Attacked on a Train by SC! (Long-ish)

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Yeah, I'm afraid I have a very quick backhand reflex, as a number of people have found out the hard way.

I don't deliver a nice, ladylike slap, either. It's more like a throw-the-whole-arm-into-it haymaker kind of slap.

And if I'm in a place where I feel like the odds of someone trying to make a lunch out of me is fairly high, I'm usually packing a blade at the very least and have it at the ready.

I'm not saying the OP did the wrong thing. She did the right thing. But saying other people wouldn't react with violence is naive. I think I can pretty safely say if I was alone in a subway car, and someone attacked me, then there would be blood and probably cops in Scene 2. I'm not saying I would win, but I'm saying the situation would very likley be more than the asshole bargained for.

If this guy normally expresses displeasure in this fashion, he's eventually going to screw with someone who is going to shine some daylight on his guts for him. He's going to grab the wrong person and it's going to go very, very badly for him.

As for the mace or pepper spray...I dunno, discharging something like that in such a confined space would probably end up taking everyone around you down, too. Of course, it would likely neutralize the threat, but it might cause a serious problem for some innocent bystander. Still, I guess if someone was in real peril, it would be better than nothing.

[silver_sonic]

Woo Sydney...

[Samaliel]

I was once attacked in a train, when I was about 16 (I can't remember exactly). I was reading by myself on the platform, a guy sat beside me and started small talking. I didn't feel threatened until the moment I went in the train. The guy sat in front of me and four other dudes showed up from no where and sat across the aisle and started talking with the first guy, like "Who's the kid ?" "He's cool, I've been talking with him". They still were pretty friendly but I was feeling uncomfortable. And I was alone in this car of the train, with them.

That's when I realized I made a mistake. I told them I was on my way to buy some manga. The guy in front of me got up and asked me "If I search you, will I find money ?" Okay, things are going to get ugly if I begin to lie to him and he finds out, and by the tone of his voice, he is going to find out.
"I only have 50 francs" (approx 10$ / 5£, at the time)
"You said you were going to but some manga. You gotta have more."
"Nope, I know what I want to get, it's 30Fr. I didn't take more than I needed. I don't feel comfortable with more than 50Fr." (It was my weekly allowance, so I thought it was a lot of money).
"Cellphone ?"
"No. My parents can't afford to get me one. I have a phone card."
"Hand it over."
"Wait, it's only a 50-units (50 minutes of local, 25 of national or 10 minutes of international call), and it's half spent... You won't be able to do much with it !"
"Give it to me."
"... Okay, here it is."
"Your money, now."
"What ? No ! It's my allowance !"
"Give !"

At that point, the guy in front of me had reached for my collar and I was clutching my wallet in my fist. And you might wonder why I wouldn't give my wallet while I played along untile then. Here's the reason : until then, I was scared shitless. But at one point, anger took over fear. Anger which then turned in rage. I was literally boiling. I knew I wouldn't have stood a chance, even in one on one, but I wanted him to try and hit me, I wanted him to give me a reason to retaliate. Fear only prevented me from striking first.

"Let go of your wallet, or else..."
"No, I won't !"

Then, the train arrived in the next station, where I had planned to get off before all this happened. Fortunately, there were cops on the platform. Two of the four other guys were on the lookout and shouted : "Drop it, man ! Cops ! Let's move !"

They got off the train, laughing their asses off, and went back in the next car. I got off the train behind them. I wanted to yell for help. I couldn't, still shaken. I wanted the cops to run after them. Too late. The train was already leaving. The cops couldn't do anything, anyway, since they knew nothing of the whole event.

Since there was nothing left to fear, the threat being obviously gone, I was left with utter rage. I was angry at those muggers, at myself for being so naive, at the whole world, and started kicking a pillar. I had mostly vented it off by the time the cops got to me.

"You need help ?", one of them asked, sarcastically.
"You're a bit late for that, but thanks."
"Uh ? You know, you shouldn't be kicking pillars. Even though it's not likely you'll damage it, it's still public property. You shouldn't do that."
"Yeah, I know I shouldn't, but I just got mugged ! They stole my phone card ! They were 5 on me !"
"Mugged ? By whom ?"
"The five guys you saw running on the platform ! Just got off the train and back on the next car ! They were laughing like mad ! You can't have not noticed them !"
"Why didn't you call for help ?"
"I was shitting my pants ! That's why ! And then I needed to vent it off !"
"Okay, understood. But you shouldn't vent off on public property. Did they hurt you ? What did they take ? If you want to file a complaint, we'll take you to the police station."

Today, I think it's funny, because five big tough wannabe gangstas ganging up on one skinny teenager, and while they got away with it, all they actually got away with is a damn phone card (approx. value : 25Fr / 5$ / 2.5£), half of which was freaking spent. Yeah, great job dudes. Tony Montana would be impressed, no doubt. Next time, try stealing a toddler's pacifier.

At the time, while not small, I wasn't tall either (1.70m, I think), and skinny as hell (no more than 50kg). The good thing is, I had only muscles. The bad thing, I didn't know how to use them.

Now I'm about 1.90m for 100kg and, despite the glasses, a "viking barbarian" look. Unsurprisingly, I haven't been bothered in quite a while, now. I still should take a few self defense class, though, because you never know. Looking impressive fends off most of wannabe gangstas, but won't help much in front of a real criminal.

[Evil Queen]

*fans self* I like vikings...

[mariamousie1]

I think you should let the police know. Even if you don't want to deal with the police, it'd be worse to just let the guy get away with assaulting you. I really hope the police do something.

[dispatch]

wow...just, wow! I know there's a few people out there who I've royally pissed off by not being able to make a tow truck appear in front of them, and considering that most of the two years I've been there was spent specifically dispatching for Omaha, I've counted myself lucky that some asshole hasn't tracked down my workplace and waited for me.
Kudos on staying calm lexi! I think after that you've earned yourself a stiff drink or two, lol

[aniwahya]

Er what a bloody stupid, yet strangely lucky man. You could have reasonably responded with force to his actions. In fact between getting aggressive (standing up and questioning him)and the good samaritan coming to your aid, it sounds to me as though you changed the power dynamic significantly. Forcing the madman to play defense rather than progressing his assault of you to further levels of violence.

It is good that you informed the transit security (or police?) of the incident, and if you have not already I would mention the incident to a sympathetic manager. Consider this, if the man calls the number and doesn't get what he considers a satisfactory response, he may then decide to seek revenge at a local store (or he may figure out which is your store from where you got on the stop, picking a store thats close). Even if he is not specifically looking for you, running into you may trigger another rage response because in his mind (if you giving him the number and telling him to call doesn't work out for him) he will have a personal reason, however irrational, to be angry with you.

Someone that assaults a stranger on a train simply because of a name tag and uniform, if someone who is very, very dangerous. Especially since he immediately escalated to violence, the degree of which probably would have been much worse had the power dynamic not shifted.

Oh, and i say he is lucky because there are a lot of people who would have had an immediate, instinctive and decisive (and quite satisfying) reaction to someone grabbing them like that.
I am with everyone else who has said, more or less, that had that happened to me that "man" would not have left the train of his own volition because I interpret someone laying hands on me, as them wanting me to lay hands (not the pally spell either)on them.

In response to texasbelle5:
I am not just saying that frivolously. My close friends and family know better than to touch me in any way that could be interpreted as aggressive, and they never, ever surprise me or wake me that way. It is not an uncommon reaction, in my experience, for anyone who has been subjected to severe trauma (both longterm and short). A classmate once punched my shoulder while we were in the lunch line. After I choked her out (while having other classmates trying to pull me off her) I realized she had not been trying to hurt me. Another time i dislocated another classmates jaw because they ran directly at me in again, what I interpreted as a threatening manner. I never intended to hurt them, and I do not believe that I have the right to lay hands on another person (with the exception of defending myself against and friends/family from serious harm), so I am not condoning violent behavior. However, whether it is the result of nurture or nature, violent reaction precedes rational thought if certain buttons are pressed, *especially* if something surprises me.

[AnqeiicDemise]

Do you know me? No, so don't say what I would or would not do...

I am a very protective person, both of myself, and others. So yes, I would have attacked him. It's an instinctual reaction for me.

I agree with you there, LG.. I know my husband would have beaten the snot out of him. Usually he keeps his mind clear but when someone touches me/him all bets are off. Instinct kicks in and its not always pretty.

He's supposed to register himself as a human weapon, put it that way.

And, he has, once, flipped me over onto the sofa when I surprised the bejeesus out of him. (This was prior to us getting married)

So, yes.. I can totally see someone reacting in a *very* unpleasant way.

Hell, I can see myself having either one of these reactions 1) freak out and freeze or 2)black out and terribly injure.