A bizarr thing happened today, and I had a ringside seat, in thc comfort of my own van.
I was waiting at traffic lights having pulled up behind another car, when I saw a young lad (late teens) cross the road in front of me. I may have recognised the lad, I don't know.
Next the driver of the car in front, gets out and proceeds to assault the young lad, right next to my van!
It took a few seconds to put the handbrake on and get my seatbelt off but I then found myself instinctively leading the assailant back to his car, not before he tried to hedbutt the other lad, I don't know if he made contact or not, but I was extremely focused on getting said lout back into his car.
I told him in no uncertain terms to get back into his car with one hand on his shoulder and the other opening his car door. He became much more subdude and complied. I then sat him down in his car and told him that his registration number would be reported to the police if he caused any more problems. His gf, sitting in the passenger seat, must have wondered what was going on. To be fair he gave me no abuse and was at pains to make it clear to me that he meant no more trouble.
I shut the door and at that point the lights changed and he drove off, the other lad hadn't been knocked off his feet, so I assume he just scarpered. One assumes that there was a score to be settled between these two but I was damned if I was going to let this go on where I live.
Not one other person in the queue of 6+ cars behind me came out to intervene.
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Hugo
Wow! You must have A LOT of faith in your body armour. Anyone who casually starts a ruck like that will likely be carrying a blade that would gut a rhino. This could well have been a territorial dispute between drug dealers.
I wouldn't have turned my back on his chavette either - they can be just as nasty.
Edited by Screwloose on 16/11/2007 at 19:19
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TBH I had a hunch that it wasn't major league stuff though I thought it was feasable I could have got hit, we live in a quiet cornish village that has more than its fair share of idiots. I suspect I came accross 2 of them today.
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To be honest I wouldn't have got out. I'm not well built, so I'd have locked my car door, made a note of his details (taking a sneaky pic with my camera phone) and called the police.
I don't believe in not doing anything but I'm not weighing into someone elses fight.
Chris
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glad it turned out ok , but theres too many knives and weapons about to be doing that kind of thing
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I`ve started to discretely push the door lock button down ( slowly with my elbow while looking straight ahead) in certain areas when stationary and am not far off doing it when setting off.
Admire your intervention Hugo, but Ive met too many people who carried knives and once a ceremonial sword.
Edited by oilrag on 16/11/2007 at 19:36
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This was some 400 yards from my front door.
If it had taken place in the nearest city I can honestly say that I don't know what I would have done, as I don't live there.
I suppose I reacted on instinct, a young lad was the subject of an unprovoked assault and I set out to avert it. Whether or not he 'had it coming' didn't enter my head.
Having said that, on reflection, it may have come to a natural end, but what physical damage could have been done in the meantime - I don't know.
The would be victim was obviously not chosen at random but the assailant took advantage of the opportunity of the right person being there.
When he got back into his car I can honestly say that I think he felt a right prat. I think he was a little surprised that someone came to the other guy's aid.
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Hugo, I admire your courageous and civilised action, I would have hesitated myself, not only for the reasons posted by others but because in similar instances the good samaritan ends up being arrested for and/or charged with assault as a result of a complaint by the original offender.
Please note this is not a 'police bashing ' comment, as I have the greatest sympathy for front line officers, often stressed, buried by paper and dealing with the worst aspects of society, but cases do occur when the public spirited citizen suffers greatly as a result of his actions, usually justified by 'we have to respond to a complaint, it is procedure'
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That was bizarre Hugo - in that the apparent victim decamped without comment and the assailant attempted no self justification either. Facts that suggest a nasty undercurrent that you would want to be well clear of.
Well done for being a good citizen, and I'm very glad you got away with it. I've had one or two experiences in the past that have made me realise that you have absolutely no way of knowing what sort of person you are dealing with, so I probably wouldn't have been so brave, especially when violence had already started.
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I think we know the "victim" as someone who used to work in a shop here, and TBH I don't know that he did run off, or just carried on his way. Once I got lout back into his car I then got into my van and drove off. I was running late.
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Sounds as if there may have been a verbal exchange or earlier history that Hugo didn't catch. Certain words or concepts really do make some people go berserk, and these things differ in different segments of society, as I discovered the hard way in my youth.
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Sounds as if there may have been a verbal exchange or earlier history that Hugo didn't catch.....
I think you may have hit the nail on the head there, the more I think about it....
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>>as I discovered the hard way in myyouth.
One can never predict quite how one will behave in given circumstances but I have to say that Hugo's comportment by his account was exemplary. I tend to let people unknown to me get on with it when they are battering each other, although if murder was actually being done I might remonstrate mildly from a safe distance.
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Hugo.
How tall are you?
Weight?
How young?
Chest measurement?
Biceps?
Local amatuer boxer?
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Tom
6'4"
Erm 17st ??
40
don't know
don't know
no
However, I obviously have attitiude to make up for it ;)
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I think the first two answers account for much.
If I saw you getting out of your car, I'd stay in mine ;>)
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I think the first two answers account for much. If I saw you getting out of your car I'd stay in mine ;>)
The irony was that this idiot was parked at the lights, and would have blocked me when they changed as he was laying into the other guy, rather than sitting waiting to move off.
Although it may have not been a major factor, it would have annoyed me to think that my journey was delayed because the driver in front was otherwise engaged. The timing was just right so I could pull away when the lights changed.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 16/11/2007 at 20:48
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Good for you, Hugo.
Glad it worked out alright.
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tenner says the incident had something to do with the car driver's passenger...:-) especially if it's a small village
having lived in a small Dartmoor village in my youth!
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I don't know if life just passes me by but I've never locked my car when driving through cities or been aware of any violence going on around me. Bt I stopped driving flash cars years ago so maybe it's just me being completely anonymous or something, I dunno.
Despite the fact that civilians shouldn't intervene as the law is a complete ass I take my hat off to you for your actions. I think most people believe they should be able to make a stand but fear of reprisals (or just getting a slap) stops them. A while back I verbally laid into a teenager who was kicking some pedestrian guards into the trench of some roadworks and made him get them out, but he was on his own and I'm a rather ugly thickset sort of bloke so I got lucky. Doubtless he would have been a bit more defiant if he'd had a couple of mates with him, and I might not have done anything as well.
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" I don't know if life just passes me by but I've never locked my car when driving through cities"
Many years ago, a young bloke who had been drinking or using drugs, pulled open the passenger door on my 2CV, stationary in Bradford and tried to *touch* my very attractive fair haired girlfriend.
we laughed about it afterwards, but on reflection, if he had come in with a knife......
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A while back I verbally laid into a teenager who was kicking some pedestrian guards into the trench of some roadworks and made him get them out but he was on his own......
A couple of years ago I caught the then local possey moving cones outside our house into the middle of the road. I knew exactly who they were and shouted to them to put them back. A few of them tried to hide behind cars etc but one of them came forward and obliged.
I got no abuse and I thanked the lad who sorted the cones. I even mentioned it to his mother a few days later and said that I was pleased that he had taken responsibility for his actions. She didn't know where to turn as the only thing she had heard to date about her kids was a continuous stream of complaints.
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I don't know if life just passes me by but I've never locked my car when driving through cities
my new c4 piccasso automatically locks the doors as soon as i drive off. a very nice touch and makes me feel a little bit safer
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My van has a central locking button that locks all the doors etc. They don't lock automatically but I do have the option of pressing the button.
Until I had this van I never really thought of this problem with the older van. There was no CL on this and it would have been easy for anyone to open a door at the back or side if I handn't locked them before getting in the drivers side. Unlike a car it is impossible to reach over to the doors and lock them from inside.
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I admire what you did but I do not have the balls to do likewise. There are too many Kenneth Noyes about. Though I suppose you were able to see that he was not 'tooled up'.
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I admire what you did........ (and other similar comments)
Thanks for all the complements from fellow posters. My response to this incident was probably more out of fustration that someone thought it was acceptable to behave like that in public. I was actually quite annoyed with the guy who did this. I strongly believe that it is time this country was taken back from the idiots who, for far too long have been allowed to behave in an unacceptable manner.
However, I will say to his credit that he was not abusive to me. He was probably embarressed. He may do the same again in the future, but it is IMO less likely.
After reading some of your comments and reflected on the people who didn't get out, 'I now have more sympathy for them. I made a decision that was different to theirs and they nor I should be judged by that.
Was I pleased with what I did? Yes, because it went well. As some of you have said it could have gone the other way, and then you would have heard about it via the media.
I suppose I did a risk assessment and judged that the biggest risk there was to me was getting hit. Last time this happened a few years ago I managed to overpower the assailant, get him to apologise and drop the matter then let him go. I'm not one to seek retribution. I don't deny that I deliberately bristled with attitude when I approached the assailant, this may have worked in my favour. However I wanted to make it known to him that I meant him no harm but wanted him back in his car where he belonged NOW.
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IMHO it's the larger/can look after themselves who come to grief by knives/guns when trying to intervene - perceived as a problem/threat which knuckles or boots can't neutralise.
Hugo, I think you're a brave and lucky man.
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>>I don't know if life just passes me by but I've never locked my car when driving through cities
SWMBO was due to pick me up one evening. We'd arranged a time and place. As I was walking there I realised I was catching her up in a queue of traffic. I opened the passenger door and sat down.
She reckoned we were lucky she didn't write the car off on the back of the one in front.
She (and everyone she's told this tale to) now drive with all doors locked!
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there used to be a gang of lads in my neighbourhood who thought it entertaining to throw eggs at the large picture windows we have here in our 70's build estate. The resulting BANG terrified my young children. So one time I lay in wait for night after night and BINGO they came round again and before they threw anything I jumped out. Well all 7 of then ran and ran and finally hid behind some hedges whilst I ranted and raved at them. Eventually they came out and I had some 'serious' discussion with them. Plod arrived eventually and advised me if I'd so much as touched any of them I'd be in court the next morning regardless of the terror they'd exposed my children to.
Moral of this story - be VERY careful how you conduct yourself around those breaking the law.
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We have a very good relationship with the local plod, to the extent that I felt happy to phone them today and explain what had happened.
I didn't want to report the incident but let them know that I was there for any info if they needed it. They were actually very grateful for me taking the trouble to talk to them.
Tonight I met someone who witnessed some of what went down, unbeknown to me at the time. They were asking what started it etc.
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