Unruly students

Georgia -- So, you're a teacher for special needs children and you're having a couple of unruly students in your class.

Two disruptive, teenage students refuse to return to their seats - what do you do? That's simple, you just pepper spray them.

At least that ways the solution one female Bibb County teacher used recently in her classroom, according to 41nbc.com.

This really makes me wonder if she was only having a permanent brain meltdown or simply had lost it temporarily.

At least it goes to show that a lot of teachers unfortunately don't have the skills or training needed to control potential violent conflicts and other similar problems at school.

Lame excuses #10

Australia -- A 18-year-old amateur boxer from Samoa reportedly tried to convince authorities he acted in "self-defense" when he savagely beat a 41-year-old blind man and knocked down his carer, before robbing the 30-year-old carer while he lay unconscious.

The victims had rushed to the aid a distressed woman in a Brisbane inner-city public toilet block on July 28, 2009, according to couriermail.com.au.

I guess his mother must be really proud of this good-for-nothing P.O.S...

A musical lesson

There are at least two vital lessons to be learned form the story below. First off, you definitely don't want to be messing with 17-year-old marching band girls. If they are armed with a baton, then even more so - stay clear :-)

Secondly - and this is the serious part - the incident really goes to show how effective any kind of weapon can be in a self-defense situation.

Needless to say, I really love stories like this one.

California -- This high school marching band student form Quartz Hill (a high desert community about 40 miles north of Los Angeles) beat up two attackers who attempted to mug her as she was walking to school Friday morning, officials said.

A Sheriff's spokesman said the teenager kicked one man in the groin and punched the other in the nose. She then beat both men into submission with her large baton before running away.

Lame excuses #7

Yet another issue of "it wasn't me - it was Mr Pee". Who was to blame this time - some alien?

No sir. The evil force behind this guys action was none other than ... faith. Yup, you see it was bound to happen. As the man reportedly said: "(...) he couldn't stop and that the assault was bound to happen 'one way or another'."

Phillyburbs.com reports how this 55-year-old IQ challenged individual assaulted a 17-year-old girl as she stepped out of a shower at his home in Sellersville, Pennsylvania.

As he advanced toward her, he allegedly told her he "wanted to stop but couldn't". The girl begged him to leave her alone, but the man reportedly told her he couldn't stop and that the assault was bound to happen "one way or another," according to a criminal complaint.

What can I add to this - other than my urge to kick this low-life where it hurts the most?

Ruined robber's day

Robber's day ... is that something akin to St. Patricks Day, or Remembrance Day? It seems only fair that the robber's get their own day...
My bad jokes and similar bad taste aside, this 84-year-old guy really made my day. Sweet!

California -- A teenager may have been fooled by his intended victim's appearance. The would-be robber threatened an 84-year-old Santa Rosa man with a knife Wednesday afternoon, saying he wanted the man's wallet, according to pressdemocrat.com.

The elderly target put his grocery bags down. He then informed the young man he had been threatened by knives and bayonets before -- having fought in three wars as a U.S. Marine. He made it quite clear that the teen would be sorry if he came too close.

When the would-be robber stepped toward him, he proved his point by kicked the young criminal in the groin, according to police.

The teenager, who was estimated to be 15 or 16 years old, was reportedly left doubled over on the sidewalk around 1:15 p.m.

stalking, push-in

Here is a "classic" case of a perpetrator using (at least) two means to get to his intended victim - stalking (following), and a push-in.

Story:
UK -- In Newcastle, police say a man stalked an 18-year-old female in the early hours of March 9 (Sunday morning).

The teenager was walking home from a night out with friends at around 2:30 a.m., and footage from closed circuit TV, shows the intended victim being followed through the city centre.

The assault happened at around 2:40 a.m. The perpetrator followed her inside her complex, grabbed and pushed into her home, before sexually assaulting her. Screaming and kicking him, the young woman forced the attacker to flee her home.

Resourceful 'Batboy'

Arizona -- In January, abcnews.go.com reported about a 14-year-old boy who alone at home when a burglar broke into the house.

When Michael heard the intruder break into the Mesa home, he barely had time to hide in his room and call 911.

The teenager said how he could hear the person go into the room next door. Then the boy heard him scramble through his parents' room, opening all the doors. Finally, he heard heard him go through his own room. "He just broke in real quick," the teenager said.

The boy sat locked in his room giving information to a 911 dispatcher, hiding inside a closet and grabbing his baseball bat. When the criminal finally made it to the child's room and opened the closet door, the surprised intruder was met with a series of hits with the bat.

The man left the home, but was soon after caught by police.

Slip slidin' away

Colorado -- Denver police say a man they say attempted to abduct a girl walking to school Tuesday morning around 7:15 a.m., according to thedenverchannel.com.

A man in a car started catcalling at her as the teenager was walking to high school, a police spokesman said.

She crossed an alley and saw the car circle the block and approach her. The girl said a man got out of the back seat, grabbing her from behind.

Just as a second man got out of the vehicle, the girl was able to slide out of her coat and run to a residence nearby, police said.

Personal alarm

Swedish media reports about 15-year-old girl who was assaulted by an unknown man in Oerebro.

The man, described as 25 - 30 years of age, allegedly attempted to rape the teenager on Sunday at around 9:45 p.m.

The girl reportedly managed to set off her personal alarm, scaring the masked attacker off.

More school violence

Here are three individual cases, each pointing to the huge - and vastly un- or under reported - problem of violence towards teachers.
One of the reports says: "Teachers and campus officials probably shun police reports and prosecution because they don't want to hurt the child or taint the school."

January 25, thedailyitemoflynn.com reported from Lynn, Massachusetts about a high school disciplinary meeting which turned violent.
The 20-year-old sister of a suspended student physically assaulted two teachers and threatened several others, according to the report.

January 28, dailytribune.com had a story from Oak Park, Michigan about a 17-year-old high school student being charged as an adult.
The teenager was reportedly accused of assaulting a female teacher, and the teacher says violence and threats at the school are increasing.

Then on January 29, ajc.com had an article about a female teacher from Lilburn, Georgia.
The experienced teacher was blindsided by a 12-year-old middle school student. "It was a beatdown", the newspaper says.

Stabbed for iPod

Sure, it only happens to others right? Nothing bad can possibly happen to me, walking around oblivious to my surroundings while listening to music? Not in this nice neighborhood? Surely no one is going to harm me for a lousy $150?

Story:
A 48-year-old man was stabbed in the back by a teenage boy attempting to steal his iPod nano. The man was cutting across a ball field to his home across from an elementary school when police say a 17-year-old boy stabbed him once in the lower right section of his back.

The suspect never threatened the victim before approaching about 1:30 a.m., police said. The man, who often takes late walks up to nine miles, sprinted the final few hundred yards from the school and woke his sister.

A King County sheriff's spokesman said it's non uncommon for people to be mugged for iPods, "but the stabbing is the unusual part." In this case, the victim got away before the thieves could take the device.

Source

Whistle blower

New Jersey -- A 14-year-old suspect, who authorities are certain preyed upon women in North Hudson last year has been apprehended. The teenager is charged with the assault of a 22-year-old college student November 2006 in a Guttenberg back alley, as she was returning home after parking her car around 10 p.m.

The young perpetrator allegedly forced the college student into a back alley by putting his hand across her mouth, but she resisted, according to a report. The assailant then allegedly pushed the woman's head against the wall, but the woman continued to struggle.

The intended victim blew a whistle that she had attached to her key ring. Several men came to her defense and the assailant fled the scene. The woman was not severely hurt or sexually assaulted.

"Although the boy is only 14, he appeared to be much older," a police spokesman said.

Source

Teenagers face curfews

UK -- Teenagers could be subjected to curfews in London in an attempt to curb the surge in fatal stabbings, police revealed yesterday.

Ben Hitchcock became the latest victim of a wave of knife attacks affecting the capital and other inner-city areas when he was beaten and stabbed in a fight between two groups of youths in south London, over the weekend.

The 16-year-old died after being attacked by a gang of 20 youths after he and a group of six friends had been banned from a party.

The officer who is heading the murder investigation, revealed yesterday that the imposition of curfews was "an option being considered" in an attempt to tackle the mounting violence.

Source

'Car-go'

... Or car-do ("the way of the car") :-)
Anyhow - a car is a great and versatile self-defense tool!

Story:
UK -- A shopper has told the Old Bailey how she used her car to scare off a man who attacked a 39-year-old housewife. The man is accused of committing the attack four days before allegedly knifing a teenager in Orpington.

On September 26, the woman noticed a man following the victim in a car park. The woman told the jury she had first seen the man loitering by a car park ticket machine near a shopping center.

When she reached her car on the floor below, she noticed the man was following the other shopper. She then heard screams. The court heard the victim had been knocked to the ground and the attacker was on top of her.

The woman then started sounding the horn of her car and shouting at the man. She told the jury the attacker then stood up and looked at her before slowly walking away. She said: "He stopped doing what he was doing and began to walk away. Initially it was quite slow, which I found quite strange considering what he had just done. He seemed quite cool and calm."

Jurors have already been told the suspect is a loner obsessed with Internet porn, including sites which celebrate rape and other forms of sexual violence. The prosecutor told the court the hospital worker spent hours downloading sick stories and pictures from the Internet.

Source

A different beat

Yep, more music stuff :-)
This may seem like a strange thing - using slower "old and boring" music to get rid of unwanted individuals. However, it is nothing new - and it works!
Any good bouncer/doorman, bartender, DJ or band will tell you how the music may directly affect the mood.
In places I have worked, music has been used as a way to end fights, alert the bouncers, turn away unwanted individuals and reduce the level of "aggression". So yes - the Cliff thing is still good :-)

Story:
UK -- A traditional funfair has discovered a novel way of scaring off gangs of hoodies - by playing Cliff Richard records.

The travelling steam fair was plagued by gangs of yobs who used to intimidate customers, until they accidentally discovered the hoodie repelling properties of Sir Cliff.

Now the fair uses the records the keep gangs of teenagers at bay, and have also discovered that the music actually attracts a new breed of customers - even if they are mainly old ladies.

A representative said: "We cater mainly for families, but we had a lot of young teenage gangs of hoodies around looking intimidating and putting all the families off, and they never spent any money either. They just scared good customers away."

"We usually play a lot of original 50s rock and roll, but the other day I accidentally put on a Cliff Richard B side called Travelling Light. All the hoodies pulled horrible faces and walked off."

"The next time, we tried it again, and it worked, so we bought a few more. The slow ones like Living Doll and The Young Ones are the most effective. Summer Holiday worked as well, but we try to stick to ones from the 50s to keep the feel of the fair authentic."

"We don't play them all the time because it wouldn't be fair on the staff - it's only when we feel the hoodies are starting to outnumber the families. We play some of the older records, and that gets rid of them."

Source

Hazards at work, 44

Being hit by the student is bad. Hitting back is plain stupid. Could this retaliation have been avoided with a little knowledge and training? Quite probably.
Another thing is that the teacher really should have seen the punch coming. The pushing is a tell tale sign of escalation - in other words: a major red flag. Even more so when this student has what they call a "record of behavior issues"

Story:
Louisiana -- An 18-year-old student finished a test Tuesday and then shoved it in the teacher's chest. The 10th-grade teacher told her to take it back and hand it to him nicely, officials said. She shoved it in his chest again, school officials said, so the teacher repeated his request.

District officials said that on the final time, though, she threw the test in his face and followed up with a punch. He hit her back, officials said.

The 20-year teaching veteran was suspended with pay, and the student has been suspended indefinitely. The student has a record of behavior issues, according to the school district.

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

Another 'doork'

New York -- At a Macy's store on Manhattan - around 1:50 p.m. on Sunday - a 60-year-old man allegedly stripped in a nearby dressing room before heading to where a 16-year-old girl was trying on a dress.

The teenager said that the man hooked his arm around her neck before she managed to fight him off. The girl she fought off the man by hitting him with the dressing room door.

Source

The 'Milky' Way

Can't help it, but I have quite a soft spot for fighter girls like this :-)
Drink you milk kids!

Story ("Milk-do" - or 'The Way Of The Milk'):
Massachusetts -- A 14-year-old Fairhaven girl fought off a man who first offered her a ride in his truck and then tried to grab her near a boat ramp early yesterday afternoon.

The girl said she was walking when a man in his early 30s pulled up and asked if she needed a ride. She refused, but the man allegedly began following her in his truck. As she neared the parking lot of the Pease Park boat ramp, he pulled in front of her, blocking her way, police said.

The teenager told police the man then got out of his truck and walked up behind her. He grabbed her by the back of the arm, trying to get her to stop, and said, "Come on and get in my car."

The girl struck her attacker in the face with a container of milk she was carrying, causing him to let go. When he tried to grab her arm a second time, she kneed him in the groin.

The man (wisely) gave up and the girl ran home to report the incident.

Source

Usually been drinking

You must be kidding; Consuming alcohol and walking alone through a secluded area at night "may increase the chances of being attacked". Wow, that is a huge surprise...

Story:
Edinburgh, Scotland -- Every week, according to police, one person is assaulted in the Meadows and Bruntsfield Links. The total number of (recorded) crimes in the area has soared from 68 in 2003-4 to 166 in 2006-7 according to police.

The majority of victims of serious assaults and hold-ups have usually been drinking, and they are white males aged between 21 and 25. They are mostly attacked by gangs of youths aged under 20 - many culprits in their mid teens.

"Pedestrians walking through the area at night after consuming alcohol may be increasing their chances of being attacked as they are less aware of their surroundings and therefore more vulnerable (...)"

Source