Young Lady Hospitalizes Attacker

[longranger]

This story happened 2 weeks ago.

My best friend has a daughter who is 23 years old college student and part time waitress at a very popular restaurant in the Charlotte N.C. area.
The restaurant is located in large mall and she had parked in the huge parking lot.Employer had requested that employees park at the further reaches of the parking to allow customers to have the closer to the store(s) parking spaces.She gets off work at 11:00 pm and reaches her car and unlocks it starts to step in and is attacked from the back as she is just ready to swing her legs into her car and close the door.The attacker is really pulling trying to get into her car.She reaches for one of those little souvenier wooded bats hidden between the seats and starts wailing on this guy she whacks on him until he is not moving anymore and runs into the mall and calls the police.
The perpetrator was an illegal alien(El Salvadore) who worked in the same place she did.She waited for 10 days for law enforcement to catch up to who this guy was.Has been deported 3 times and has an extensive criminal background.She put him in the hospital for 9 days with a bat,9 days in the hospital is a good licking.Law enforcement will do nothing while perp's are in the hospital,he was arrested when he was released and will be deported for a 4th time.
She and my daughter have been raised with guns they shoot regularlily and are very competent ladies with most aspects of shooting.They are both currently enrolled in C.C.W class' and shooting and evaluating her concealed pistol.
I am extremely proud of my friends daughter for not being a victim,it scared the hell out of her and when she found out he had been deported 3 times already, She said "No 5th".

 

[Rail Driver]

+1 to the young woman. It's also useful to note that she chose the bat rather than the pistol that could likely have been in the glove compartment, or quick access safe between or under the seats or dash. I'm not aware if there was or wasn't a pistol in the car, but it could be inferred from the information provided.

Was there, in fact, a pistol in the car?

If so, I applaud this young woman for defending herself and having the awareness to choose a less lethal means of doing so. If there wasn't a pistol in the vehicle, she either lives in a place that doesn't permit it, doesn't have one to put there, or left it at home... Something should be done to remedy that, even if it's just a little Taurus or Beretta .22 or similar. (Always follow the laws in your locality, and not knowing the law is no excuse for breaking it. I am not a lawyer, I don't give legal advice, and this is intended as opinion only. Always be aware of the laws in your area.)

 

[RatDrall]

The girl can handle herself, and I'm guessing would have done just as well with a pocket knife, pen, or flashlight, brick, or fingernails. Guns and shooting had nothing to do with this.

As someone else always says:

software > hardware

 

[Guns and more]

I'm glad she's okay.

 

[TexasRifleman]

Good story, and I love a happy ending, but what are the lessons learned from this related to Strategies and Tactics?

It's not really on topic for this forum if there isn't a discussion about that.

 

[Kleanbore]

...what are the lessons learned from this related to Strategies and Tactics?

That's the question.

It's not really on topic for this forum if there isn't a discussion about that.

Right. Where the perp came from, how many times he has been deported, and how long he was hospitalized are of no interest here.

Without a relevant post, this will go away.

 

[A and O]

Don't know guy's. I think it to be a pretty good strategy and a downright excellent tactic to have and retrieve a small club as this woman did.

Was this relevant enough?

 

[armoredman]

So how hard is it to get a CCW permit in this location?

 

[Dirty Bob]

If the threat was serious enough for a deadly weapon (club, baton, bat), it was serious enough for a firearm. I'm glad it worked out, but I can't help thinking that a gun would have been a better choice for most women.

Awareness might have allowed her more time to recognize the threat and take action to avoid the problem (head back inside).

Overall, though, she did better than perhaps 90% of people -- male or female -- would have done. Kudos to the young lady, and I'm really glad she's OK. That was a very dangerous situation, and I'm glad she came out the winner.

Regards,
Dirty Bob

 

[longranger]

O.K.
She had no pistol in her vehicle all she had was a bat,but that will change.

Tactics and strategy,

Teach your children early and often that no one has the right to make unwanted physical gestures in a hostile manner to your physical being..You have every right and the requirement of protecting yourself and not being a victim.Use every means the law allows to protect yourself to the degree inwhich you are comfortable with.To many stories of young women being abducted and terrible outcomes of such events,teach them to survive.

 

[ultradoc]

God Bless her. Maybe just maybe this guy will think again about harming somebody. But if he is stupid and goes after somebody he might get shot. Then I hope he learns his lesson.

 

[hso]

Most folks just aren't looking around them as they go from the relative safety of the car to building and building to car. They're distracted by thinking about what they have to do when they get where they're going or about what they did where they came from or the worst thing, talking or texting or emailing while in the most dangerous place they're going to find themselves. Doing those things keeps them from having the chance to hear the little voice in the back of their head voicing a warning about someone/something out of place. Most also aren't willing to just walk away from possible trouble and return to the relative safety of the car or building because they don't want to believe what the little warning voice in the back of their head is trying to tell them. I'm not even talking about putting a hand on a weapon and preparing to fight. Just hear the "little voice" and walk away from the potential trouble and back to safety briefly. Break the script of the criminal and improve your chances isn't too inconvenient.

Park closer, park in the light, observe the area as you approach it to look for people that seem out of place. Try to stay with others so that you can't be cut from the herd and singled out by predators.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

I agree HSO all of my family is trained to sweep the parking lots day or nite.

 

[mljdeckard]

She used a bat and it worked. Survival is a pass or fail test, and she passed, plain and simple. HOWEVER, if it were my wife, and she had the choice between a club and a gun, I certainly wouldn't have told her to grab the club.

 

[Chainsaw2]

A good friend's daughter survived a car jacking about 6 months ago, because she carried a pocket knife and used it vigorously. The jacker had to be hospitalized and almost died anyway from the 8 stab wounds. The young lady is the sweetheart type without a mean bone in her body, and this incident has caused her to get some counciling. I met them and covered some of the things she needed to know, and let her know that there was nothing wrong with what she did. I also arrainged some MA training for her with a sympathetic Sensei for confidence and tatical application.

She is progressing, and will soon be ready for firearms training, that I will provide. Her God Father bought her a much better knife that she is never without.

jim

 

[Old Guy]

If that had of been my Daughter, I would have given him a drive to the Airport.

Our State Attorney has an agreement with ICE, come out of jail, on plane.

Mind you that does not seem to work with him, how is he working?

 

[hso]

Folks,

We need to forget about the attacker's status as an illegal alien in the US and whether he'll be deported or not. It's a hot button topic for a lot of people and it only distracts from the relevant S&T part of the discussion on how to avoid the attacks, how to respond to these attacks and how to deal with the aftermath of them.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Employer had requested that employees park at the further reaches of the parking to allow customers to have the closer to the store(s) parking spaces.

Well, then, said employer should offer escorts - preferably by security - to their cars at the end of the shift.

 

[Tim Burke]

CCWs are not particularly difficult to get in NC, but they don't permit carry in restaurants that serve alcohol for consumption on the premises.
If she was going to be in compliance with the law, she wasn't going to have a gun in her purse. If she were to have a gun in the car, it probably shouldn't be just lying out where it could be grabbed. Knowing this, I'm quite impressed with her response.

She avoided a very bad outcome... this guy worked in the same place she did. It isn't like he was just going to take her purse and leave; staff meetings would be so awkward from then on.

Were I to issue letter grades based on Cooper's Principles for this event, they would be as follows:
Alertness: D
Decisiveness: A
Aggressiveness: A+
Speed: A
Coolness: Don't know for sure, but I'm betting at least a solid B, and I wouldn't be surprised if it were higher.
Ruthlessness: A+
Surprise: A

hso has already covered how to bring the Alertness grade up.

 

[Al Thompson]

Circle the wagon. I have a hard-headed teenage niece who usually has a cell phone welded to her ear. The drill I have finally gotten her to do is to approach as if that's not her car. Then "circle around the wagon" looking for bad guys and the more mundane flat tires or leaks.

 

[Old Shooter]

Employer had requested that employees park at the further reaches of the parking to allow customers to have the closer to the store(s) parking spaces.

This is pretty much standard policy at most malls, home improvement centers and shopping centers. At the local Lowe's employees are let out at the end of the day in groups of five for purposes of their security making the way to their cars at the farther end of the lot. It's the real world, you're not going to have a security guard by your side everytime you are removed from your weapon.

The young lady in this instance did quite a remarkable job in my opinion and should teach us both awarness and the value of an immediate, violent response to acts of agression even without a sidearm. (Beat the daylights out of him with a baseball bat! Precious!)

 

[shockwave]

There are some good Strategies and Tactics points to examine from this story.

First, with respect to Cooper's Principles, both Speed and Aggressiveness were fully on display here, as was Decisiveness. She continued until the threat ended. In fighting arts, this is sometimes called "completing the circle."

The SA issue has been remarked upon already, but it should be standard policy for a woman walking alone through a parking lot late at night to be carrying something - mace, knife, even a whistle. Her situational awareness needs to be on full. If there's ever going to be an incident, chances are this is where it's going to go down.

The "attack from behind in parking lot" is a common situation you should be prepared for. From a martial arts standpoint, when the attack happens the natural tendency will be to stiffen up from the surprise and shock. Before any response can be made, the first thing you have to do is relax. Let the body get heavier, get your feet braced and then resist forcefully.

That's a great lesson from this story, too: Resist! Once again we see that the defender who immediately puts up strong resistance has a positive outcome.

[Wish I'd been there at the restaurant when she came back in from the lot: "What happened to you?" "I just about beat a guy to death with a baseball bat."]

 

[Dirty Bob]

I commented on awareness, but I admit that a stealthy stalker/attacker could be hard to spot. Some may lurk in a lot and wait for a victim to come to them and may be hard to detect.

Marc "Animal" MacYoung had a very good idea for an unarmed response to one or more bad guys appearing nearby. Have your keys in hand. If you see it happening in time, do a U-turn and go back inside, perhaps pretending you forgot something. If the way back is blocked, run, screaming, and hurl your keys into the darkness or under a car. You're making noise, and you've just removed one object of the theft, as well as their planned getaway method (your vehicle). Even if they catch you, their options are more limited, and good guys may be on the way.

This method requires no training beyond having your head on a swivel when walking through the lot, and your keys in your hand. Women should change out of heels or other stylish shoes when leaving the mall. Nikes would be much better than stiletto-heeled sandals for running (at least I assume so, having had no experience wearing heels).

One important point that Animal emphasizes is not to try to "get away" in the car. You'll never get it started and moving in time.

---------------------

I used a variation of this method a few years ago, when a "yoot" attempted to jack me at my workplace. I was unarmed -- in compliance with District policy -- when coming out after teaching a late class. I was parked fairly close to the back door of my building.

I saw the BG early on, loitering in another part of the lot. This, unfortunately, is not unusual in a place where a parent may be attending an after-hours class while the kid waits. I kept an eye on him while walking the short distance to my Camry.

As I pressed the unlock button and opened the door, I checked on the yoot again, and saw him coming my way, walking fast and headed right for me. He was exhibiting clear predator behavior, with his head down, and his eyes locked on me. He was maybe 15-20 yards off, and had covered a lot of ground in a hurry. I could "feel" the focus of his attention. He never said a word.

I snapped my fingers, shut the door and hit the lock button, and headed back in. He instantly broke off the approach and turned away. I stepped inside (the door is coded and always locked from outside) and looked out through the glass in the door. He had vanished. I called the cops, but they never found the guy and just took a description.

He never said a word nor displayed a weapon, but his behavior screamed bad intentions, especially the fast, silent approach and the target focus, as well as the aborted approach once the car was locked and intended victim was headed away from it. His instant disappearance after the attempt confirmed my suspicions.

Regards,
Dirty Bob

 

[Ben86]

I think this highlights the need for constant awareness when going to you vehicle to leave. I try to impress this mindset into the women in my life for this reason. Also it is clearly necessary to have a weapon that can be used accessed quickly when needed and to use it abruptly and savagely with overwhelming force.

OP, I am so happy to read that your daughter successfully defended herself. Perhaps now her employer will let employees who have to leave late park closer (especially women). Also, I just have to say that a fourth deportation is such a shining example of our lack of border security. Good grief.

 

[lloveless]

"hurl your keys into the darkness or under a car. You're making noise, and you've just removed one object of the theft, as well as their planned getaway method" Yeah and maybe your own method of getting away. As if multiple attackers couldn't overcome you and then find the keys. Better to keep the keys and whail the attackers with the keys.
ll