Quote Originally Posted by Troy View Post
Quote Originally Posted by RickThai
If I saw two teenagers (I am assuming that when you say "youths") breaking into a car, I would call 911 if I had my cell phone, otherwise, I would just keep walking.

Why? Because it could be they had locked themselves out of their own car. It could be that they were breaking into someone's car to rip off the stereo or steal the car.

Why risk being Zimmerman'd (whose life is now ruined) over some strangers car?

Regardless of their appearances, I would never take for granted that I could "handle them with reasonable ease" (even in my prime, which I am now way past). They might have knives or guns, and in any event two-on-one, puts any person, know matter how fit and well-trained at a severe disadvantage.

If I saw them attacking a woman or a child, then I would take a different action. I would grab some kind of weapon (if I wasn't armed) and then intervene (probably by sneaking up behind them and hitting them on the head). Depending upon the severity of the attack, I might call 911 first, otherwise I would just jump into the fray.

What would you do?
This happened to a friend of mine who I enlisted, trained and worked with for most of my service career. He took the same action as I would and most of my colleagues would. It was a time before mobile/cell phones so that was not an option. It was in the UK and we never carry weapons of any kind.

He approached them in a friendly manner and asked if they needed help to get into their car. The youths backed off, taking the hint. Unfortunately, there was a third across the road who stabbed my mate in the back with a small knife. My mate reacted by picking this guy up and making a citizen's arrest. The two other youths pulled knives and moved towards him to which he responded with two more citizen's arrests. He marched all three to the police station where he handed them over. At this point he was treated for a knife wound that missed his lung by about 1/4 inch. The youths were charged with attempted break-in of a car and GBH. In court a feeble defence of excessive force by my mate was ruled ludicrous and they were sent to borstal for a year.

He has been told time and time again that it was a dangerous and foolish thing to do but he (and we) would probably still have done the same then and still do it now. Its a bit like seeing rubbish on the ground and putting it in the bin. If you can't be bothered then why should anyone else?

The thing is that I don't think we are much different in our views about crime but carrying guns and killing people is not the answer to solving the crime. Doing your duty as a citizen is. If you get injured or killed doing so then you will have held the right values. Stiff upper lip and all that normally wins through...far better than those wild west values you are trying to hold on to.
Your friend is very lucky indeed. If the other two guys had decided to come at him with knives and determination, he probably would have died.

Although I admire the compulsion and instinct to "do right" in trying to protect someone else's property, I can't see giving your life in order to protect a car.

I do appreciate your story, and like you stated, we are not that very different in our desire to protect the innocent, but differ only in the amount of force we are willing to use.

In the USA, violence has reached an unprecedented level. Acts such as the one depicted in the video, occur so regularly that they very seldom make the news.

Although some of the acts of violence are crimes of passion (i.e. estranged husband, jilted lover, etc) Most of them are committed by hard-core criminals or are gang-related (mostely Negor and Hispanic).

Myself, and many other US citizens (including many law enforcement officers) believe that allowing honest, citizens to use firearms for personal protection is becoming a necessity.

Although I realize that, at times, some citizens may become over-aggressive and shoot someone they didn't mean to (like the cops that opened fire on a couple of criminals on a crowded street and hit a few bystanders), or shoot somone over a relativelly minor incident (parking spot dispute, etc), stats show that an armed citizen prevents many violent acts from occurring.

Just recently, I read an article where a motorcyclists pulled over to the side of the road to take off a jacket. A car pulled in behind him and two men got out. With one of them brandishing a knife, they demanded his money.

Instead of complying, he pulled out his gun. The two fled.

If it had been me, I might have shot the one with the knife and claimed "fear for my life" (depending on the actions of the other guy, I might have shot him as well).

Why?

Ask a police officer and they will tell you a man with a knife who is within 20 feet of you is a deadly threat.

But, truth be told, I honestly believe that shooting the knife-weilder will prevent other people from becoming future victims of this thug.

Again, I appreciate your story.

RickThai