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Thread: I witnessed something horrific today

  1. #1
    Featured Member Hello_Kitty27's Avatar
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    Angry I witnessed something horrific today

    So basically, long story short, I saw a guy reach into a woman's car, grab her hair with one fist and punch her in the face at full force....repeatedly. It was essentially a road rage incident and was about 3 feet away from me. He was with about 4 young women, the lady he punched was by herself.

    I was at a red light, next to the lady he attacked. I was so scared, I was shaking. I dialed 911 and had it on speakerphone so that he and the girls that were with him (who were all next to my car) wouldn't know I was calling the police. I admit, I was afraid of retaliation.

    The lady seemed OK, considering what he did to her ... she rammed his car a couple of times in an attempt to get away, and then sped off.

    I was in a pretty bad part of town and I don't know the slightest thing about self-defense. I called the police, and in mid-call, she sped away. I don't blame her, I'm sure she was terrified, and really, if I were her, I would rather get the hell out of there than wait for the police. So even though i reported it, I'm sure he got away with it.

    Should I have done more? Could I have? I feel terrible, and I hope the woman is OK. What would you have done?


    PS And am I the only one who can't believe the chicks he was with were just acting like nothing happened. The just stood there and then got in the car and were laughing and acting happy-go-lucky. WTF? And it was all because he stopped in the middle of the road, at a green light and got out of the car. The lady beeped, and he reached in and beat her. It all happened so fast.






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  2. #2
    High_Heel_Lover
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    Default Re: I witnessed something horrific today

    You poor thing. I am sorry you had to see such a barbaric thing.

    You did all you could. I hope the lady is well adn the bastard is caught and brought to justice.

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    Featured Member Hello_Kitty27's Avatar
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    Default Re: I witnessed something horrific today

    ^^ He won't be. I mistakenly reported that his car was stalled, which is why I thought he was stopped. The 911 operator didn't ask for his plate #, but I described him, what he was wearing, where the car was and what that looked like. So, I was like 2 miles down the road, and who pulls next to me (and several other cars), but this guy and his friends. All laughing and having a great time. He got out of his car again and looked at the damage from where she rammed him, and then he went down some side street.

    I couldn't catch his plate # to call back by the time I realized it was them. So I know he ended up getting away with it, unless maybe she called the police, but I'm sure she was too panicked to get his plate.

    I feel like I really let her down. I am a firm believer in "what goes around comes around" and now I know that if something like this happens to me, no one will help or come to my aid. Damn it damn it damn it. I hope she's OK.






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    Default Re: I witnessed something horrific today

    ^don't feel like that, what else could you do without putting yourself in danger too? You did the right thing. Obviously you were too panicked to get the plate either, don't beat yourself up about it, it serves no purpose really. If she was able to drive away I'm sure she'll be fine. I'd be more worried about his and his companions karma. Some people just suck.

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    Default Re: I witnessed something horrific today

    Oh gosh, that's so scary. Were there others around who might have gotten his plate #? It's not your fault that you didn't- it must have been so scary, and obviously you didn't want to make it obvious, because he's a giant psycho.

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    God/dess Mr Hyde's Avatar
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    Default Re: I witnessed something horrific today

    It might be possible for the police to catch the guy...IF....

    1-The woman files a report
    2-The guy gets his car repaired and the repair is paid by insurance company

    If it really bugs you, check with the police department to see if #1 happened...if it did, then ask the detectiive in charge about #2.

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    Featured Member Hello_Kitty27's Avatar
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    Default Re: I witnessed something horrific today

    My ex is a cop in that district actually and I tried to email him to see what he can find out ... but he leaves for Iraq on Wednesday, so he has bigger fish to fry. Hopefully he can spare a few mins and make a phone call or two.

    Ugh, people are just so disgusting.






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    Default Re: I witnessed something horrific today

    Yikes thats scary. I think you did all you could do.
    The lady had her window down or the door unlocked?
    Scary sh*t. A reminder to always keep your doors locked!

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    Default Re: I witnessed something horrific today

    I can't believe the girls in his car just laughed. Douchebags keep douchebag company, I guess. I hope she was okay.

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    Senior Member thisunrest's Avatar
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    Default Re: I witnessed something horrific today

    You did more than a lot of people would do,unfortunatley.
    That was brave of you,and selfless,considering that this psycho might have tried to hurt you too,had he seen the phone.

    There needs to be a lot more people like you:-)

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    Default Re: I witnessed something horrific today

    They were probably all drunk and/or on crystal or crack.

    With any luck they will have a single car rollover and all be arrested for possession with intent to sell, felony assault, and leaving the scene of an accident plus being assholes.
    I loved going to strip clubs; I actually made some friends there. Now things are different for the clubs and for me. As a result I am not as happy.

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    Default Re: I witnessed something horrific today

    Quote Originally Posted by Hello_Kitty27 View Post
    Should I have done more? Could I have? I feel terrible, and I hope the woman is OK. What would you have done?
    You did the right thing. You were in immediate, possibly mortal, danger. Physiologically, you were in fight-or-flight mode, and you decided to flee. Smart move. Seriously. If you have no self-defense or weapons training, you would have only run the risk of being victim number two.

    It's natural to second-guess yourself once you are out of immediate danger, but the conditions then are not the same as they were when you were in danger. Trust your instincts.

    When you are in extreme danger or in fear of your life, your brain chemistry goes all haywire because it's being flooded by adrenaline. This makes you feel either panicky or enraged (flight or fight) but it also shuts down your logical decision-making capability, so that impeded your ability to calmly write down his tag number -- the most valuable piece of information. You did have the presence of mind to call 911, and that's a huge accomplishment in that condition, particularly since it could expose you to retaliation if the psychopath happened to see you do it.

    People whose lives put them in regular danger spend a great deal of time in training in real-world situations so their brains can function more logically even when flooded with adrenaline. Police officers, military troops, firefighters, FBI agents, etc. -- people with weapons and self-defense training -- still have to overcome the flight response and remain logical and calm. They also have to learn to deal with physical carnage, the sound of bullets screaming through the air by your head (a sound you will never, ever forget) and the sound of bullets impacting the body. The latter is just nauseating.

    An FBI agent once described his job to me as, "95% boredom and 5% sheer terror."

    Since the guy was attacking an innocent woman, there is no question I would have intervened. I have before. My response to flight-or-fight is always to fight, particularly with a woman involved, and that motherfucker would have gone down, even if I had to run his ass over with my car.

    This, however, is a stupid thing to do in almost all cases. Cops will tell you not to do it, and even I would tell you not to do it. It can have 14 bad outcomes, including jail time for yourself, and only one or two good ones. I'm just saying I'm programmed the way I am, as are many men. It's why men die far more often in such confrontations.

    Exception: Women will fight to the death to protect their children. Their physical heroics are amazing and they are usually determined and clever enough to save their children without necessarily getting hurt themselves. The men just jump into the middle stupidly.

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    Default Re: I witnessed something horrific today

    I agree here with everything that TOO said--and will add a bit to it.

    A number of years ago, I was in a department store and saw a huge father, his daughter, maybe 5, a son, perhaps 4, and a wife. They were coming toward me, and the father, angry at the daughter milling around, picked her up by the HAIR and dropped her in their shopping cart. She was sceaming, of course, and I was furious, watching it, and--as TOO so aptly states--we two males started to get into it. The guy was a lot bigger than me, and I was looking around for something--frankly anything--to use as a weapon in case things got physical: at the same time, I didn't WANT it to get physical, primarily because I didn't want the kids to witness that (and I'll admit it was a fight I wouldn't have won, though I would have given it my best shot). Just then, the man turned away and his family followed. The wife, amazingly, did nothing through all of this, and the son was watching his dad with something approaching hero-worship. I didn't have a cell phone with me, and I went to the manager of the store and asked him to call the police, quickly. Then I waited at the front of the store and watched as the big guy, with his family, went out into the parking lot. The manager, when I questioned him, explained to me that he decided to wait and see if the guy did anything else--that he didn't want to create more of a problem in the store. I ran out into the parking lot as the family was pulling away, and I got a few numbers on the license plate. I drove to a nearby state police station, but there was nothing they could do without the full #. I drove back to the department store on the advice of the police and interviewed employees in that area to see if anyone knew the family, no dice. Ever since, the incident has bothered me--if I'd had my wits about me I would have gone to a payphone, called the police myself, and watched for the license plate in case the bastard left...instead, my head was still dwelling on how I'd nearly picked up a big table umbrella to try to thrust at the guy if he'd attacked me. I suspect, if we care about other human beings, we all have such things in our memories. There are some real bastards roaming the earth, and the only real way to walk away from a situation like this satisfied is to prepare, in some way, for such characters.

    I went over what had happened, and talked to the police about it at some length, also. I now keep a notebook with me all the time to write down license #s right away if I see something like this, and I have on a number of occasions. Only after I have some way to identify the person (unless its an ongoing situation, in which case I'll try to do something at that moment, as you did) do I do anything else. It is a colder way to handle things but more effective: I also make sure I write out everything that happened immediately afterward to avoid the changes in memory we're all capable of. I will tell you this--I am sure that this guy's attitude will catch up with him, and I think you were very brave to make the effort you did. It might even be, as Mr. Hyde pointed out, that he got caught. You might want to keep a pen and paper handy for a license plate number in cases like this, but as TOO says, you were in a fight or flight situation, and your own life was in danger as well. You did GREAT. From this, you can develop a plan for the next time, so that when you are in a similar situation you can act more automatically.

    You are a hero for your concern, and for acting. I am sorry that you had to witness this son of a bitch acting this way.

    My best wishes are also with your ex during his upcoming tour.
    JK Jim

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