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risked my life for a PSP?

upper

Capensis Killer
today, i was speed walking back home from school. and outa nowhere. in the open street with a bunch of cars and people around an african american guy with those LA hats with the doorag came up to me and asked if i know what time it is. i said no i dont know what time it is. he replied saying "Dont you have a phone?" i said No i dont have a phone. he said so if i check your pocket i wont find any phone. i'm metaphorically pissing my pants here. i said no you wont find any phone. then i look down at my pocket and my PSP was popping out. he said what do you have in your pocket. i said "nothing....." but the psp was visible, he said he saw my wallet and my psp and he said "give it to me or i'll shoot you." as stupid as i am i said, show me the gun and i'll give it to you. he didnt have any,but he said again, "give it to me" i said "no" then i turned around, ran as fast as i can and shouted help! a couple of car heard me and started honking. woulda been better to carry a watch and told him the time. now i gotta go around the block everyday now to avoid meeting him again.



feel free to comment on how stupid i was. :-D

ps. this was on hollywood blvd, there's alot of cars running around and hispanic selling coconuts and mango.
 
Wow. That's another reason for me not to carry valuables around.
 
ah, LA at its finest. i love that city, dont you? :D

you should SERIOUSLY carry a pocket knife or something to defend yourself at least. I live and breathe LA, but it can be pretty dangerous. i carry a knife with me 24/7. 4" of steel haha.

You are ****ing lucky he actually didnt have a gun. While that was a hilariously smart *** thing to say, you coulda gotten hurt/killed. Just run away next time. Haha the last part was funny. coconuts and mangoes? making fun of my people? :D

Just be heads up and have a back-up, i.e. a weapon next time.
Frankie
 
ah, LA at its finest. i love that city, dont you? :D

you should SERIOUSLY carry a pocket knife or something to defend yourself at least. I live and breathe LA, but it can be pretty dangerous. i carry a knife with me 24/7. 4" of steel haha.

You are ****ing lucky he actually didnt have a gun. While that was a hilariously smart *** thing to say, you coulda gotten hurt/killed. Just run away next time. Haha the last part was funny. coconuts and mangoes? making fun of my people? :D

Just be heads up and have a back-up, i.e. a weapon next time.
Frankie

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i rest my case
 
haha you have a point. a good stab buys you time though. just wait till they're close! ive had to do something similar a time or two in the 'hood'. scary stuff.

You know, if you REALLY want to be safe you should wear either solid red clothing, shoes, and a red bandana; or the same with all blue. Just an idea.














I really hope you understand the colors. Dont do that. please.
 
i'll wear both, with an outer underwear and a cape.

and yeah, of course i understand the color, i'm in Los angeles for gods sake.
 
Just make sure you know how to use whatever you carry with you... assuming that is the way you want to go. It can be very easy to disarm people who don't know what they're doing with a weapon, not suggesting anything here but still.

Better yet... just keep walking. A one word answer, a refrain from pause and a drop on courtesy in those moments would be enough usually.
 
Hah, good story. I'd carry pepperspray. Cheap and effective. :)
 
that's pretty scary, i should probably follow what EdaxFlamma said, just keep walking. he said hey twice and the third time if i didnt turn around none of this woulda ever happened. but stupid me turned around and almost got robbed/killed.
 
  • #10
Glad you got ok. Sucks living in the big city, IMO, hence I've left that life behind me. But on my overnights, quite frequently I'm walking around in areas that I'm not familiar with just in search of food. The worst was in Milwaukee. A real ragged and belligerent bum was getting up in my face demanding money. I kept walking and telling him buzz off (well not so nice as that). He ended up getting right in my face and straight up demanded my wallet. I cold cocked him in the nose. It caught him off guard and gave me a chance to slip inside a busy restaurant. I asked the employees for an alternate way out, and I never saw him again.

We did have crewmember killed in Mexico last year. I won't walk around down there. Way too many kidnappings. Way too many of my coworkers have been mugged and beat up. And being that I'm crew and have to pass through TSA and customs, I can't carry even so much as pepper spray. :censor:

Ah well, be careful out there. Glad you kept your psp. Maybe get a pepper spray or taser. Hey, bear spray would be a hoot to hit him with!
 
  • #11
i would consider an easy 1hko thing. taser would be nice if it knocked him down for a few minute.
 
  • #12
This is a ******* shame. I think every last thug and thug want to be should be taken and beaten the crap out of them to teach them some manners. My word, does every ******* thug want to be have to show out in front of their friends? It is sad that those lame looser a-holes in LA have to be like that. They cannot settle things like a real man. Instead they have to have a gun to feel like a big man.
 
  • #13
I'm glad you're ok. That would have scared the crap out of me. Am I the only one that would have called the cops when I got home and reported this? I just noticed that nobody has mentioned that. I guess in LA this happens a lot and unless someone is actually hurt, they don't report it? I'm just saying, the next time this loser does this again, he may have a weapon and use it. Again, I'm glad you're alright. You're gutsy!
 
  • #14
The cops have not been able to do anything about those gangs so far and when they did it backfired on them. Then the Rodney King crap happened so the folks out that way do not trust the cops much to do anything about the gangs until they do do something because it has back fired in the past. That is my thinking anyway.
 
  • #15
Wow wish that had been me. I never get the chance to shoot people. :(

Seriously though yeah he'd have been in the surprise of his life if he'd have pulled that crap on me or somebody else that ALWAYS carries a firearm.

"Let me just get it here it's at my 4:30 position on my belt or in my pocket... AHA! HERE IT IS!"

*pulls out gun draws down and thumbs personal cell phone 911 on personal cell phone*

"Now hold still while we wait for the police to arrive for you threatening to rob/kill me."

Although really I don't think it would be that simple. I think it would require possibly something more that indicates that there was a real threat like a weapon. I don't believe you are legally justified in pulling a firearm to defend yourself over a verbal threat unless there are extenuating circumstances like a weapon in the aggressor's hands. If he did not in fact have a weapon it would be your word against his although the police side with the person that called them first 99% of the time.

The sad thing is the same rules would not apply to a police officer since some animals are more equal than others. You tell a cop you are going to shoot them, weapon or no weapon and expect to be looking down the barrel of the cop's sidearm.

Anyway my best advice for you living in CA or anywhere is, get a can of FOX Labs pepperspray. That stuff will save your life, and it could have in this case had your legs not been fast enough. ;) EVERYBODY should at least carry something like pepperspray. There'd be a lot less crime if they did. :( Unfortunately nobody these days seems to take their personal safety/security seriously. We do not live in a world of lollipops and gumdrops and there are plenty of people out there that will hurt or even kill you if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time.
 
  • #16
as an avid knife carrier (even though I haven't been carrying one lately), I will say that it is a nice tool and somewhat comforting in shaky situations, but in this situation I would advise AGAINST pulling one. A stun gun is readily available and more effective, but you're in LA-just babble something at him in spanish like you don't understand him and move on!

Ultimately, yes it was stupid to resist but I might have done the same after assessing the situation if I thought that he was bluffing. Maybe a swift kick in the package. It may be a low blow, but you do what you need to in this situation to live.
 
  • #17
as an avid knife carrier (even though I haven't been carrying one lately), I will say that it is a nice tool and somewhat comforting in shaky situations, but in this situation I would advise AGAINST pulling one. A stun gun is readily available and more effective, but you're in LA-just babble something at him in spanish like you don't understand him and move on!

Ultimately, yes it was stupid to resist but I might have done the same after assessing the situation if I thought that he was bluffing. Maybe a swift kick in the package. It may be a low blow, but you do what you need to in this situation to live.

It is NOT stupid to resist. The whole notion that complying with somebody's demands means you won't get hurt is BULL----. Tell that to any number of women that did and were raped or wound up dead or anybody else that's been beaten or killed while offering no resistance.

And tazers are very expensive. The inexpensive ones require you to get into punching range of a person to use them. PEPPERSPRAY is seriously the best choice for your average person. It's cheap, easy to conceal, and has decent range.

Hose them down with pepperspray, egress to safety, and call the police (in that order! :p). That is your best bet.
 
  • #18
It is NOT stupid to resist. The whole notion that complying with somebody's demands means you won't get hurt is BULL----. Tell that to any number of women that did and were raped or wound up dead or anybody else that's been beaten or killed while offering no resistance.

And tazers are very expensive. The inexpensive ones require you to get into punching range of a person to use them. PEPPERSPRAY is seriously the best choice for your average person. It's cheap, easy to conceal, and has decent range.

Hose them down with pepperspray, egress to safety, and call the police. Those are your best options.


depends on the circumstances. While your action movie scenario of pulling a gun while dialing 911 sounds great, upper couldn't do that in this situation. You need to assess each situation as it unfolds. I think that he mostly did the right thing though.

There are wonderfully sneaky ways of hiding pepper spray and stun guns these days. Google self defense products and you'll see what all they have.
 
  • #19
depends on the circumstances. While your action movie scenario of pulling a gun while dialing 911 sounds great, upper couldn't do that in this situation. You need to assess each situation as it unfolds. I think that he mostly did the right thing though.

There are wonderfully sneaky ways of hiding pepper spray and stun guns these days. Google self defense products and you'll see what all they have.

Did you actually read and comprehend my post? :nono:

It was said mostly in jest and I spelled out more clearly the legal ramifications and what a good course of action would be to defend yourself below that. And after that I specifically said to get FOX Labs pepperspray because it was easy to conceal and perfect for the average person. Please reread. So it looks like you're refuting what I said and then basically repeating what I said as your own advice. The guy lives in CA, so I automatically know that unless he's willing to break the law, he's not going to be carrying a gun since he will not be able to obtain a concealed weapons permit there. That's why I suggested pepperspray, but EVERYBODY should have pepperspray. Nevermind that he's 16.:-)) I don't seriously expect him to carry a gun given his age and state of residence.

Edit:

I've been in his situation before only I was actually attacked, so I know what it's like. I was returning some books to the library and was actually right around his age. It was one aggressor but he had 5-6 other people with them. I know what it's like. I've been there and actually got a chipped tooth out of it. Take your personal safety/responsibility seriously. Always maintain situational awareness and please try to have some means to defend yourself. It could have been a lot worse.
 
  • #20
First of all, I'm glad you're ok. There are some just plain rotten people in this world, and that can't be helped.

Now for my view on the subject. An ex-police chief for Ohio State University came to my high school years ago to tell us about safety at college. Being Ohio State, and having his position, I took his word as fairly credible. He said a few interesting things, and while I do not have the actual statistics, it is still fairly interesting.

1. Crooks look for people who look like easy victims. The first step not avoiding incidents is to not look vulnerable. Just saying you don't have the time and walking along would probably suffice in this situation.

2. Even if he has a gun, what are the real odds that he would shoot you? Would he really shoot to kill over a small electronic device? People as such are just using the weapon for intimidation. Their real weapon is fright, and the fact that you fear for your life. Plus, guns are noisy, and a dead give away to a crime scene.

So...

If he does indeed have a gun, this office said your best bet it to just turn and run as fast as you can. First of all, it is something the assailant isn't expecting. At this point, he must decide if he will just leave you alone (probably the case), or, if he will attempt to shoot you. This will probably take him a few moments to decide. Every second he uses making this decision, you are another step away. Every step you take, makes you a harder target to hit.

If he does decide to shoot at you, you must consider.
a. He has probably had no formal firearm training, and even under the best conditions is a poor shot.
b. He is undoubtedly nervous, again lowering his accuracy, concentration, and capability to use the weapon.
c. The target (you) is constantly moving away. Moving target, harder to hit accurately
d. If he does manage to hit you, the shot (according to this police officer) is very unlikely to kill you. Supposedly there are relatively few areas that mean instant death from a bullet, comparatively speaking. If you do manage to get hit, it will most likely be somewhere that is not fatal. Also, supposedly, gunshot wounds are fairly simple to treat, and although very painful, are most often an outpatient procedure.

Like I said, this all came from this police officer, and he had all sorts of statistics to back it up. i.e. Accuracy of hitting a moving target at 50 feet etc. etc. I perceived him as a reliable source because of his years of working in a field where he had experience such situations and was trained in handling them. I found it extremely interesting and helpful. Although I have never been in said situation, and hope to never be, I plan on keeping his words with me.
 
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