Monday, August 29, 2011

I Love a Happy Ending

These guys are obviously not the sharpest knives in the drawer. The story:
Four people flagged down officers late Saturday night, claiming they had been jumped and stabbed.

It turns out the three men and one woman were actually the attackers who picked on the wrong guy.

Merced County investigators say the 20 year-old would-be victim pulled out a utility tool and began stabbing the attackers to protect himself and his girlfriend.

Deputies say the four suspects are expected to face charges after they recover from their injuries.

I am going to assume that by "utility tool" they mean something like a Leatherman. I think a Wave or similar tool would make a pretty decent defensive weapon. I also think "stabbing" is probably a sort of technical term here meaning "injured by a sharp object". A multi-tool is less than ideal for thrusting but would work well enough for slashing.

I am happy to see that even in the People Republic of California -- outside the big city dead zones, at least -- commonsense can still be found.

Finally, this was not a knife fight. This was an unfair attack in which the over-matched person resolutely and effectively deployed a weapon in defense of himself and his girlfriend. Had he not done so, the thugs would have likely injured, robbed, raped, etc., at their pleasure. Three or four on one or two is a tough fight for most of us. This person kept his head and resisted with violent determination. The criminals fled the scene then stupidly brought in the police. I suppose they thought they could turn the tables on their "victim".

It would be interesting to know how the man was able to convince authorities that he acted in self-defense. Did he or his girlfriend call 911 immediately? Were there other witnesses to the events? Were the perpetrators already "usual suspects" to the police? Were the aggressors giving inconsistent stories? It would be helpful if we knew more. Calling 911 is one of the few actions the victims could initiate. Having a cell phone video of the attack might be helpful as well.

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