Titanium knee

Wow, titanium "I-knee-do" to the groin ... I really do hope this left a lasting and painful impression.

Australia -- A 72-year-old Olympic swimming great reportedly fought off an intruder who threatened to kill her, according to int.iol.co.za.

The 72-year-old Australian swimming legend claimed she might have "lost it" when she confronted two youths who woke her when they entered her daughter's home in Noosaville, Queensland. She said a young male grabbed her around the throat threatened to kill her.

"With that I grabbed him around the ear and hair and kneed him in the groin," she said. "I have got a titanium knee so it must have hurt him," she added.

He was "bagged"

Australia -- A 24-year-old Hornsby (Sydney) woman was threatened with a sexual assault while going to work at a nursing home Monday, according to smh.com.au.

A man reportedly approached her as she was walking along the street. The 22-year-old man - who was later arrested - started talking to her and she walked up a pathway, according to police.

The man then took out a knife, held it to the woman's throat from behind - threatening to kill her. However, the young woman pushed the attackers knife away, turned around and hit him with her bag. She then allegedly kicked him and ran away.

Message (with) a bottle

I guess the bottle of coke won this round... :-)

Story:
Florida -- It is reported that a woman and her bottle of coke were unharmed after fighting off a robber armed with an umbrella in Tampa, according to abcactionnews.com

Police said a mother and daughter team armed with an umbrella attempted to rob the woman who fought back with a bottle of Coca-Cola.

The 44-year-old victim was attacked as she was getting into her car at a food mart. The 45 year old female robber threatened the victim with an umbrella, telling her to hand over her purse.

Using a formidable 2-liter Coke bottle, the intended victim fought back, hitting the robber several times, police said.

The umbrella wielding robber was forces to flee -- without the purse -- in a vehicle reportedly driven by her 26-year-old daughter.

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.

'My-key-do' #8

Texas -- It was a frightening night for a Sherman shopper, according to kten.com. Police say a 57-year-old woman fought off an attacker while she was trying to get in her car.

Police says a man approached the woman in a general store parking lot and threatened her with a knife. She fought the man off with her keys, before another shopper called 911.

The man fled, but police caught up with him just a few minutes later.

Tables turned

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the young man here - at least in some states and countries - could end up being charged with assault with a deadly weapon.
Bass ackwords? You bet. You have to be kind to the criminals! You know ... a hug never harmed anyone.

Story from presstelegram.com:
An 18-year-old employee was slicing chicken in the back of a restaurant in Long Beach, California when he heard a commotion at the register.

There, he witnessed his 41-year-old boss struggling with a robber. A 33-year-old suspect had allegedly entered the eatery at about 5 p.m. and demanded money from the cashier behind the counter, a police spokeswoman said.

The robber was wearing a big jacket with a hood and holding his hand up as if he were carrying a gun. When the owner had trouble opening the register, the suspect jumped over the counter and was struggling with the owner, police said.

When the 18-year-old employee came out, he acted instantly to help his boss, stabbing the suspect in the lower abdomen with a kitchen knife, police said.

The robber was transported to a local hospital and is expected to live. Officers found that he was not carrying any weapons.

Iron man

Sweet - hats off to this senior citizen!
Strange how these "tough guys" are not so tough after all when someone takes their "toys" away and doesn't want to play their game.

Story:
74-year-old Bruce Ferraro had no idea someone was following him as he walked out of a department store at the South Shore Mall in New York on Saturday and got into his car, according to News.yahoo.com.

The mugger demanded Ferraro hand over his wallet, calling the Bay Shore resident an "old man" and threatening to hit him with the tire iron, police said.

Instead, Ferraro grabbed the bar and the two fought, until the septuagenarian managed to snatch away the tire iron, police said.

Without the weapon, the 32-year-old suspect ran to his car and attempted to drive away, police said. But the vehicle stalled, and the man got out of the car and fled on foot. Ferraro later helped police identify the suspect.

Going 'ball-istic'

Here's a typical "game" of escalation: Too males, sports fans, insults leading to injuries and charges being pressed. A quite game of dart leading to serious trouble. Way too typical male stupidity...

Story:
Oklahoma -- Words were reportedly exchanged at a bar in Oklahoma City between a 53-year-old University of Texas fan, and a University of Oklahoma Sooners fan - the latter, a church deacon and government auditor.

The exchange of words ended in a brawl leading to a torn scrotal sack with partially exposed testicles, according to a police report.

The OU fan said "something in a joking fashion to the guy about his Texas T-shirt," according to his attorney. "The guy got offended. My client said he was sorry," the attorney said.

The apology apparently wasn't enough for the Texas fan and the man then approached his client. The attorney said his client then grabbed the man in self-defense.

"The guy came over his other shoulder, and basically said, 'I'm getting ready to kick your you-know-what.' He said he felt threatened and he did what he thought he needed to do and grabbed him and left the place."

Source

Perfect conflict management

This is quite simply an amazing example of practical de-escalation and conflict management. A little absurd, yes (with group hug and stuff ...).
Do yourself a favor, and read the whole story - it's actually both funny, weird and educational all at the same time :-)

Story:
Washington DC Police on Capitol Hill are baffled by an attempted robbery that began with a handgun put to the head of a teenager and ended in a group hug.

It started about midnight on June 16 when a group of friends was finishing a dinner of marinated steaks and jumbo shrimp on the back patio of a DC home. That's when a hooded man slid through an open gate and pointed a handgun at the head of a 14-year-old girl.

"Give me your money, or I'll start shooting," he said, according to D.C. police and witnesses.
Everyone froze, including the girl's parents. Then one guest spoke.

"We were just finishing dinner," Cristina "Cha Cha" Rowan, 43, told the man. "Why don't you have a glass of wine with us?"

The intruder had a sip of their Chateau Malescot St-Exupery and said, "Damn, that's good wine."

Source

Police recommend self-defense

UK -- Police recommend self-defence lessons after pupils admit to feeling fearful of being attacked.

Self-defence lessons should be offered to young girls who live in daily fear of being beaten up, according to police, following a survey of 12 and 13-year-olds in North Wales.

The results, published last week in the report Young People as Victims of Crime, show that girls worry more about becoming victims than boys.

Police claim that young girls' stress is largely unfounded, with pupils more likely to be threatened than attacked.

Source

Hazards at work, 42

UK -- A Scottish market researcher fought back after a terrifying assault when a convicted sex fiend invited her into his Leith home for an interview on November 7, 2006.

The woman called at the flat unaware that the 59-year-old man who lived there had served jail terms totalling 18 years for assaults and sex attacks.

The man allegedly pushed her on to a sofa, held a knife at her throat, put his hand over her nose and mouth and threatened to kill her.

The woman fought back, cutting her attacker's face, and managed to get the knife and told him to "back off". She told the court: "I had to fight for my life."

Source

Hazards at work, 40

Norway -- A social service client in Vaaler went berserk during a meeting there on February 23.

The man threw furniture around the room and assaulted a female employee who came to see what was going on.

Wandering around the office, the enraged man threatened to kill three members of the staff.

Police later arrested the man.

Hazards at work, 34

Sweden -- Threats and violence against Uppsala ambulance personnel is far more widespread than what the official statistics show, according to unt.se.

In fact, violence is such a regular occurrence that many don't bother to press charges or even file reports, according to health personnel.

Patients starting to fight during rescue operations, threats and violence from bystanders, drunken people interfering during the Weekends, and even assaults with axes and knives, are just some of the examples.

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

"Rocky"

Again an example of using what is at hand to your advantage.

Story:
Colorado -- The woman told detectives she was getting into her vehicle last Saturday afternoon when the man, who was hiding in the back of the vehicle, threatened her with a knife.

The man forced the woman to drive to an unknown area near Central City. He dragged the woman from the car and took her into the woods where he tried to sexually assault her, police said.

During the struggle, the woman was able to strike the man in the forehead with a rock causing a large laceration on left side of the suspect's forehead, police said.

The woman was able to get back to her car and drive back to Thornton.

Source

Just ask!

I guess if you ask nicely, anything is possible :-)

Story:
New York -- A 23-year-old Yonkers woman escaped from a would-be rapist when she persuaded him to pick up some books she had dropped, then ran away as he retrieved them, police said.

The assailant told her that he would shoot her if she screamed. The woman felt a gun he was carrying against her back.

She asked the attacker to pick up the books. He bent over to collect them and the woman ran up the steps into the apartment building.

Source

Wrestled knife away

A 15-year-old girl stabbed and killed a man with his own knife last week in northern Moscow after he purportedly tried to rape her, investigators said.

Around 9 p.m. on a deserted platform at a commuter train station, the girl was apparently approached by a man who produced a knife. The man threatened to kill the girl if she screamed.

"It's my birthday, so you are going to make me happy," the man said, according to police sources.

The girl, who is a gymnast, kicked the man and ran, but she tripped moments later and was caught. The man snatched the girl's phone, and a scuffle ensued during which the girl wrestled the knife from the man and stabbed him in the back.

Source

Desperate action

This incident shows a couple of things, apart from the outright stupidity and mindlessness of some middle-aged men.
First it shows that it is quite possible to defend against a strangle-hold with one of your own, especially if you know how, and/or uses some item to apply the hold with.
It also proves (again) the amount of strength, ingenuity and willpower that a person can apply when the survival instinct kicks in.
Brave girl!

Story:
New Hampshire -- "When people find you, you will be decomposing."

That was the threat that the 17-year-old girl told police spurred her into desperate action; she decided she had to strangle her assailant before he strangled her.

As he choked her in the front seat of his pickup truck on a back road in Auburn, she managed to grab an orange cord and wrap it around his neck, tightening it until the 45-year-old Manchester man gasped for air and she heard a gurgling sound.

According to court records, after she released the cord the man sliced his wrist with a box cutter and then began begging the girl not to go to police.

Source

He had enough

There are some really strange individuals out there, that's for sure.

Story:
According to a report, 42-year-old James T. Hill of Shreveport, was walking when he was approached by two men.

But what struck Hill as most noteworthy, the report indicated, were the men's accessories: several handguns for the first robber, and one nickel-plated gun held by the second.

According to reports, Hill said he was approached by the men, who demanded his wallet at gunpoint. As he left after being robbed, the robbers ran after him, and he apparently had enough, the report said.

Hill told investigators he "commenced a martial arts kick" and knocked the gun out of one of the robbers' hands and started wrestling with his attackers.

According to the report, an unidentified man then left a nearby house, armed with a shotgun and threatened to shoot Hill. Hill fled on foot and went to a nearby convenience store to purchase a beer, reports continued, but the store was closed.

Source

Overkill?

I can understand his pain...
I mean, if someone eats my yummy chocolate cake, I would be rather grumpy too.
But then again, maybe - just maybe - violence is going a bit to far?

Story:
"Father's Cake Rage," the headline screamed. Apparently, 37-year-old Obnoxious Bozo (not his real name) flew into a rage because --get this -- someone ate his chocolate cake!!

So what does Mr.O. Bozo do? Ordinary people like you and I would probably rant, sulk, moan and then pop in a piece of cheese or chew a leaf off the potted plant to get rid of the craving for a sweet.

Not our macho man though. He went into a rage and then hit his partner with a hammer and threatened his children with a snooker cue….because someone had eaten his slice of chocolate cake.

He does not stop there, oh no. Bursting with understandable anger, Mr. Macho Man then repeatedly stabbed a carving knife into the bedroom door of one of his children.

He threatened to kill his wife and children and then kill himself. All because a slice of chocolate cake had gone missing! I tell you what, that wife and children of his would never dare to even look at a chocolate cake for the rest of their lives.

Source