What would you have done?

[tactcom7]

So there i was, walking down Oxford street this afternoon when i noticed a commotion outside a sports shop. I was confronted by a large crowd looking on as a tubby white man (plus bike helmet) was lying on the floor holding on to the leg of a black man for dear life. The man on the floor had blood pouring out of his mouth but that seemed to be about it whilst the man he was holding was trying his hardest to get away with his two mates shouting at him to get away and leg it basically. Someone was already on the phone to the police and the crowd seemed to suggest that the man on the floor had been the victim of an attack.

Here's what happened next,

I threw my full can of coke i'd just purchased at the fleeing black man and in true Crocodile Dundee stylie it hit him square on the head to rapturous applause which i duly soaked up whilst standing with one foot on his head and posing for the many tourists that had appeared to take photos....

Or at least that's what happened in my head, in reality i took one look at the tubby biker, decided he'd live. Then I took another look at his attacker and his two mates, weighed up my options and duly sauntered off on my merry way, in one piece, to the sound of several police sirens blazing....

So i was just wondering giving the number of so called 'Have a go Heroes' getting shot/stabbed etc. these days if anyone would of acted differently?

P.S I only included the race of the people involved as I felt it might sway some peoples decision, rightly or wrongly..

:smt071

[leemole]

id jump in with both feet!!!!! really gets me how some people can just ignore it because it aint happening to them but if the boot was on the other foot they would expect help !!! no wonder these people get away with it because they stick together and we dont :smt093

[tactcom7]

id jump in with both feet!!!!! really gets me how some people can just ignore it because it aint happening to them but if the boot was on the other foot they would expect help !!! no wonder these people get away with it because they stick together and we dont :smt093

Fair one, if i'd of been there from the beginning maybe it would of been different, i felt a bit bad for immediately assuming it was the black guys fault.

[keithd]

id jump in with both feet!!!!! really gets me how some people can just ignore it because it aint happening to them but if the boot was on the other foot they would expect help !!! no wonder these people get away with it because they stick together and we dont :smt093

and you end up stabbed, shot, wife/kids/family left to mourn your loss. and was it worth giving your life for?

[leemole]

yeah i would prob jump to the same conclusion and be wrong but i just seem to go for it. I once stopped 2 youths tryin to break into a car one had a screwdriver but i picked up a beer bottle and told em to get HOOKED!! it could have turned nasty but hey. I hate theives

[leemole]

and you end up stabbed, shot, wife/kids/family left to mourn your loss. and was it worth giving your life for?


im only 21 so i dont really think like that. Why people moan about it but wont stand up to it is beyond me !!!

[Lissa]

I wouldn't risk my own safety for a stranger I'm afraid, but if it was someone I knew I'd be in like Flynn regardless of potential circumstances.

I'm good at kneecaps, me:D

[tactcom7]

I wouldn't risk my own safety for a stranger I'm afraid, but if it was someone I knew I'd be in like Flynn regardless of potential circumstances.

I'm good at kneecaps, me:D

*takes mental note to to upset lissa, especially if he's not wearing knee sliders*

[Warthog]

You can't possibly have known who was at fault, so you couldn't really do anything.

[Spiderman]

You can't possibly have known who was at fault, so you couldn't really do anything.

What he said.

And i'd also probably be feeling the same way you are now and posting a thread like this too,lol.

Sometimes its hard to know if you did right without a few opinions to make you feel a little better.

Oh and btw, in my mind i wouldnt have thrown a can at him...simply spun a web using it to flun him at his fleeing mates, knocking them over and tied them all up in more webbing and handed them to the :plod:...... to ratpturous applause from the bystanders and lots of :smt055 ladies whispering "i love you Spiderman":love: to themselves as i swing off into the sunset. :spiderman:

:smt081

[tactcom7]

What he said.

Oh and btw, in my mind i wouldnt have thrown a can at him...simply spun a web using it to flun him at his fleeing mates, knocking them over and tied them all up in more webbing and handed them to the :plod:...... to ratpturous applause from the bystanders and lots of :smt055 ladies whispering "i love you Spiderman":love: to themselves as i swing off into the sunset. :spiderman:

:smt081

Now why didn't I think of that!

:cool:

[MiniMatt]

I don't think anyone really knows what they'd do until they're in that situation, and every situation is different. I know everyone would like to save the day, but as has been mentioned, that can end in tragedy.

I used to be the worlds only (ok, perhaps not the worlds only) 5'5" bouncer and got away suprisingly lightly. In my head, that's because everyone thought I must be some Mr Miyagi trained fighting machine (I'm not, anyone can beat the living daylights out of me), in reality it might have also had something to do with George, who also worked most of my shifts, who was HUGE, with shaved head and rolls of muscle in his neck.... Only really misjudged one situation badly, and that ended up with me getting hospitalised by a bunch of 14 year olds (and they didn't even have knives back in them days!)

[gettin2dizzy]

It's pretty scary in those situations! Everyone can say that they would jump in...

[Welsh_Wizard]

I think you did the right thing.. you weren't there from the start so you had no real idea on what happened.

Last thing you want is a situation where you could end up as a witness or something and the people who you went up against in the original altercation find out your name and address details through the courts.

..and yeah, that does happen. I was knocked off my aprilia 125rs by a taxi driver one fateful november evening. went to court about 4mnths later over it because he actually drove off and left me in the road and what do you think happened after the court appearance ?? silly bugger knocked my front door and asked whether we could just settle this outside of court as he didn't want to lose his license ! He was nice enough (ie: not agressive) but if he was any other type of person there could have been a few issues !

[Spanner Man]

Morning all.

It's a difficult one this, for if you didn't actually see what occurred one could end up bashing the wrong bloke, & these days that would get you in a heap of trouble.
I have seen several situations of this kind over the years, & have intervened on most occasions. I have also been on the receiving end too. I used to drive a van delivering payroll data which was contained in briefcase style boxes, which must have looked as if they contained something of value.
I was in Stockwell early one morning rather ironically delivering to a security company, who had their offices in one of the large 3 storey houses in the area, when I was set upon by 5 black lads. I managed to take out 2 of them with the briefcase, but the remaining 3 proceeded to kick & punch me up & down the pavement, before departing with the case, dragging their injured colleagues with them.
This happened right in front of a fair queue at a bus stop, & there were a lot of stationary vehicles at the traffic lights for it was early in the rush hour. Not one single person even bothered to shout at them, let alone actually help me.
Of course after the lads had scarpered people came over & said are you alright etc. Well with bruised ribs, loose teeth, split lips, 2 black eyes, & lots of pavement rash, the answer was most definitely no.
I felt more anger towards the onlookers than to the actual attackers, it's a horrible feeling knowing that all these people just stood & watched. Hence I try to intervene when I see a similar situation occur. Although these days I try talking rather than fisticuffs.

Cheers.

[neio79]

the fear of reprisals or being attacked yourself stops a lot of people helping.

i think i would help if i was in my biking gear, leathers armour etc as a punch from a kevlat armoured glove and a quick nut from a head in a helmet will pasify most people.

[carlos]

Helping out doesn't always mean you have to physically intervene. If you fear for your own safety then you could always take a photo of the assumed attacker with your phone before they 'leg it' so it can be shown to the police, offer a witness description or even just offering to help the bloke off the floor after they've gone is enough. Like has been said, its not worth getting into thick of it if you're going to come out of it on a stretcher or worse.

[Ceri JC]

It's a tricky one, unless you see the start of it, you don't know what happened. I know if someone attacked me out of the blue, I gave them a shoeing and then someone who'd just walked round the corner attacked me (simply because I was "winning") I'd hit them too without a moments hesitation. I very nearly got attacked by a large number of people for this reason (people who'd not seen that I was the one who'd been attacked came running in at me). If you've seen it from the start though, or someone is clearly, "punishing" the other person (repeatedly kicking them whilst they're down) I'll usually drag them off the other person.

[plowsie]

Would weigh up my options, had a bit of self defence training you see so might be able to disarm/disable weapons - but like i always said to my teacher, its takes a second to disarm someone but a milli second to pull a trigger!

[Baph]

You can't possibly have known who was at fault, so you couldn't really do anything.
+1

Helping out doesn't always mean you have to physically intervene. If you fear for your own safety then you could always take a photo of the assumed attacker with your phone before they 'leg it' so it can be shown to the police, offer a witness description or even just offering to help the bloke off the floor after they've gone is enough. Like has been said, its not worth getting into thick of it if you're going to come out of it on a stretcher or worse.
The only non-violent response I've seen in this thread!!

Personally, in that situation, not knowing what had happened, I would step in. But I wouldn't go in with both feet. One guy is already on the phone to the police, so all you need to do is try to delay them leaving the scene. That can be done adequately by talking.

Assuming the guy on the floor was the victim, you'd be helping a potential attacker leaving the scene. If the guy standing up was the victim, you'd be helping him get free, by talking & perhaps trying to release the grip.

I've been in numerous situations pretty similar to this, most of which I didn't feel in a position to strike at any party involved, so didn't. Delaying tactics are what's needed, and get the police on the scene to sort it out.

I wouldn't risk my own safety for a stranger I'm afraid, but if it was someone I knew I'd be in like Flynn regardless of potential circumstances.

I'm good at kneecaps, me:D

Aye, you're just the right height. :D

[plowsie]

Aye, you're just the right height. :D
Class!!!! :smt082