Who the hell are you??? *contains violence against an SC*

[customersruinmylife]

Happy New Year everyone from the UK!!

Anyway, I'll tell you an SC story from tonight!

It is packed (a bar on New Years Eve, who would have thought??) and we are all serving as quickly as we can. I should also note that it was a non-uniform night, so we were all dressed in normal clothes. This is why it took us a while to react.

It is absolutely full of people and we are all too busy concentrating on our customers. I see a shape fly past me and starts making cocktails on the back bar. I don't look directly at this figure, as I am too busy concentrating on my own drinks. Next thing I know, I hear a co-worker scream.

CW: WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU???

I look, and it is a CUSTOMER. The SC had walked behind the bar, and started making his own drinks right beside me! We were all so busy that it took us about twenty seconds to notice.

Me: OH MY GOD! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?
SC: Well, its crowded so I thought I'd make my own! I have the money! Here!

Shoves money into my hand.

Me: GET OUT! GET THE FUCK OUT!

SC runs away. But he had an accomplice. A friend of his started running down the bar, and started unloading all the bar snacks into his pockets. He stupidly decided to run in my direction. Now, I do NOT condone violence against customers, but I was actually afraid at this point. Someone we didn't know was running around behind the bar, we had registers open and everything, so when he ran towards me and my register, I just did the first thing that came into my head.

I kicked the SC...HARD. I got him right below the knee and he went down, crushing all the poor bar snacks. At this point, the CW who spotted the two SC's had collected the manager.

The manager ended up "escourting" the two men off the premisis, and by that I mean throwing them through a set of closed doors. It was such a good job that no one called the police, because if they did, I probably would have ended up in the shit...big time!

So, my last SC of 2007! And it was one never to forget!

[BookstoreEscapee]

Aw, the poor bar snacks...

hmm...now I want Cheetos...

I think you were justified, if it's any consolation...

[crazylegs]

Nothing like a premptive strike to protect people and property, nothing wrong there methinks.

[HowMayIHelpMe?]

You didn't do anything, anything at all, at ALL, wrong.

What if that guy had a weapon and was intent on harming you or your colleagues?

What if he was going after your money?

Of COURSE violence would have been appropriate.

The fact of the matter is that it's unwarranted violence that people ought to frown upon,
but if you are defending your own physical person (that's priority number
one), or if you are defending a co-worker or the business you work
in (that's priority number two), then you are justified in using any means --
any at all -- even if it means the customers leaving in an ambulance.

Remember this: any alternative to defending yourself is unthinkable.

[Peppergirl]

The only and I do mean ONLY thing wrong about this story is the poor, innocent bar snacks who had their lives sacrificed because of a stupid SC.

Kidding aside, you reacted completely appropriately.

What a f-ckhorn!

[customersruinmylife]

Phew! I was really worried because the whole thing was caught on camera! The manager showed me the footage afterwards. The SC could have so easily called the cops on me for flooring him in that amusing way, and they would have footage to prove it. Thankfully they were wasted and probably have no memory of it. I was at work tonight and nothing came of it.

That is the first time I have EVER taken phsyical force against an SC. Usually I use my wit and confuse them into leaving!

[Dorath]

I don't know about the UK, but if the U.S. police had seen the video they'd be just as likely to arrest the customer.

[Record Store Tough Guy]

Why would the cops arrest you if you seriously could make the argument you were not only defending yourself, but also preventing an attempted theft? There were enough boundaries violated by both customers that I wouldn't even think the cops would try to pin anything on you as well.

I don't think you have anything to worry about. Period.

[Tria]

Why would the cops arrest you if you seriously could make the argument you were not only defending yourself, but also preventing an attempted theft? There were enough boundaries violated by both customers that I wouldn't even think the cops would try to pin anything on you as well.

I don't think you have anything to worry about. Period.

While the OP is in the UK and I know fuck all about the laws there.... Um, I THINK the legal limit is 18 years there.... The OP is DAMN lucky he/she isn't in the US.... We're at the point where people get sued over stupid shit and there's a WARNING about PEANUTS in my PEANUT butter. And MILK in my MILK. I tendto see that as common sense, oh wait....

BVut yeah, common sense dictates the OP did the right thing.... I dunno how the UK laws go though.

[Liminality]

Yeah, you've got nothing to worry about. You had no idea whether the guy was carrying weapons and was going to rob the store while your co-workers were distracted with the person who went behind the bar.

[customersruinmylife]

Yeah but this is the UK though. You read it in newspapers all the time about people getting arrested after beating up someone who breaks into their home.

[princess4life]

Yeah but this is the UK though. You read it in newspapers all the time about people getting arrested after beating up someone who breaks into their home.

It happens here in the US as well, he may not have called the police and I think you where justified.

Just a heads up though here in the US even if the police where not called it does not mean that they SC may take cival action. At the concert venue I work at we have 1 SC press charges because he was kicked out for starting a fight, he tried fighting security and he got hurt in the process.

[crazylegs]

Yeah but this is the UK though. You read it in newspapers all the time about people getting arrested after beating up someone who breaks into their home.

Let me tell you a couple of tales. The intenion is to make you feel better, not to start a debate on legal wraglings, thats for www.fratching.com (end self disclaimer)

Tony Martin was arrested because he shot the burglar in the back as said burglar was climbing *out* of the window, the second one was shot whilst running away. Neither could be considered a threat as they had their back to Martin and were moving away from him.

Second Case Study.

(alas I have no names for this one)
Man finds intruder in his house. Intruder makes threats to homeowner and moves towards him. Homeowner stabs intruder once (sofar not a problem). Intruder staggers out of house and collapses in street, at which point homeowner makes his way to intruder, sits on top of him and stabs him a further *15* times. It was at that point an offence was commited, as the intruder was, again, no longer a threat to either the homeowner nor their property. (papers merely report homeowner arrested after stabbing intruder, no detail submitted)

Interesting fact of law
A liscencee (or someone acting on their behalf) may use reasonable force to eject someone from the liscenced premises whom they have already asked to leave.

A little note.

As long as you can justify the level of force used you can use it, in this case I feel the force was justified.

Yes I live in the UK, I'm a PCSO (again see fratching for *that* little debate) but if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

Stay Safe