My buddy got mugged...what did he do wrong?

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Wedge

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A friend of mine is working in Belgium and recently got beat up and robbed. I'll write down what he told me happened and maybe you guys can figure out what he did wrong so that something awful like this doesn't happen to someone else.

He was walking alone at 1:30 in the morning when a car pulled up where he was walking and 5 guys got out. They started talking to him, he thought they were asking what time it was and being that he didn't know Flemmish he appologized and said he couldn't help them. As he was appologizing for not speaking Flemmish well they were surrounding him. One of them yelled something to the effect of "If you don't know Flemmish you shouldn't be in Belgium". The one of the goons hit him on the head and knocked him out.

He woke up to getting kicked on the ground and made a run for it but they caught him and booted him in the face and knocked him back out.

He woke up without his wallet and some bruises but at least he was alive. When he went to the police station it was closed, so he had to call the cops to get him. He didn't get a good look at the guys or the tag number form the car.

Just from knowing my friend I know that he is in condition white about 99% of the time and he is a very trusting person. When I heard the way that the story played itself out I was not surprised at all.

So what'd he do wrong, and how could he have fared this storm a little better?

I just wish I had been there with a little backup in 230 gr .451" doses :fire:
 
Wrong all the way. Wrong attitude, wrong place, wrong time, wrong response and wrong awareness level. Does your friend have "VICTIM" tattooed on his forehead? No flame. I think he still is a nice and trusting naive fellow. He will probably get mugged again.
 
walking around at 1:30am is not a healthy habit. did not sound like he had many people around him that could maybe of called the cops, being alone is not a good idea. he is in a country and does not know the native tongue well. I would atleast have a knife on me providing it was legal if not I would of had something else for dual use applications that is legal. hope he got a lesson out of it.
 
I do feel sorry for people like your buddy, but in many cases they choose to ignore their instincts because they've allowed themselves to become brainwashed.

Hell, if you ask anyone I know they'll tell you I'm a super nice guy. Does that mean I act like a moron in the face of danger? No. Really nice guy with a low tolerance for B.S. and a short temper while trying my best to be aware of my surroundings at all times....that's me believe it or not....:D

Sure, we all screw up and of course I'm no exception, I've been caught in semi-white before, but when the signs are obvious and you still choose to ignore them, for whatever reason, bad things can and will happen. Some people learn the hard way, even people who pride themselves as being in "orange" most of the time like me.
 
Did wrong? Getting surrounded. Others will argue differen points, but that's when the situation became hopeless. Fighting five guys at once is a lose-lose proposition (unless, of course, you're in a Segall movie). I've successfully fought off two and three opponents at once, but that was in practice. I had the advantage of knowing how those opponents fight, their stylistic weaknesses, etc. Five complete strangers who have the field laid to their advantage (surrounded)? Uh. That's bad news. If you're possessed of greater luck, greater skill and initiate the action, you should be able to take down or maybe two.. That opens a hole. How fast can you run?

Being armed with a folding knife (or better, a proper stick) and a bottleneck to prevent multiple attackers from getting at you might see you though it. In that case, you're only fighting one on one (at a time). That's a best case scenario, though.

Those particular guys would probably retire from the fight with haste if they fail to overcome you quickly. Usually, the people that fight in a group on a single person are low-quality fighters themselves. Usually. A good stick and taking advantage of what environmental variables available (i.e., cover, bottlenecks) will see you though if you've got luck on your side. That's a training goal, but the reality is, like I said earlier, five on one are bad odds. Real bad odds.

Invest in some situational awareness to prevent it from getting there.

Invest in some training to at least go down fighting when it does.

Edited to add: Since you said this happened in Belgium, I assumed carrying a firearm (legally) was out of the question. If firearms are available, one would have to be a bloody fool not to exercise that option. "Peacemaker" was and is an apt name.
 
Does your friend have "VICTIM" tattooed on his forehead? No flame.
Click to expand...

Him and about half of my friends :rolleyes:

No flame taken. I'm in college (masters, not undergrad), most of my friends are in college (or still have a college attitude) and they seem to think that the world is still a great happy place like it is on campus.

I hope my friend learned something and I'm glad he walked away with only some minor injuries. I know that he knows that the time question was asked to distract him while they surrounded him.
 
My job has me out driving around at 1:30 AM, and it's amazing to me how many young women are out walking alone that time of night.
Your friend got mugged, but a lot worse could happen to these girls.
 
Sad tale but .. yeah, coulda been worse for sure.

So - even if he has no defensive weapons . he needs to use what is between his ears better. For a start he (and others) need to change from the ''it'll never happen to me'' approach to - ''It can always happen to me''.

That means at least ... shift from a ridiculous and dangerous white to - at least a yellow ... tho at 1.30am orange would be more the way to go. At very least .... being fleet of foot could just be the answer .. but even that presupposes quick assessment.

I repeat my usual maxims .

''Expect the unexpected''

''Don't assume''.
 
"My buddy got mugged...what did he do wrong?
...
He was walking alone at 1:30 in the morning "

No need to read any further.
 
Interesting read and responses.

A few have stated the time was a major factor here.

Not knowing the language and not weary of 5 out of a car at once could be of concern.

From there, he was pretty much on the recieving end of any physical altercation, even if he gave some back, if it started which it did here.

As to location and time at that scene, no reason was given or where he was coming from or trying to get to.

I know people like your friend, from the same liberal thinking colleges, who walk in a fog while they are awake and refuse to think or even consider a forethought as to what might happen to them at the hands of other people with bad intent.

It's unfortunate that it happened. It's always unfortunate when someone you know, who could know better intellectually, doesn't, and gets themselves in a jam because they have no forethought to potential violence against them.

Some get it, some don't. Some are prey, grazing on the grasses without looking up and get eaten, others are prey but keep an eye out for trouble and usually avoid it. Some can't avoid being in places that are bad. They do not survive long if they are like your friend.

Brownie
 
1. Strange city on foot
2. 1:30am
3. Alone
4. Unarmed
5. Strange language
6. Condition white
7. Stops for the unfriendlies

All are major mistakes. This must have been like a blue light special for the muggers.
 
As to location and time at that scene, no reason was given or where he was coming from or trying to get to.
Click to expand...

He was leaving work and walking home. I have never been out of the US or Canada so I don't know what cities in Belgium are like.

Hopefully my other friends will see this as a wake-up call and that I'm not crazy for being as safety conscious as I am. What I really want to do is just yell at my bud for being such a dumb-***. Jacketch really summed it up, blue light special.
 
Another possible point: Your friend might have bought into some myth of "safe, clean European city".

I've discussed a lot of US/Euro issues at length with a friend of mine who is a British emigree.

This is purely anecdotal, so take it FWIW.

With respect to personal safety, his take on it was that at home, (London) you've got a really, really good chance of being beaten up by hooligans, who will knock you around good and put you in the hospital for weeks, but won't especially go out of their way to kill you.

He felt that on the other hand, his chances of being attacked was a lot lower in America, but if he was, it was playing for keeps.

"In the States, you people don't f__k around. You all pretty much assume that any attack is intended to kill you, and deal with it as such."

I told him that what he said sounded about right, and that we as Americans generally agreed that failing to defend ourselves based on some vague promise of "only being put into the hospital for weeks" wasn't acceptable.
 
I don't think your friend did anything wrong up until he saw 5 people get out of the car to ask directions. One person maybe, but not 5. That was his first mistake and letting 5 people surround him while he flounders with the language was not in itself a mistake but more of an eventuality. The time to disengage is not as 5 people are circling you but before the 5 get out of the car. I do not think a weapon would have helped the situation any more than mindset would have. If he had the mindset he wouldn't have needed a weapon. Without mindset, any weapon would most likely be useless. Anyone who has a weapon whether it is themselves (martial arts knowledge) or some physical implement are foolish to let themselves be forced into a situation that will require its use when they could have disengaged.

Just my .02.

-Manhattan23
 
I grew up on the south side of Chicago and lived several years adjacent to Cabrini Green housing projects, so I am well aware of the need for personal security and awarneness, but I have to admit I did things in England that I would not do here in the states. What you say? I spent a few days alone in London and walked everywhere at all hours of day and night. Sometimes I seemed to be the only one on the streets - I walked downtown along the river and explored and had a great time. Went to pubs alone, and walked in some really out of the way places. Not once did I get accosted and everyone actually seemed to give me a fairly wide berth when they passed me. After reading these posts I realize I was lulled into a false sense of security - after all how dangerous could London be - I am a bad ??? from Chicago. LOL. Next time I go I will be more careful.

JM
 
Against five guys, it's admittedly pretty difficult to resist being mugged (that is, if you don't have a gun). He should try to be more aware of his surroundings. It's a cliche, but you shouldn't walk alone at 1:30 in the morning.
 
he was walking on the wrong side of the road

on the opposite side the muggers would of had to cross the road to reach him
or pass him Uturn around and drive towards him
 
I've been mugged, and I ran - left me seething, but without serious injury - better pissed than concussed. You can't always carry a gun, but if you're healthy you always have your feet.
 
I've never been in that situation. Thankfully, I take pains to not be on the street after midnight...mostly because I try to be in bed long before then. That's the nice thing about being conscientious about getting to work in the morning.

The number one failure, here, was not recognizing the fact that FIVE people don't get out of a car to ask for the time or directions or anything else......except your money. This is completely contradictory to human nature. At no time, for no reason, will five people get out of a car to ask one person for some innocent aid. The car might stop and the passenger or driver might ask a question from inside the vehicle, but nobody will get out of a car because there is no reason to do so. This is man's general laziness and a subconscious desire to portray a non-hostile posture at work.

After they emptied out of the car, your friend's mental ineptitude, living in condition white, was directly responsible for his not beating feet. Anyone with this mentality might have been able to bluff his way out if he had a pocketknife or gun, but I think he would have hurt himself as much or more than he would have hurt the badguys.

Best to start him off with some good reading. Maybe get him some of those Crucible videos so he can see the stuff happening.

Here's hoping that he learned his lesson.
 
So Wedge does your head fill any better by now???? :D

Joking aside I feel for people that walk around like nothing could ever happen to them. When my wife and I were in Vegas we were walking North on a part of the strip that is less then populated. We started getting followed by two shady looking youths. I can't tell you for sure if they were following us, but they sure seemed interested in all the camera stuff we had. I decided that the worst thing I could do is look afraid. I stopped in my tracks while my wife continued walking on, turned around and stared directly at both guys. I also stopped holding the camera tripod by the middle. I grabbed it by the end and started slowly swinging back and forth. The guys were still maybe 40 yards away. They showed no visible reaction after I started looking at them, one of them commented to the other guy and they crossed the street. I hope I didn't freak out a couple of teens on their way to church. I decided that being proactive was my best bet. I have since applied for a Utah permit so next time I am in Vegas I will be carrying. Even with a gun on me my first line of defense is staying alert and paying attention.

Obviously my little situation pales in comparison to what your buddy went through. If five guys ever hopped out and surrounded my wife and I, I would take out as many as possible so my wife could get away. She works out all the time so I don't doubt for a second that she could out run most guys. I would most likely get the crap beat out of me, but at least my wife would get away. As far as walking around on city streets late at night I would call that foolish, and his biggest mistake.
 
sturmruger,

That's anice thought, and very honorable intentions, but do you really think your wife cares so little for your health/safety that she'd run? Have you discussed this plan with her, and gotten her approval? You may have a better chance to save her if you book it, too.

--
atk
 
huh?

</SARCASM ON>

I'm confused. How could something like this happen in that socialist Mecca of Western Europe? If everyone's basic needs are being met, how could this have happened?!?! Sorry, this guys must've been foreigners, something like this isn't possible in Eutopia where human nature is under 100% government control...

</SARCASM OFF>
 
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