Realtors assaulted

There has been a couple of assaults on female Realtors (real estate agents) lately. In New Zealand, a 41-year-old agent was lured to a remote Wairarapa property -- a house east of Carterton -- by a 38-year-old man Saturday morning.

The woman fought for her life and stabbed her attacker who allegedly assaulted, bound and tried to kidnap her. As the would-be kidnapper attempted to force her into the boot of his car, she made her escape by grabbing a screwdriver and stabbing him in the head.

In South Bend, Indiana (US), police said a man attacked a local Realtor as she was showing him a house for sale Friday afternoon.

As he was shown the basement, the man reportedly produced a knife, demanded money and grabbed the Realtor. The woman fought him off, and he took off while she called police.

With the current housing crisis, police now begin to worry real estate agents may be less cautious.

Door-to-door dangers

During a period of eight months houstonpress.com have investigated door-to-door magazine sales across the country.

They say the industry has seen at least three murders and one attempted murder; one stabbing, one rape and two attempted rapes; one vehicle fatality and one attempted abduction of a 13-year-old girl.

My suggestion is that you take the time to read this article in full, it's shocking to say the least.

Carjackers killed woman

In Texas, a woman -- a mother of five -- was brutally stabbed to death when she fought back during a carjacking in northeast Harris County (Houston). Now, one of the suspects have been arrested, according to khou.com.

The woman was walking into a mobile phone store when a man, attempting to steal her car, grabbed her car keys. It is believed that the woman fought the would-be carjacker because her 4-month-old daughter was still in the car.

The 24-year-old assailant, which authorities say are an illegal immigrant, stabbed the woman several times. He then got into a waiting car driven by an accomplice. The store's security cameras captured the brutal attack.

Not long before the deadly attack, the assailant was caught in security video stealing beer from a convenience store, police said.

The carjackers -- using knives and targeting women -- reportedly began their crime spree at convenience store Tuesday in Northeast Harris County.

A surveillance video shows the passenger of a car getting out of the vehicle and walking into the store. On of the carjackers then approached the driver, waiting in the vehicle.

Using a knife, he forced her out and she hurried inside, uninjured, police said. Then the second carjacker jumped into the vehicle, hopping in the driver's seat. The stolen car then takes off.

The next day, the same men targeted another woman, police said. Again, the carjacked victim was unharmed. The third woman targeted Wednesday night fought back, and was tragically killed.

Illegal cabs again

Don't mind jumping into an illegal cab after a night out? What's the problem you say?

Well, let us use Oslo, my town in Norway as an example. Just in a couple of days there has been reported several instances of rape and other serious criminal activities involving illegal taxi drivers. One driver alone was recently accused of three sexual assaults against drunk, young female victims.

Then there's another case where a 41-year-old woman was raped and robbed. As if the sexual trauma is not enough, the travel insurance company have refused to pay the woman for the values she was robbed of.

Why? They claim the victim is to blame by getting into an illegal cab under the influence of alcohol.

Even if this may be a tough call, it points to the very real dangers of getting into one of these vehicles - if anything happens, you're basically on your own.

Your typical bouncer?

Probably far from it - this guy seems to be one really mean and depraved individual.

According to guardian.co.uk, the 39-year-old is on trial, accused of murdering two women (19 and 22 years old). Both reportedly died after being struck with a blunt instrument. The man is also on trial for two attempted murders and one count of kidnap and false imprisonment.

According to the paper he has previous court appearances dating back to when he was 13. He had admitted offences ranging from vehicle theft, having an offensive weapon to assaulting a police officer.

He was jailed for a total of 13 months in 1991 for hitting a constable in the face, common assault on a special constable and failing to surrender.

In February 2005, he was jailed for eight months and banned from driving for seven years for dangerous driving after being stopped on a motorway hard shoulder at 70mph.

And this guy was working as a bouncer (doorman)...

Now, you may all say that most bouncers are not like this person here, and fortunately you're right. However, and this is my point, there are too many in that line of work who pose a real danger to those around them.

How do I know - I used to work the doors myself. It used to be worse, but there are still too many young guys out there with far too much testosterone, short fuses, little or no empathy, steroids, drug abuse, criminal connections and what have you not.

Norwegian psychologist Per Isdal describes in his book "Meningen Med Volden" ("The Purpose of Violence" - unfortunately available in Norwegian only as far as I know) amongst other things how one bouncer used his work to set people up for violence. A scary read; even more so if you knew that there are more guys like this out there.

One small piece of advice: Do not talk back at bouncers - it really does you no good at all. What it potentially can do is get you and others hurt.

And by all means - let us not forget that most of these folks are nice, hard working, under-paid and under a lot of stress. Be nice, boys and girls :-)

A good Samaritan killed

I'm sure you've read or heard about the 39-year-old New York City subway conductor, Maurice Parks, who just recently fought off three muggers? The man allegedly trained martial arts at a Harlem 'elite dojo', and he used a knife to defend himself.

It is believed the robbery victim inadvertently may have killed Flonarza Byas, a young man who tried to help him during the incident. As nydailynews.com writes: "(...) a good Samaritan who waded into the bloody fight, was fatally stabbed - and investigators say it's likely that Parks delivered the fatal wound not knowing that Byas was trying to help."

Now, this is a tragic incident for all involved. I am really sorry for the young man who was killed while trying to help, and I really hope that the three young muggers will be tried as adults and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

What I would like to draw some attention to is how terribly wrong things can go if you just "wade into" an incident without knowing how it is perceived by the one (or ones) you are trying to help.

It is virtually impossible to distinguish who is who in the middle of a fight like this! Why do you think police uses verbal commands during their interventions?

So if you decide to intervene (which I really hope you will do), please make sure you state up front who you are and what you are doing - in a loud and clear voice. Of course it is always (if there's time) your best bet to call police first, and then try to help in other ways. You may also want to state loudly that you have called police, and that they are on their way (this goes even if you haven't called police...).

If you can not see who the attackers are - you can not distinguish the victim (or victims) from the attacker (or attackers) - it is not very wise to intervene directly/in a physical sense. If, on the other hand, you do know who you are in fact trying to help - make yourself known to that person (or those persons) - visually as well as verbally!

Glass danger

It's been said here before - if a fight breaks out, chances are great that someone will grab the nearest item to be used as a weapon. And if that happens to be a bottle or some other glass item, the consequences can be disastrous.

Story:
Australia -- A 20-year-old woman glassed in the face and now blind in one eye has demanded pubs and clubs be forced to use toughened plastic cups, according to news.com.au.

She made the plea from her hospital bed where she remained in pain since being attacked on a dance floor early on Sunday morning.

The victim says the altercation between her and her alleged attacker at the pub in Wollongong occurred after they bumped into one another while dancing.

"We exchanged words and within 30 seconds I had a glass hurled into my face," she said.

Cell phone strike

Glad there are instances when a cell phone comes to good use! As we all know by now, it can be a major source of distraction.

Story:
Tennessee -- Authorities have charged a 52-year-old postal worker who apparently attempted to abduct a 15-year-old girl Monday night, November 12 at a store in Cordova.

The girl, who was alone, had just left the store about 6 p.m., when the man approached her from behind.

"He initially told her to, 'Come here,' when she refused. The victim turned away and started walking back toward the store. The suspect then grabbed her and tore her shirt," a police spokeswoman said.

"She did strike him with her cell phone. She was definitely trying to get away. She felt she was in danger. She did not know this person and so she escaped serious injuries."

The "puppy trap"

local6.com in Florida has conducted an experiment which shows how easy it is to lure children away using puppies. A chilling read indeed.

Story:
A controlled experiment outside Central Florida homes found that a stranger with puppies could easily lure children into leaving inside a van.

Armed with a van filled with hidden cameras, a producer posing as a stranger with two puppies pulled into a Seminole County neighborhood.

With the parents' permission and blessing, they began a stranger danger test. The first test involved a large group of children ranging in age from 4 to 8 years old.

It took less than a minute before the children not only came close to the van but and then piled inside.

Danger

Interfering in a fight or a heated argument between a couple (man/woman) has proven to involve a great deal of danger - the case below is a typical one.
Great care should always be taken if you decide to get directly involved.
Your best course of action is probably to call police, get help from others, stay back and say loud and clear to the offender that police have been called.

From Salem, Oregon salem-news.com reports about a man who attacked a veterinarian outside an animal clinic Sunday night.

Police say the veterinarian saw a man and woman arguing outside of the clinic, and she tried to break it up.

The man then attacked the vet, knocking her to the ground, and tried to strangle her police said. Both the man and woman fled the scene on foot.

'Bach attack'

Is this going to get the 'hip-hopping' individuals to move? Definitely. Will it remove the problem? Probably not.

I have mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating. While I worked the doors, smart DJ's knew how to "remove" unwanted individuals by playing music they absolutely hated. Also the (good) DJ's could often times spot brewing trouble and use music accordingly.
Needless to say - one of the best ways to get people out (and alert the bouncers) was to stop the music immediately when someone started a fight.

Story:
Washington -- Tacoma city authorities, fed up with gang activity in public places, are taking Bach their bus stop.

Transit workers are installing speakers this week to pump classical music from a Seattle radio station into the Tacoma Mall Transit Center. The tactic is designed to disperse young criminals who make drug deals at the bus stop or use public transportation to circulate between the mall and other trouble-prone places.

The attack by Bach, Brahms and Beethoven follows the theory that prompted the city to stage pinochle games on dangerous street corners: Jolting the routine in such spots throws criminals off balance.

"It's based on routine activity theory and situational crime prevention. You mix different types of activities in locations that are crime-ridden to change the composition of the environment," said a psychologist who chairs the Criminal Justice Department at Seattle University.

A 19-year-old male said troublemakers won't like the orchestral strains, but they'll probably just move somewhere out of earshot.

Source

A "toy"?

You may have heard about the British woman who was shot and killed by police recently. She was waving a "toy" gun around ...

Story:
They're so realistic, the U.S. military uses them for simulation training, but they're all the rage during adolescent play.

Toy guns that are marketed to "make you feel like you're 'packing' the real thing," airsoft guns are also fast becoming a problem - actually mistaken for the real thing - and have many fearing big problems could follow these small-pellet shooting guns.

Airsoft guns are BB-style toy guns that use plastic pellets actually much larger - so less likely to break skin upon impact - than regular BBs. They're sold, over the Internet and in retail stores in some states, in many models, including pistols and rifles, that look just like the real thing.

An alarming concern is when the toy guns are mistaken for the real thing in dangerous situations.

Last month, a Framingham teenager fleeing police tossed an airsoft gun on the ground during chase, and police thought it was an actual weapon. No one was injured. Earlier this month, police nearly shot a teenage boy in California when they found him and two others playing with the toy guns on an elementary school playground, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

Source

A bargain

Negotiating with a robber? Sure, why not - as long as you're able to assess the dangers involved, it is absolutely possible at times.
It is of course far better to let a robber have your money without any resistance what so ever. After all, you still have the most important stuff - your life; plus your keys, vital papers, drivers licence, and bank cards.

Story:
Brooklyn, New York -- Two women were attacked at gunpoint in separate subway station incidents just days - and blocks - apart, police said.

One victim managed to bargain her assailant down, and the other held onto her belongings, but suffered a terrible beating.

On May 27, a thug with a silver semi-automatic gun robbed a woman leaving a G-train station at 11 p.m. She stepped off a Queens-bound train and was headed up the stairs, out of the station, when she was attacked.

The man in front of her suddenly wheeled around and pointed the shiny 9mm gun in her face. "Give me your purse," the man said. But the woman stalled, asking, "Can I just give you my wallet?"

When he agreed, she actually pulled out cash from her billfold and handed over the greenbacks - a total of $165.

"Now walk down the stairs," the robber instructed. She complied, turning and heading back down into the station.

Source

Knife rampage

Just in case you ever wondered just how dangerous weapon a knife can be ...

Story:

A man armed with 50cm knife killed nine people, including six children, and wounded 17 others in a drunken rampage in a central Philippine province on Saturday morning, police said.

Source

There were red flags

Oregon -- On May 24, 2004, just before allegedly kidnapping, raping and killing a 19-year-old college student, the 40-year-old suspected killer stalked and then approached two other women near Oregon State University. He then tried to lure them into his van, prosecutors say. He intended to rape and kill them, too, a Benton County District Attorney said.

The man tried to coax the women, both OSU students at the time, close to the van. But the women, who were alone, sensed trouble.

"There were red flags," the District Attorney said. "He tried to engage them with conversation and conduct that clearly establishes that he is trying to lure them into the van, but he just can't get within striking distance."

The victim was last seen about 10 a.m. May 24, 2004, cleaning lampposts in the parking lot of apartments managed by her brother-in-law near the Corvallis campus. Police and thousands of friends and strangers searched unsuccessfully for her for two weeks. Her body has not been found.

Source

Self-defense? Naturally ...

One single punch can be devastating ...
And this young punk claiming self-defense? How sad - how pathetic.

Story:
UK -- A 26-year-old man was celebrating a friend's birthday in Newcastle city centre and he and his companions began playfully throwing some takeaway chips at each other as they walked to catch a taxi home.

One of the chips hit a woman walking near the group, and her 19-year-old boyfriend reacted angrily, shouting at them in an accusing way.The 26-year-old walked over saying "sorry, mate" and with his hands outstretched to apologise for the incident.

Seconds later, it is alleged, the aggressor punched him in the face, causing the victim to fall "like a piece of wood" straight back onto a set of railings outside a sandwich shop. Despite paramedics arriving minutes later and taking him to hospital, the Newcastle University student died of massive head injuries.

The jury was told that the 19-year-old assailant, had just six weeks earlier been involved in a similar attack when he punched a man in a taxi queue - breaking his jaw.

The accused denies manslaughter. The court heard he is likely to say he hit out in self-defense.

Source

Didn't like the feeling

Seems very strange to me that the parents didn't check with the modelling agency, all the time her mother got this creepy "something isn't right" feeling.

Story:
Minnesota -- A 17-year-old girl told her parents a photographer had approached her at a local store, claiming to be affiliated with a modeling agency. The man even gave her $200 to buy clothes for the photo shoot.

"To make that money quick, there is something not right. I didn't like the feeling I got," said her mother. The parents took several steps to check out the man. They even contacted local police to check out his criminal history. They found out he had a clean record.

However, when the teen showed up at the hotel room in Brooklyn Park in March, she said she became frightened when the photographer locked the door. The man then showed her other teenager's pictures, some partially clothed, some younger than she. "Right there I was, oh my God, I mean, how much younger, I am 17-years-old and she looked very young and it scared me," the girl said.

After taking several photos of girl, she said, "All of a sudden he grabbed me by the shirt and ripped my shirt off and threw that on the ground." When the man stepped into the bathroom, the girl said she escaped, first peaking at his wallet to learn he had given her a fake name. She then ran to her car, called her Mom and then police.

Source

Homeless

Unusual? Just because attacks on prostitutes and homeless people don't get reported to authorities, doesn't make them unusual.

Story:
California -- A homeless woman fought off a would-be rapist in Mountain View this week, an attack police described as unusual.

The attack happened about 3:30 a.m. Monday. The woman, sleeping in bushes, began to scream for help when a man tried to pull off her sleeping bag.

The assailant began strangling the woman and sexually assaulted her before fleeing. Her screams alerted someone in the neighborhood, who in turn called police.

Some formerly homeless local residents say sexual assaults on homeless women are pervasive but simply never reported to the police.

"For women out there, there's always people coming on to them, all the time," said an outreach worker.

A former homeless woman in Palo Alto, said women living on the streets frequently have to fight off unwanted advances. Men approached her regularly, she said.

Reportedly, the most dangerous time is the first week of each month, when some predators spend welfare and Social Security checks on drugs and alcohol.

Source

'Mall-Wart'?

Quite alarming statistics regarding Wal-Mart ...

Story:
Wal-Mart complexes experience a significant number of police incidents, more so than at other shopping complexes. This is according to a national study published less than a year ago by United Food and Commercial Workers International Union at WakeUpWalMart.com.

The study examined police reports associated with 551 Wal-Mart stores across the country. It collected data from 404 police departments from 434 cities and towns.

The study demonstrates that nationally, Wal-Mart stores cost local taxpayers an estimated $77 million in increased police costs in 2004.

What the report calls "magnet for crime" is not limited to merely in-store crimes like shoplifting and check forgery. Included is also violent and serious crimes including rape, attempted rape, aggravated assault, burglary, auto-theft, arson, narcotics, kidnapping and murder.

The report shows that there were 1,024 auto thefts reported at Wal-Mart stores, 154 sex crimes, 23 kidnappings or attempted kidnappings and 1,145 assaults with a deadly weapon.

Source

Alcohol

I may enjoy a drink or two now and then - more and more seldom I might add. Still I have no problem seeing the potential dangers connected with alcohol consumption.

Story:
Guam -- Alcohol is the number one drug of choice among Guam's adolescents, and used by more young adults than any other illicit drug.

According to recent studies published in the medical journal, The Lancet, alcohol ranks among the five most dangerous drugs in our society. It has been ranked as being more dangerous than illegal drugs like marijuana or ecstasy.

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