conflict.

Sometimes I can do it, sometimes not...it has to be free of resentment, free from any hint of making him 'less' than you...yet in a way which will command the attentiuon and obedience of his so to speak 'inner child'...by which the rest of the 'Man', can be led.

A skill quich requires a delicate form of authority combined with mysteriusly respecting the Man...otherwise, it will not work.

'Dead eyes', this is not as likely to work...or may not work...but, it may...I have seen it done.

 

[mchaley]

Yeah, it'd be best to walk away. I think.

 

[shockwave]

This is why I started carrying OC spray. If things get out of hand, some mace in the face will help Mr Loud Belligerent Drunk find something new to do.

In one of my martial arts classes there's a big a guy - around 300 lbs and very muscular. Having fought with him H2H many times, I've learned that most combatives that work on people of average size don't work on him at all. Best bet seems to be to kick at the knees and avoid letting the big guy get you in a hold. But if you can mace him, then you can open up a whole bunch of options. Nothing at all in the situation described by the OP would warrant use of a firearm.

 

[sniper5]

I stay neutral.

Not like Mother Teresa neutral, but like Switzerland neutral. Other peoples fights and problems are none of my business and I won't let someone draw me into any kind of fight that's not my concern. I stay out of places where there might be trouble, and leave early when I sense that things might get out of hand, and walk or run from fights. And I would rather let security or police earn their money instead of trying to do their job for free. I save the world by making a living out of fixing broken humans and that's enough. I'm not interested in being a cop to the world. But I will respond violently to a direct attack and I will not allow anyone to harm me. You leave me out of your business and I'll leave you out of mine. Attack me or my family at your peril.

If other's don't like this, that's your business. And I don't care. And don't start the "What if it's your family?" (It's not) and "If your not part of the solution your part of the problem." (I'm neither) Rah, Rah-come join my fight-slogans. No sale.

And that's my real world answer to any exoticly scripted hypothetical. I've wound up being a hero in the past, but I tried everything to avoid it, had to be dragged into it, and reflected with "That was dumb, how was I stupid enough to get stuck in the middle of that?" afterwards. There are old soldiers, there are bold soldiers, but there are no old, bold soldiers.

 

[uspJ]

take you and yours and walk away. call the police and advise them of the situation as you walk away.