I was attacked today. I am stunned.

I was attacked today. I am fine physically, mentally I'm not so sure.

I am a 48 year old woman that lives in Columbus, Ohio. I like to think I am street smart. I walk against traffic (even though I was taught to walk with the traffic as a child) because I can see someone coming if they wanted to do something to me and if they are going the same direction as I am they have to cross a lane of oncoming traffic to get to me.) I have a life philosophy that says if I'm in any situation that decreases my life expectancy by 15 % or more I've gotta get out of there.

I decided to walk to Wells Fargo to make my car payment today. It is in a strip mall about 2 miles from my house. Part of it was the beautiful weather, part of it was I was bored. I got to a street that I had never been down before but it was only 4 blocks long. I could see the other end of the street and the back of the strip mall I needed to go to from the top of the street. It is a major street.

I walked one block down so far so good. The second block I started to see gang graffiti and got a little nervous. The third block I saw apartment complexes that I wouldn't let my dog live in and thought damn I feel sorry for people that have to live like this day in and day out. I didn't see anyone on the street though so I relaxed a little and got to the strip mall.

I made my car payment and started home.My safest bet was the same street I had just walked down.

I got to one of the apt. complexes and saw 3 young men in front of it. I glanced their way and kept walking. I am 5'9" and I walk with a purposeful stride, I didn't hurry, I just kept walking. One of the guys looked like he was native Hawaiian or from Samoa. He was my height, weighed about 230 and had wild hair. He looked to be 17 or 18.

I had cleared the apt. complex and all of a sudden I hear a war hoop, as in the old cowboy movies before the Indians would attack. I turned a see this man/child running at me with all he has. He is calling out a war hoop, he also has super soaker water gun in his hands.

My mind could not rap around the image I was looking at. If he would of had a bat, club,crowbar or nothing in his hands I would of got it. My mind just could not piece together what I was seeing. I turned sideways to make myself a smaller target. I thought clearly, because my first thought was if I take 2 steps forward at the last second and stick out my foot, his momentum will put him on the ground really hard. Then my brain says there are 2 more, you can't win.

He body slams me into the ground and proceeds to spray me with this damn gun in the eyes. The pressure hurt badly. My response is "THAT HURTS,STOP IT" he doesn't. My mind said you have to get up NOW. I got up and said" It's hot today and I have been walking so the water feels good, thank you. Now stop it." He didn't. So now my mind says you HAVE to turn around and walk away. I REALLY didn't want to turn my back on him but I did. He let me leave, as I was walking away he says "You don't belong here" My thought was "What gave you your first clue???? " The mods will get upset if I type the rest of my thoughts. I got off the street and made it home.

I realize this could have been so much worse and probably wasn't because while I believe this person will probably cross over to criminal at some point, he's not there yet. I am angry, confused and ashamed. My reaction to this situation puzzles me. I could say it worked out and I lived to fight another day, but I didn't fight back. I could say common sense prevailed in that there were 3 of them. Instead I am shaking rethinking every thing I know. I didn't react the way I expected I would if this ever happened.

SO all I can say is say this. I learned today that the "boogeyman' so to speak may not be packaged as you expect,and if your brain says there is a problem there probably is. I am very sad.

I'm so sorry! That's very scary. That's all I can think to say. I'm so sorry!

You really should consider getting your CCW for just those kind of situations. The second you became fearful of your life you could have legally drawled your weapon and mostly likely stop the attack without even firing a shot. In any case a gun(with the proper training ) could have saved you from a needless attack. I hope you will in the near future consider getting a gun and taking a course to properly handle it. And remember when seconds count the Police are only minutes away. Good Luck TGM

Don't let it change your mentality for the worse. It's good you didn't do anything to escalate the situation.

reply to post by seejanerun


I hope you feel better and this situation doesn't pull you down.

Um. Wow. That is horrible

I know this is a conspiracy site and seems most here hate cops....but did you at least call the cops and report this? Because nobody should be allowed to be on the streets attacking people. No, he didnt have a real weapon, but him jumping you and knocking you to the ground and NOT heading your demand for him to get off of you is assault IMO.

And im sure I will get jumped for suggesting such a thing.

But if you had been a smaller person like me (im only 5') someone of that size could cause much physical damage.

Anyways, im sorry this happened to you. I hope you can stay strong!

[edit on 9/22/2008 by greeneyedleo]

reply to post by seejanerun


Glad to hear you are OK. We are all just a statistic, the smaller percentage who has been a crime victim or the larger that is waiting.

You kept wits about you as to panic is to usually make things worse for yourself. Great to hear that fact.

Originally posted by greeneyedleo

I know this is a conspiracy site and seems most here hate cops....but did you at least call the cops and report this?

No I didn't report it. Like I said until 2 seconds before I hit the ground I couldn't comprehend what I was even seeing. He didn't see fear in my eyes he saw utter confusion. I couldn't make this picture I was taking in make any sense.






(bbcode)

[edit on 23-9-2008 by Jbird]

I feel bad for you...Iv had a similar run in years ago while working as a Barman in a biker bar and i froze couldn't think straight.
Luckily another much older biker stepped in and took over the situation and made me look like i was just standing my ground lol.

After that i started taking Wing Chun classes (kung fu).
I still couldn't fight my way out of a wet paper bag...but at least now i have the confidence to think clearly and react before its too late.

You're not alone you just need(i think)to get some sort of self defence training.
Good luck and best wish's.

Don't listen to Texasgunman he is absolutely wrong. I think things may have gone an entirely different way up to and including your own weapon possibly being turned against you. I think your keeping your cool prevailed in this circumstance. I have had two friends that have been jumped on two seperate occasions and I still feel this way.

The worst weapon there is, is a human being intent upon hurting another. I do think it would be prudent to report it.

I understand how your world view has now changed, my friends have felt the same way since. Don't let him win, though, stay strong... you sound like a strong woman.

light and love,
-anyone

Omigosh - how awful.

You're absolutely right, sometimes we never quite know who the bad guys are until it's too late.

I'm glad you were not hurt physically and were able to get up and walk away. Kudos to you for keeping calm - others might not have managed to think clearly in the same situation.

reply to post by TexasGunMan


i dunno man. i come from the mentality of Dont pull a weapon unless you are prepared to have the same weapon pulled on you.
Ive heard people getting stabbed badly because they pulled a knife out of self defence in a fight or an attack./. if theres an ounce of hesitation or if someone else has one, that blade is out and the attacker is now in defence mode... you've escalated it yourslef by bringin it out.

Could be the same, if three young guys who think youre in the wrong neighbourhood and dont mind telling a 48 yr old woman in a very rude way as what happened to her, and a gun is pulled, chances are a gun would be pulled on her and it wont be a super-soaker this time.. it will be an unregistered gun bought off the street, without any trace to link it to the attacker. And if she was indeed in the very wrong neighbourhood at the time, then maybe no one in the complex wouldve called the cops..

obviously dont mean to further frighten the OP, take care and follow your instincts.

Jane, I'm sorry this happened to you. I think you did the right thing, on all counts -- the way you reacted, the not reporting of the crime.

I'll possibly take flak over this, but no worries. I think the way you at first "rolled with it" -- saying what you did about the water being cool on a hot day -- was possibly the best thing to say in that it didn't project intense fear. Fear, and the display of it, I think can sometimes escalate confrontations.

I can understand why you didn't report it; I would guess nothing would come of it other than a hightened tension from the person who soaked you. He DID assault and batter you; it WAS a crime, but what would the outcome be?

In your place, I would probably inform someone of the event with all the details I could muster... just in case there were any future events. I would also likely find out what I could about the person, if I could do so serruptitiously. I'm not advising you do so if you don't have resources/skills in acquiring that knowlege.

When we lived in the States, both of us carried concealed legally. That is my mindset, and it comes from a position of training and skills, and a person who does carry a weapon concealed has a legal responsibility to try to mitigate the situation without "brandishing" a weapon, or at least in the four states in which I carried concealed.

I can't help wondering how the situation might've been different, had you acquired the training and were carrying. I also can't help wondering if you would now feel better or worse about the outcome.

I think you did the right thing, for what that's worth, and now you are more aware of some of the adverse variables in your neighborhood. I think the young man was counting coup, and it sounds frightening. I would guess that he doesn't know where you live, by his "you don't belong here", but I would think about shoaring up your home security if you haven't already. I don't want to plant any additional fears -- you had quite enough for today. If the psychological effects stay with you and change you, and you are prepared mentally to take a life if your survival depends upon it, it might change your sense of control, or loss of same to take firearms training. I put it that way as I've encontered well-meaning folks that carried a firearm concealed who, I believe, considered the show of a weapon as a deterrant -- and it can be -- but didn't have the mindset to use the weapon if necessary. I firmly believe that people that fit into that category shouldn't carry.

Thanks for sharing your event with us, and thanks for indulging my unsolicited advice. I don't mean this to sound as a juxtaposition to the poster earlier who suggested you take training with the intent of carrying a gun concealed -- more of an expansion of the ramifications.

Y'take care. Your story touches a nerve in me that makes me feel..... I don't know..... protective? Concerned. Empathetic. Angry. If I can offer any additional unsolicited advice, feel free to U2U.

Be safe

I don't walk my dogs without my pepper spray 10 percent bear pee.
Never had to use it. But pit bulls don't know bounds. A quick shot of that would have put of limp in his stride. Without overt overeaction, I will not be made a victim of, nor I will take anything in stride.

I am glad to hear that you are ok.

Best regards,
imd12c4funn

Argentus- Thank you for the reply. No they don't know where I live. I have a great home alarm system, a gun at home, 2 dogs that would kill or die for me and a husband who would do the same.

IF I had been carrying a gun, 2 things would have probably happened. 1) They would have taken it away from me as that would be a great bounty for them or 2) I would have possibly shot a juvenile for a water gun. That I could not live with. He looked 17 or 18 and the crime would not have fit the punishment.

Thank all of you for the replies. I love ATS for this. I can come here, tell all of you I am horribly ashamed at my lack of action and not be made to feel worse for it.

My husband will be home after 2nd shift and it will be an effort not to tell him exactly where this happened or who did it because his thoughts would say "I've never hit my wife and you did this?" "I'm gonna show them fear" That isn't the answer either.

As to reporting it, I probably will but the Columbus Police aren't going to do anything about it. The other thing is this; As I said in my post I don't think he's crossed over to criminal yet and IF they put him in jail, even overnight, he's gonna come out a worse person that when he went in more likely than not.

Once again, thank all of you for the replies. I don't feel so alone.

Originally posted by anyone
Don't listen to Texasgunman he is absolutely wrong. I think things may have gone an entirely different way up to and including your own weapon possibly being turned against you. I think your keeping your cool prevailed in this circumstance. I have had two friends that have been jumped on two seperate occasions and I still feel this way.

The worst weapon there is, is a human being intent upon hurting another. I do think it would be prudent to report it.

I understand how your world view has now changed, my friends have felt the same way since. Don't let him win, though, stay strong... you sound like a strong woman.

light and love,
-anyone

He is not absolutely wrong. Don't judge. We HAVE the right to protect ourselves. A concealed weapon would be a perfectly acceptable way to deter and end a situation like this. When someone attacks you, you DO NOT know what their intentions are. When someone is running at you for no good reason, screaming, and assaults you, you have every right to shoot them. If you feel your life is in danger, that's all you need as justification to protect it. Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.

reply to post by seejanerun


That's too bad that this happened, but what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Glad you made it through with little injury.

There must have been something about you that made you a mark though. The only people who don't "belong there" are the ones who know they don't. It can be dress, demeanor, failure to make eye contact, making too much eye contact, etc. Here in NY we perfect a way to look at people without actually looking at people. A sort of thousand-yard stare. They know you see them, but that you aren't looking at them.

I would guess that they "smelled" fear on you, or were insulted by your prescense somehow. Even a strut, overconfidence can do that.

I would suggest that you either, A. avoid places like that, or B. get to know your local community better and become more comfortable with it.

One of the first things I do in a new town is spend days driving the streets, day and night.

Some self-defense measures could always be helpful as well. A lot of women I know carry a box-cutter and know how to fight (or have taken some classes anyhow.) If you decide to get a gun, realize that it is not a catch-all for safety situations. I was mugged one night while carrying, and if I had pulled it, I would have most likely been shot. Since then I always carry a blade in my front pocket, that I can flick open quickly when the mugger thinks I'm digging for my money.

reply to post by kidney thief


I am all for the permit to carry, but I am also from the "old-school" I guess, in that you don't ever ever pull a gun unless you are going to shoot someone.