What would you do if someone was beheaded in front of you?

Originally posted by Vasa Croe
This comes from this thread.


I had to start this because of my strong feelings in the case of civilians not doing anything to help someone being butchered in front of them. I am a very confident and strong advocate for gun permits. I carry daily and would not be caught without it. The simple fact is that unless you have been in a situation where someone is there to cause you or a loved one bodily harm you probably would not feel the same way. I have been on a few occasions and that is what prompted me to get myself and other family members licenses and pistols, as well as training on how to use their weapons.

I for one and not someone that will sit idly by and watch as a fellow citizen is being attacked regardless of if I have a weapon on me or not. What is the difference in this and if there were say a woman being raped in front of you? Would you stop the rapist or just watch? Sure there is a definite risk of bodily harm being that this psycho had a knife, but can you really live with yourself after watching him get butchered and you have done nothing but run?


It outrages me that nobody on that bus even tried to help the guy getting stabbed and beheaded, yet the media has decided they were courageous for jumping off the bus as quickly as possible.

If there are that many people on a bus they can overwhelm a knife wielding maniac pretty easily, yet nobody seems to have even remotely tried to stop this from happening.

There are numerous posters on the other thread that made this about Canada and the US, but that is not what I want to focus on here.....I would like to think that any ordinary citizen that truly cares about society, has morals and values, and a genuine caring for life would have tried to do something for the victim in this case.

I find it appalling that the media would go as far as to call the passengers courageous for jumping off the bus and not trying to help.

Truly sick to my stomach that people still think that it is ok for gov't to keep us unarmed and that this is the safest way to live. It is not....it IS however the safest way for violent criminals to take advantage of a system that favors them now. This guy is being charged with only SECOND DEGREE MURDER!!!!! No weapons just makes it that much easier for a criminal to do their business without the worry of becoming a victim themselves. I know if I were a violent criminal I would be in California where I know most are unarmed. But if you come to my home town in GA there is a law on the books that EVERY homeowner must have a gun......this is where I feel safest...with people that will stand up and not let someone TAKE what is theirs, including their life.

Gun control nuts really bug me with their righteous views on how gov't and police will make everything right. If that is the case then how did this young victim not survive, and how is the murderer only getting charged with second degree murder......ridiculous! Most firearm related murders in the US are not from robberies, they are from gang violence and it stays for the most part in the gang laced neighborhoods. More people still die from smoking and heart disease every year than gun violence.

And I still challenge anyone that is against legal carry of weapons to find some statistic that shows that licensed concealed carry permit holders in fact contribute to unwarranted gun violence. Not that they shot an intruder/attacker, but that they initiated the act of violence against the victim.

if someone had a gun onboard, then, yes, they should have stopped him, but, look at the sitch; limited space, big man, large knife, victim dead before anyone knew what was happening; unless you study a martial art that has practical application in a crisis situation, getting away and containing the guy was the best course of action.

[edit on 3-8-2008 by dragonseeker]

Fascinating thread and I'm glad someone started it.
If anyone has seen my prior posts in another thread concerning this you probably already know what I'm about to say.

First, I think people are complicating this way beyond what it should be but so be it. I'm not going to debate it but I will proclaim that it is very simple to me.. if I had been there when this sicko got started I would have done EVERYTHING I could have to have ended his life. PERIOD. I don't care if it was my relative getting attacked in this fashion or not.. or any other whicky poo reason someone wouldn't want to stand against something like this. Yes, I would risk life and jail time to stop this kind of evil.

Are some people 'geared' more towards fleeing versus fighting? Bullocks.. it's up to you how you want to respond when this happens.. Panic gets you killed.. that's why you take ownership of your pathetic feelings and desires when you get into these situations. I learned this when I was a -kid- from my Dad and it has served me well. Personally, I think the reason why so many people are deer in the headlights and 'fleers' is because of a spiritual deficit but I'm not going to get into that now. It's up to YOU whether or not you are aware of the dangers around you and it's up to YOU whether you want to condition yourself, take a self defense class, carry mace, carry a gun, NOT PANIC and run every time something -scary- happens. Don't get me wrong.. there are going to be situations where you HAVE to run to live but to ascertain that strictly from your emotions and flight reactions is retarded at best.


BTW, Interesting Avatar Spiteful god. I you are eluding to the God of Isaac, Abraham and Jacob then you have spite confused with Justice.

i agree what a bunch of P***** the guy was standing in front of the victim having his back turned and all they do is panic and dont make an attempt to help well i know i woulda done somthing

You know, everyone wants to think they would do something when confronted with this situation..and some of you would. Most of you are just making yourselves feel better. Most people aren't heroes, pound your chest on the internet all you want. I know I would do something, because I've been in dangerous situations before, and stood up; it's not a hypothetical for me. But even I would pause before jumping a guy with a big knife who just hacked someone's head off; If I could get others out of harm's way, that would be my focus, not trying to be superman.

Most would prolly react the same as they did when 4 guys with box cutters took over their plane. LOL.

I am sick and tired of hearing from "armchair heroes" who would have done something to stop this!!! We have mass murderers for leaders, who supposedly work "for the people" and yet no one raises an eyebrow to stop them.

First: I have worked as a bouncer in some very seedy bars, I have been stabbed, I have had bottles broken over my head, and sucker punched
by men who hit harder than freight trains. These were all in situations that could very well be expected.

I CAN"T IMAGINE WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE IN THAT SITUATION!!!!

All I know is that the very first priority in my mind would have been to remove any children from harms way (Being a father) no matter what.

Second: I have been witness to "Psycho's" literally getting the # kicked out of them, smiling as the blood ran between their teeth, just waiting for their assailaint to get tired. One of whom returned to the scene with a lawnmower blade.

When I was a younger man, with no parental responsibilities and the "invincible" still tattooed across my forehead, I MIGHT have tried to stop the assailant, if there were reason to believe that he could be saved.

Third: We have gun laws in Canada, right, wrong or otherwise I will not argue, as I have never had the right to bare arms, and do not know the difference. I am not, therefore, qualified to comment.

I do know that our crime rates in Canada are significantly lower.

(I guess Columbine was a day at the park, since no one lost their head)

Politicians have killed more people with a simple whisper than any serial killer in history, no one so much as raises their voice, but in this instance
somebody was supposed to be a hero?

Get a @#&?!! grip people!!!!

This may be a little off topic, but this situation reminded me of a story my dad told me just a few days ago about his fraternity brother. I will call the man Adam and the woman Eve, because I cannot recall their real names at the moment.

Adam is an experienced skydiver and has been teaching it since his college days. My dad is 49, so it's safe to say Adam's about the same age. Last week or so, he was taking Eve on a routine jump for her first time. He had never met her before until that day.

As the plane is in the air, not too long after takeoff, something (as yet undetermined) goes wrong with the plane, and it begins to go down, completely out of control. Adam sees that they are going to crash, so he grabs Eve and tells her to get in his arms and use his body as a shield. Again, a woman he has never met before.

Once the plane crashes, everyone on board except for Eve dies on impact. She suffers multiple fractures and may not be able to walk again (also as yet undetermined); however, because Adam put her in his arms and used his body as a shield, she survived.

The story is true, believe me or not it doesn't matter. It may have been on the news, so if anybody has heard this story let me know, I'd love to see the actual source instead of hearing it through my dad. But I'd like to believe that if a man like this has the courage to assess the situation and offer his own life up to save a woman he's never met before, there is hope for humanity yet.

Also, just want to say that my dad told me this a couple days ago, so don't quote me on it and some of the details could be slightly off. You get the point though

Well....I just got in and checked the news and it seems there has been another beheading in Greece and again it is reported that the townspeople this time just locked their doors. Granted this was after the head was cut off and the attacker was walking through the streets with it in hand, but I believe part of the story mentions that people initially watched him behead his girlfriends dog with a butcher knife then watched as he beheaded his girlfriend. Not only that but the neighbors listened to the "heated argument" before he began to cut the dogs head off and then the girlfriends head off.

How does someone not jump in here? This disgusts me and really gives me a bad taste for human behavior towards victims.

Some say it is pointless to proclaim what 'you would have done' had you been on the bus.
I don't think it is pointless. I think it is all important - decide now - what kind of person you want to be, you aspire to be; decide now where you draw the line and where you take a stand. This does not guarantee your actions will be successful. But it does guarantee...in a very important way...that you will not fail.
Remember, one day you might be on that bus.

Oh yeah, some are saying that Super-Heroes are only on the silver screen.
Try to remember, people, that Super-Villians are only on the silver screen, too.

As 'big' as he was, as 'crazed' as he was, as 'scary' as he was - a knife cuts two ways - and this guy could have been stopped.

I understand everyone questioning the passengers reasoning. But think about it the bus is small and only one person could have attempted to grab the killer at any one time. Thet could not have rushed the killer, and they also would have been slashed and cut themselves. Would you want to be the first in line to stop a killer in a very small space, I think not. Granted the driver should be able to hcarry a gun, and then it would have been done.

I would like to start off by saying, good thing Canada has gun control.
How would I respond?
I'm not sure how I would really respond because thinking and actually being there are different. But I know I'd try my best to deal with such mindless tragedy. Well you wanna keep people calm so they don't do anything irrational "Alright everyone, try and stay calm... Let's try not to loose our heads"
Okay, I'll stop with the puns, but I'd probably find a blunt object and take care of the murderer to make sure nobody else got it, especially me.
Oh wait one more!
Madman's thoughts before going on a rampage: "Man, how can I get ahead in life..?"
Please don't flame me for this, yea its bad but if I spent all my time trying not to offend, I wouldn't be able to get much done.
But its really sad nobody tried to help the victim, and I feel for his family and friends.

[edit on 5-8-2008 by HarlequinChevalier]

Originally posted by dragonseeker
You know, everyone wants to think they would do something when confronted with this situation..and some of you would. Most of you are just making yourselves feel better. Most people aren't heroes, pound your chest on the internet all you want. I know I would do something, because I've been in dangerous situations before, and stood up; it's not a hypothetical for me. But even I would pause before jumping a guy with a big knife who just hacked someone's head off; If I could get others out of harm's way, that would be my focus, not trying to be superman.

totally agree, a lot of big talkers in this thread. Most people will be concerned with their safety, people freeze in situations of extreme stress, it happens all the time and the news is filled with stories of people standing around watching tragedy occur, but if you believe this thread the world is full of take-charge alpha males...uhhh no.

i would like to see how all of you would react if put in the same situation, yourselves. its easy to speculate on what you would do when sitting safely at your computer desk, but when things like that actually happen, sometimes the basic idea of survival is all that comes over you.
if someone had gone out of the way to try and save the man (who was probably dead before anyone could have done anything) and was stabbed to death as well, he maybe would have got a mention in the newspaper, with the rest of the story and then forgotten, just like all the other "heroes" out there who risk their lives for the sake of others.
at least those people lived to tell their tale

I would jump back, glock cocked, aim, shoot

When i ride the city buses in LA Calif i am carrying my two piece walking staff
Or my homemade cane

The walking staff comes apart and can be used as philippine fighting sticks.
or together as a fighting staff.
I made it with heavy brass ends and coupler. owning a metal lathe is handy.

My cane has a heavy 1 3/4 inch brass ball on it for a grip.

Few people carry weapons on buses because it is illegal.

But my cane and staff are not "weapons" unless i have to use them.

And i am a disabled VOL fireman/EMT and still have my department badge as i still help out around the fire house.
Under Calif law this gives me the some arrest powers.

Enough that no cop is going to arrest me without talking to the DAs office first, if i use force to stop a violent assault on someone.
Then its very unlikely that a jury would convict me.


[edit on 24-9-2008 by ANNED]

I am happy to report that had I been on that bus I would have intervened,and I'm reasonably certain that I would not have suffered severe injury doing so . I say this because on the few intervention incidents that have happened to me ,I did intervene and discovered that I can neither run nor stand by cowering. It's not that I'm brave or heroic it's just the way I'm wired I believe.

That is sick. I find that people are often to cowardly in a situation with violence. I know from experience living in the UK that most people wont step in until after the incident. Thank God that there are at least some people who will defend others. If everyone did it would be very hard for anyone to commit a violent crime in a poulated area for fear of being subdued.