Lame excuses #8

Ah yes, the good old "just fell into my hand" excuse. Doesn't get any more convincing than this :-)

A certified nut-case was arrested after arguing with a security guard at a condominium in Ocean City, Pennsylvania around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, according to mdcoastdispatch.com

The man was banging on a window causing it to break. He then picked up a large shard of the broken glass and tried to stab the guard with it.

The security guard told police the attacker tried to climb through the hole in the glass. The man allegedly lunged at the security guard with the large piece of glass and threatened to kill him.

He had "the wildest look on his face" and he was certain he would have killed him if another man he was with hadn't interceded, the guard said.

When questioned about the incident, the man acknowledged a piece of glass might have fallen into his hand and he might have made a motion toward the guard with it.

Like I said, I doesn't get any "better" than this.

Bait and switch

This method is quite often used by scam and fraud "artists". The classic case is to have you believe you buy an original, say, watch - and then switch to a fake once you have handed over your money.

As with most methods, it can be turned and utilised against the criminal. Here is one such case.
It also goes to show that these folks are not always the sharpest knife in the drawer...

Story:
Philippines -- Police say a taxi driver allegedly tried to rape a 27-year-old woman inside his cab on Saturday night in Quezon City (Manila), according to newsinfo.inquirer.net.

The woman reportedly told police how she boarded a taxi at around 8 p.m. Saturday. Shortly after, all the other passengers got off at the Metro Rail Transit station in Kamuning.

"The woman, who was in the back seat, said the driver asked her to sit beside him," a police spokesman said. When she did so, the woman said the driver took out a knife, pointed it at her and started touching her breasts.

The woman said she told the man that she would go with him to a hotel if they could eat first at a nearby fast food restaurant. While inside the restaurant, the victim quickly asked the security guard for help but the driver managed to run back to his van and take off.

"Safe" at home

It is a fact that most sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows, or have met prior to the crime.
And even when there is a stranger element involved, there is a greater possibility that the victims are being assaulted at, or close to, their own home.
By studying several thousand such cases - see 'women can' for more info - I can attest to the "incidents" described below. Mind you, these are just some recent, totally random examples.

Stories:
(February 7) Fayetteville, North Carolina -- A 29-year-old woman reported that a man broke into her condominium and raped her on January 26 2008.
Police are not linking that incident to three that were reported in the same area over an 18-month period, according to fayobserver.com.
The most recent of the linked cases happened in September 2007 when a 21-year-old woman said a man broke into her home and raped her.
A 45-year-old woman told police a man broke into her home and raped her in February 2007.
A man grabbed a 23-year-old woman from behind as she was jogging and raped her in August 2006.
Because of the ongoing investigation, police are not saying how they linked the three cases or give details of any of the incidents.

(February 4) New Jersey -- Point Pleasant Beach police say a man broke into a home on Saturday and attempted to sexually assault a woman at knifepoint, app.com reports.
The attacker fled, and the victim ran to the house of a neighbor, who called the police. She was treated for her injuries at a medical center and later released, police said.

(February 7) Washington, D.C. -- msnbc.msn.com reports about a man who entered a building on Monday at about 10 a.m. by ringing a woman's door buzzer from the outside of the building and telling her he was looking for an apartment to rent.
The man then reportedly sexually assaulted the woman inside her residence.

(February 7, 2008) -- An unidentified man targeted a 19-year-old Arizona State University, Tempe student living in an apartment complex located near the University according to abc15.com.
Investigators believe the suspect used the porch of the ground level apartment to climb into the porch of the second floor unit.
Investigators say the man got on top of the young woman, but she fought back, biting him and then he disappeared into the large complex. The 19-year-old student received minor injuries during the attempted sexual assault.

Lame excuses #2

In our ongoing series "It wasn't me" we have reached the often used 'sudden feeling'... This is commonly accompanied with "I'm sorry", and "I didn't mean to".

Story:
In Malaysia, nst.com.my reports about a 17-year-old who blamed his violence on a "sudden feeling which overcame him".

On April 21, 2007, an 18-year-old female college student was walking along a pedestrian lane in the college when the teenage security guard threw a rock at her from behind, causing her to fall to the ground.

The young man then dragged his victim into a nearby storeroom, undressed her and began to assault her. When the student screamed, he repeatedly hit her on the head with the rock. He tried to rape her, but when he failed to do so, he rolled his clothes to form a rope and tried to strangle her.

After begging him to stop, he set her free and she sought help from a male college friend who took her to a clinic.

A welfare officer read the probation report on the accused. He said the boy regretted his actions as they were a result of a "sudden feeling which overcame him". "He did not intend to hurt the student," the welfare officer said.

Great "security"

California -- In San Diego, a downtown security guard has been arrested, charged with sexually assaulting four women in a parking garage elevator, then taking a $100 bill from one of them, according to knbc.com.

The victims were reportedly walking to their car when a security guard directed them to into an elevator he was holding open.

While on the elevator, the guard stopped the car, pulled out a knife, then ordered them to disrobe. One of the victims offered the man a $100 bill to let them go, and he agreed, the spokesman said.

The victims went to police, and the suspect was arrested when the young women identified him as the perpetrator.

A 'chest-nut'

Metro.co.uk reports about a would-be shoplifter who squirted her breast milk at a store detective when he tried to stop her stealing goods.

The woman allegedly exposed her breasts and fired away after being confronted at a Co-op store.

The attack in Leicester, UK is thought to be the latest in a trend in which thieves try to get their DNA on security officers so they can accuse them of sexual attacks if caught.

A security company representative said: 'It started off with people picking their noses until they bleed and then accusing staff of assault.'

"It's too late!"

Are there people so stupid that they actually believe this? Come to think about it, working with loss prevention, I did meet a number of folks who was perhaps a little short with deposits on their IQ-account... :-)

Story:
A young city woman who apparently thought she couldn't be arrested for stealing once she left the store was in fact charged with multiple misdemeanors Monday after she fought with the department store security guard in White Plains who caught her, police said.

The 19-year-old thief "went into a rage, repeatedly yelling, 'It's too late. I already left the store,'" according to a police report of the incident, which took place shortly before 4 p.m. at .

The teenager was seen stealing a $251 pair of jeans at the store by the guard who followed her outside, police said. The guard apprehended the suspect after a struggle during which the suspect pulled the guard's hair, bit her on the wrist and choked her, police said. The guard was not seriously injured.

Source

Bad karaoke

As far as music goes, karaoke is probably the worst thing known to man. The only thing that comes close on the "shit-O-meter" is elevator and telephone on-hold music. Oh, boy!
Fair enough - I have heard karaoke singers that actually can sing. But the rest ... Mama mia!
Consequently, I can kind of understand the security dude her, even though killing the "artist" is taking your statement too far by any ones standard.
And just contemplate this line: "Deaths and violence are not uncommon in Philippine karaoke bars." Ouch! Must be lots of really bad singers over there. Or maybe some really aggressive music criticisers?

Story:
In a Philippine karaoke bar, a man has been shot dead by a security guard for singing out of tune.

The 29-year-old man was halfway through his song on Tuesday night in a bar in San Mateo town, east of Manila, when a 43-year-old security guard yelled that he was out of tune.

When the performer ignored his comments and continued singing, the guard pulled out his revolver and shot him in the chest. The victim died instantly according to police.

Source

Hazards at work, 43

Scotland -- A 56-year-old former sales executive was left with painful physical injuries after a 39-year-old man tried to rape her at a furniture store in broad daylight, July 2006. The woman had been left alone after a colleague she was paired with went off to speak to a client.

When she went back to her desk, she noticed the man sitting in one of the designer chairs. She asked what he wanted and followed as he pointed up a short flight of chairs towards French furnishings. The woman said the man jumped on her and smashed her to the floor. She screamed 'help' and one of the store's managers pulled the assailant away.

The woman had two broken bones in her hand and three displaced vertebrae in her neck after the attack. "I loved my job, but I resigned because I thought security in the store was totally inadequate," she said.

Source

Not paying attention

Illinois -- A 19-year-old Millikin University student fought off a would-be robber about 7:45 p.m. Friday.

The young woman told police she was walking from her apartment to a friend's apartment, Decatur police said.

"She was trying to text message a friend on her cell phone and wasn't paying a lot of attention to her surroundings," a police spokesman said. "A man came up behind her and grabbed her purse. She tried to run but the assailant grabbed the front of her shirt."

The woman punched her assailant in the upper body and ran back to her apartment where she called university security personnel. The would-be robber left empty-handed.

Source

Hazards at work, 30

As a corruption probe begins in New Zealand prisons, there is evidence an increasing number of guards and their families are living in fear.

New Corrections figures show a record nine prison officers called on police for protection last year.

One family was removed from its home and put into protective custody.

The Corrections Association president says threats to staff are increasing, along with beefed up prison security.

Source

Hazards at work, 28

I'm willing to bet that this perpetrator tailgated his intended victim. If you start to look at how employees use the doors when they enter back-rooms etc., it is easy to see how this is possible. It is scarily simple when someone is unaware!

A 20-year-old man was charged Saturday with attempted rape in an attack in the backroom of a K-Mart store.

Jackson County prosecutors accused Wilbert L. Hutchinson of following the victim, an employee, into the backroom then hitting and choking her.

According to court records, a security guard spotted Hutchinson as he followed the employee into the backroom and decided to check on the situation. When he arrived, he spotted Hutchinson choking the woman with both hands and trying to pull her pants down.

The security guard used a choke hold to get Hutchinson off the woman.

Source

Hazards at work, 6

Minnesota -- A man is being accused of forcing a housekeeper to engage in sexual relations with him at the Minneapolis Hyatt Saturday afternoon.

The woman told police that she was cleaning a room when the man entered, attacked her, removed her clothing and got on top of her.

According to the criminal complaint, the accused started biting and punching the housekeeper and put a towel around her mouth to stop her from screaming.

The woman said she tried to fight back by biting the man but that's when he started banging her head on the floor.

A hotel security officer heard the woman screaming and knocked on the door, the suspect opened the door shirtless and with his pants around his ankles. He told the security guard that everything was ok, but the woman screamed again and security forced their way into the hotel room and found her.

Source

Hazards at work, 4

Ireland -- The IHCA has called on the Health Service Executive (HSE) to fulfil its legal obligations and duty of care to its staff following a number of attacks on its members.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Jane Falvey, from St Senan’s, Enniscorthy, told the conference she had recently had a narrow escape after a patient tried to assault her.

The secretary general of the association Mr Finbarr Fitzpatrick said they had asked the HSE for a security review of hospitals.

“In one instance,” he said, “I know the panic buttons were tested in a hospital and something like 12 out of 24 did not work. In another instance,” he said, “where a consultant was attacked, he had to ring the switch rather than ring the panic button because it wasn’t there.”

Source

Presence of mind

India -- It was presence of mind that saved cardiologist K.R.K.S. Raju of Yousufguda from falling a prey to an extortion gang. The suspects, who were arrested on Thursday on the charge of kidnapping a real estate agent from Banjara Hills, tried to abduct Dr. Raju too. A few days ago, a member of the gang called up the doctor on his mobile phone claiming to be a police officer.

Dr. Raju was about to go to the hospital then. Saying he was an Assistant Commissioner of Police with the Intelligence wing, the caller requested him to come to his place to treat a patient. "Soon after I hung up the phone explaining that I cannot come, six persons posing as policemen drove in two vehicles to my house," the doctor explained.

As the doctor sat in his car to go to his hospital, one of them approached him saying their ACP had called up and gave a mobile phone. The caller said he was ACP Krishna Prasad and requested him to come in the car sent with the 'constables.'

"This is a security precaution doctor," the caller said.

But Dr. Raju grew suspicious since none of them wore police uniform. What strengthened his suspicion was the Tata Indica car in which the six persons came. "Police don't use Indica cars. I also found colour sprinkled over its number plate making it difficult to recognise the number," he said. Then, he made it clear that he cannot go with them and the gang members left.

Source

Almost abducted

Talk about not trusting your instincts...
If an unknown man - looking as scruffy as this fellow here - is following your family around an amusement park, maybe it's time to ask security to check it out? It could just be that there's something fishy going on?
Trust me on this - if you feel that you're being stalked or followed something IS going on! Paranoid? I don't think so, these predators are out there somewhere constantly looking for an opportunity and an easy prey.

Story:
Clay County authorities are investigating after a 6-year-old girl said a stranger tried to kidnap her Tuesday night at Worlds of Fun.

The girl told police she was waiting with a friend while her mother and stepfather rode a roller coaster. The girl said a man approached and told her that he wanted to show her something, and he led her away from her friend.

The girl said the man picked her up and said he was taking her to his car to watch fireworks, but the girl became scared and was able to escape and return to her friend.

The child's mother told police that the man had been following them around the park. She said she had never seen the man before Tuesday.

Source

Yogurt wit

When someone asks you a question, you always answer, right?
And needless to say, we always tell the truth - even when a criminal is conducting his interview!
Seems like the conflict management tactic of counter-questioning could come in handy when you A. need more information, or B. suspect that answering correctly can cause you problems.

Counter-answering (funny version):
English speaking person: "How are you doing?"
German speaking person: "How am I doing what?"

Story:
A 19-year-old man have been accused of trying to rob a yogurt store in Fort Wayne in early March.

He had approached the clerk at Yogurt Express and questioned her about the placement of security cameras at the store, as well as the amount of money in the register.

The clerk said there were no cameras, and Gray told her he was robbing the store, according to police.

Source

Stalking

The effect of stalking/violence can be devastating.

Story:
UK -- Sam Marshall used to think of her immaculate home on a council estate in Bridlington as a safe haven that provided a loving environment for her three children. Today it feels like a prison.

Ms Marshall, 32, has become the victim of a stalker whose campaign of terror has left her afraid to step outside. Even within the confines of the property she loves, she is constantly reminded of an attack that almost killed her.

She was almost throttled on her back doorstep by a man who has been repeatedly sighted staring into the house over the back garden, and who hung a dead frog from her security light within days of the near fatal attack.

Source

Fighting, fit with karate!

It's neither hi-tech weapons nor security guards on which Kanpurites rely for their safety. Girls, oldies or physically challenged people seems like everyone in Kanpur is going in for karate classes to safeguard themselves as well as to stay fit.

Ask 23-year-old Mehar Gupta how she copes with safety hazards while returning home late after work in an unsafe city like Kanpur.

"A few weeks back, when I was returning home from office late in the evening some, unruly elements stopped me and tried to misbehave with me. But within seconds, I taught them a lesson through my karate skills!"

Source

Private security on the rise

UK: Security companies said last night it was not just the famous who were taking on private patrols to guard their streets, and that within months the service would spread across the UK.

The companies have benefited from the fear-factor generated by high-profile attacks, such as the murder of City financier John Monckton in December 2004 in London's Chelsea. He and his wife were stabbed after opening the door to their attackers. The crime was witnessed by their daughter Isobel, aged nine.

Source