Would you intervene in an armed robbery?

[Bonkers4Bacon]

Say the guy successfully robs the store and leaves. Do you just awkwardly walk up to the counter and pay for your Big Gulp? Do you pay a little more?

 

[Lebowski]

Say the guy successfully robs the store and leaves. Do you just awkwardly walk up to the counter and pay for your Big Gulp? Do you pay a little more?

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DONT HAVE CHANGE FOR A TWENTY?"

 

[chezuki]

Say the guy successfully robs the store and leaves. Do you just awkwardly walk up to the counter and pay for your Big Gulp? Do you pay a little more?

Why would you pay more?


I'd assume you'd want to stick around and be a good witness for the police report.

 

[chezuki]

Thread jack...

Seriously autocorrect, why the **** would you think I meant "gooey witness"?!??

 

[Yup!]

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DONT HAVE CHANGE FOR A TWENTY?"

"you have given out too much reputation in the last 24 hours, try again later."

 

[Bonkers4Bacon]

Why would you pay more?


I'd assume you'd want to stick around and be a good witness for the police report.

I'd feel a little bad. Help him get back on his feet by giving him an extra buck lol

 

[Lebowski]

I'd feel a little bad. Help him get back on his feet by giving him an extra buck lol

Well, unless the clerk gets fired he'll still collect his $8/hr regardless if the store gets robbed or not.

 

[Bonkers4Bacon]

Well, unless the clerk gets fired he'll still collect his $8/hr regardless if the store gets robbed or not.

Unless it's one of those po-dunk places where the owner works the register every day

 

[singlesix]

Well, unless the clerk gets fired he'll still collect his $8/hr regardless if the store gets robbed or not.

In college friend worked in a liquor store and was robbed. The owner's policy was one paid day off and a bottle of whatever the you wanted, man did we wish for our friend to be held up again :-)

 

[Vigilant]

In college friend worked in a liquor store and was robbed. The owner's policy was one paid day off and a bottle of whatever the you wanted, man did we wish for our friend to be held up again :-)

Sheesh, we would have held him up once a week for the rest of the semester!

 

[TheSpark]

I assume this has been discussed but after 4 pages of search results I gave up.

Just a quick scenario: Let's say you are in a Village Pantry or gas station and a guy comes in holding a gun. He threatens the person at the counter and asks for cash. He is yelling and threatening the cashier. You are only a few feet away but you are behind the guy and can get to your EDC quickly. Do you draw and shoot? Draw and tell him to drop it? Do you step back and stay out of the way assuming most of these situations end with no one getting shot?

My my gut says option 3 but I would feel awful if the cashier is injured by a gunman I could have taken out.

Thoughts?

These type of threads are started all the time Robert. The fact is in any situation like this there are so many variables that answering something like this is very hard to do. I will say that I would probably not factor in that these situations often end with no one getting shot. Anyone who points a gun at another person is putting that persons life in danger and that alone probably warrants action. However, in a situation like this you have seconds to process the situation. I'm also not sure if it is wise here for anyone to post that they would shoot/take action. If they do post that and God forbid they are involved in something like this their words here could be used in court against them.

 

[dusty88]

I do think these are good scenarios to think through mentally, especially taking into account the linked commentary by Evan Marshall. Your brain will process a lot in less than a second, but it might lead you to better choices if you've already thought through variables.

I hope to never need to decide.

 

[ModernGunner]

Yes.

 

[MickeyBlueEyes]

Paul30, IC35-41-3 leaves you without any criminal or civil litigation in any of the case scenarios covered by the law.

 

[ADDICTED2TONE]

Too many variables.
I'd have to answer it after the fact.

 

[rsklar]

All I can add to this thread is that the difference between the police and a Law Abiding Armed Citizen is that the police have the give a verbal challenge. My first shot is the warning and results wrapped into one!

 

[Popacap]

Yeah...shooting the guy in the back here wouldn't be a bad thing here, but until the situation presents itself....who knows?

Be the best witness, not unless the clerk or by stander gets shot, then engage while moving to cover.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

All I can add to this thread is that the difference between the police and a Law Abiding Armed Citizen is that the police have the give a verbal challenge.

Only where feasible.

 

[Webster-dl]

So, in that situation, I would have my family move to the coolers away from the perp, maybe into the bathrooms if they can do so without becoming victims. I would then, put one in the base of his skull because a forcible felony is a justifiable reason in Indiana with IC35-41-3. The base of his skull, because I don't want anybody causing harm to the attendant after the action occurs. The attendants life and mine were the only ones in jeopardy, so I wouldn't want an errant round taking out anyone else or causing harm to the attendant. There is no center of mass clause for defense in Indiana, so that is also why I say that. Lastly, the chances of recovery from that wound put it right into the no more crime files. It's a bit difficult to judge what would actually happen, until it does, but that is one of the scenarios we need to be mindful of. A robbery, in any stage, is a justifiable use of deadly force in Indiana. In public, in the defense of myself, of my family, of a third party, anywhere I have a legal right to be. So, my question is, if you carry concealed or open, why wouldn't you protect an innocent bystander with deadly force? Isn't this the whole reason law abiding gun owners carry guns?

I understand what you are saying and I agree with you in principle. Just one thing: What if it turns out the gun was fake? Yes, he was still in commission of a felony, and there was no way for you to know, and yes, there is no such thing as "shooting to wound", but if you shoot him in the back of the head, and he turns out to not have been armed at all...well, you will probably be cleared, but it might be a real rocky road, with some group screaming that you "executed someone who posed no threat to anyone".

Well, I guess I'll answer my own question here: There was no way for you to know. All you can do is do the best you can with the information you have at the time you have to make the decision. I think I would agree with those that said "you just can't know until it happens...there are too many variables to tell".

 

[Webster-dl]

Thank you cosermann. That was a good and thoughtful read. It reinforces my initial inclination to stay out of most situations if at all possible. The consequences can be devistating no matter how things turn out.

Lots to think about.

Agreed. That was a really good read. That article by Evan Marshall was really just about the final word...it left nothing else to be said.