What would you do in this situation

[CVictor]

You are several feet away from a cash register at, say, a Dicks sporting goods. As you are browsing, a man pulls a knife on the clerk and demands the cash from the register. He has not acknowledged you since he walked in and you have no reason to believe he's going to turn and come after you. Do you pull your gun to stop the robbery?

Things that may cause me to hesitate, not for fear of injuring the lowlife robber....but for fear of legal repercussions:

1. your life is not currently in danger
2. you may be escalating the situation by pulling a gun on a knife wielding robber...what if he grabs the cashier and hides behind her?

However, for all you know he will slash the throat of the cashier after getting his money. Could you live with yourself knowing you could have stopped it? I know what I would prefer to do...but would rather not end up in jail.

Your opinions

 

[nalees]

No, you be the best witness possible and if things get uglier you try to talk him/her down. Your current scenario is not life endangering for anyone.

 

[ryanbr]

I agree, be the best witness in the world! This is something that we can set here and armchair quarterback all we want. Until you are in the actual real world situation you do not know what you will do. Can hold nothing against anyone for the choice they make, you are the one that will have to livewith it for the rest of your life. The money in the cash register is not worth your or anyone elses life. Dont forget the 21 foot rule either!

 

[bigiron]

i agree, no shoot. but you better believe i'm taking a tactical position and ole' trusty is ready to make an appearance. i'll gladly watch him leave with the money but the first second he begins to escalate things with the cashier to the point of becoming aggressive with the weapon he will meet JESUS for the first time. i'm covered by forcable felony law and if i drop a BG i won't feel as bad as seeing an innocent person go down in a crime.

 

[LPMan59]

i would have my ar15 pointed at his head and would tell him to drop the knife. lucky for the clerk i had been carrying it since breakfast at denny's.

 

[infidel]

Draw on him and tell him not to make any sudden movements. Then tell him to drop the knife. Then tell him to get down on the ground. Then tell someone to call the cops. Remove the knife from his reach. Stay drawn on him until police arrive.

If he makes any sudden movements towards someone with the knife, stop the threat.

If he decides to run away reholster, stay on the scene, and call the cops.


I am not going to watch someone get stabbed knowing it was coming and I could have acted to stop it.

Also, you are legally able to protect a third party.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

I know as a responsible gun carrying citizen. That if you can help those in distress, without endangering your own life or the life of others. To me it is not a moral obligation, yet should be considered. Or there would be no point of carrying a gun, except for the defense of only yourself. If he was far enough away, or there was an obstruction in between him and the clerk. I would want to play it cool. If you show aggression, he may escalate his intentions. You pull a gun, he may then attack the clerk. Chances are if he is wanting money, he is going to flee after getting it. I personally, do not want to further endanger someones life by going gungho. Also I'm not a police officer, that's their job. My

 

[Jack Ryan]

You are several feet away from a cash register at, say, a Dicks sporting goods. As you are browsing, a man pulls a knife on the clerk and demands the cash from the register. He has not acknowledged you since he walked in and you have no reason to believe he's going to turn and come after you. Do you pull your gun to stop the robbery?

Things that may cause me to hesitate, not for fear of injuring the lowlife robber....but for fear of legal repercussions:

1. your life is not currently in danger
2. you may be escalating the situation by pulling a gun on a knife wielding robber...what if he grabs the cashier and hides behind her?

However, for all you know he will slash the throat of the cashier after getting his money. Could you live with yourself knowing you could have stopped it? I know what I would prefer to do...but would rather not end up in jail.

Your opinions

I'm in line BEHIND him?

If I have a gun, get it in my hand. Kick him hard behind the knees like kids go joking around behind each other in lines. He'll drop away from any one in front of him just like any one else. May be fall clear to the ground from just that but I'd give him a little help while I had him off balance. Depends on how big he is but I might give him a little tap on the way down or just a shove and when he looks up he'll get the idea.

 

[thompal]

Draw on him and tell him not to make any sudden movements. Then tell him to drop the knife. Then tell him to get down on the ground. Then tell someone to call the cops. Remove the knife from his reach. Stay drawn on him until police arrive.

Citizen's arrest.

I am not going to watch someone get stabbed knowing it was coming and I could have acted to stop it.

I'd have a hard time reconciling my beliefs if the clerk DID get stabbed while I knew what was happened, but merely watched.

If nobody got stabbed, but the BG got away with money while I stood by and watched, I'd be pretty p*ssed with myself too.

 

[indyartisan]

No shoot. Too many innocent people around a store like Dicks. Who could be sure that a shot might end up somewhere unintended. I suppose if he started to repeatedly stab the clerk, look for a "safe" angle for a shot but I cant envision what that would be in the Dicks store near me. Maybe better to grab a nine iron off the sale rack.

 

[jbombelli]

He's committing a "forcible felony" in my presence?

Sec. 2. (a) A person is justified in using reasonable force against another person to protect the person or a third person from what the person reasonably believes to be the imminent use of unlawful force. However, a person:
(1) is justified in using deadly force; and
(2) does not have a duty to retreat;
if the person reasonably believes that that force is necessary to prevent serious bodily injury to the person or a third person or the commission of a forcible felony. No person in this state shall be placed in legal jeopardy of any kind whatsoever for protecting the person or a third person by reasonable means necessary.

As tempting as it would be to just pull my own knife and stick him in the kidney and lungs, which would be easy to do since I'm right behind him, I probably wouldn't do that.

I would probably draw on him, tell him to drop his knife and get on the f***ing ground, and probably shoot him if he didn't.

I can only say "probably" because you just never know exactly how these things will play out ahead of time.

As far as money not being worth someone's life? If it's not worth their life, they shouldn't threaten the lives of others, and they shouldn't put their own lives on the line, in their efforts to take it. I wouldn't be shooting him over money. I'd be shooting him over putting the lives of others in jeopardy in his quest for that money. The decision as to whether a little money is worth someone's life is his, and his alone.

I don't have a problem with being a good witness. I just don't want to be a good witness to somebody getting stabbed, which could very easily be the case if I hang back and watch to see what happens next, and wait to act.

 

[ryknoll3]

No shoot. Too many innocent people around a store like Dicks. Who could be sure that a shot might end up somewhere unintended. I suppose if he started to repeatedly stab the clerk, look for a "safe" angle for a shot but I cant envision what that would be in the Dicks store near me. Maybe better to grab a nine iron off the sale rack.

"Hey bad guy, please excuse me while I select a club for this shot."

 

[rhart]

I would pull my Glock and fire, shooting myself directly throught the brain twice if possible to end the nightmare of shopping at Dicks! Hopefully, when I woke up, I would be in Galyans Plainfield, about 1976.

 

[bigiron]

I would pull my Glock and fire, shooting myself directly throught the brain twice if possible to end the nightmare of shopping at Dicks! Hopefully, when I woke up, I would be in Galyans Plainfield, about 1976.

+1! HAHAHAHAAHAHAHA i'm totally with you. as a former galyans employee, i totally miss the trading post!

 

[CVictor]

Draw on him and tell him not to make any sudden movements. Then tell him to drop the knife. Then tell him to get down on the ground. Then tell someone to call the cops. Remove the knife from his reach. Stay drawn on him until police arrive.

If he makes any sudden movements towards someone with the knife, stop the threat.

If he decides to run away reholster, stay on the scene, and call the cops.


I am not going to watch someone get stabbed knowing it was coming and I could have acted to stop it.

Also, you are legally able to protect a third party.

This is what I would wish to do, however like others have said it could easily excite the situation considering nobody's life is currently threatened. I suppose that in a scenario like this your best bet is to read body language as carefully as you can and decide whether or not he's really willing to take the life of the cashier?

i agree, no shoot. but you better believe i'm taking a tactical position and ole' trusty is ready to make an appearance. i'll gladly watch him leave with the money but the first second he begins to escalate things with the cashier to the point of becoming aggressive with the weapon he will meet JESUS for the first time. i'm covered by forcable felony law and if i drop a BG i won't feel as bad as seeing an innocent person go down in a crime.

I know as a responsible gun carrying citizen. That if you can help those in distress, without endangering your own life or the life of others. To me it is not a moral obligation, yet should be considered. Or there would be no point of carrying a gun, except for the defense of only yourself. If he was far enough away, or there was an obstruction in between him and the clerk. I would want to play it cool. If you show aggression, he may escalate his intentions. You pull a gun, he may then attack the clerk. Chances are if he is wanting money, he is going to flee after getting it. I personally, do not want to further endanger someones life by going gungho. Also I'm not a police officer, that's their job. My

Very good points

Citizen's arrest.




I'd have a hard time reconciling my beliefs if the clerk DID get stabbed while I knew what was happened, but merely watched.

If nobody got stabbed, but the BG got away with money while I stood by and watched, I'd be pretty p*ssed with myself too.

Same here, but if a case like this ever made it in front of a jury it may be hard to convince them that the man who pulled a less deadly weapon than you did deserved to die. Obviously this logic is bass-ackwards but (unfortunately) it is the world we live in today...especially in NWI where we have a little too much chicago influence. Laws aside...i wouldn't hesitate to draw and, if necessary, fire upon any sudden movement/threat by the BG, as infidel said

I would pull my Glock and fire, shooting myself directly throught the brain twice if possible to end the nightmare of shopping at Dicks! Hopefully, when I woke up, I would be in Galyans Plainfield, about 1976.

Keep the responses coming! I always wanted to know what others thought about a situation like this one, seems we have several people on each side of the fence.

 

[JDonhardt]

The money isnt mine. The cashier isnt my family. I'm not a police officer. I wouldnt do anything.

If he comes at me with that knife, though, hes going to have a big problem on his hands.

 

[ryknoll3]

The money isnt mine. The cashier isnt my family. I'm not a police officer. I wouldnt do anything.

If he comes at me with that knife, though, hes going to have a big problem on his hands.

I hope if anyone of your family is ever in danger someone nearby with an LTCH and a gun doesn't share your attitude.

Oh, and if someone ever threatened my wife with a deadly weapon, I would hope there would be someone there to put a bullet in his brain.

 

[JDonhardt]

I hope if anyone of your family is ever in danger someone nearby with an LTCH and a gun doesn't share your attitude.

Oh, and if someone ever threatened my wife with a deadly weapon, I would hope there would be someone there to put a bullet in his brain.

You may be right.

It would take a lot for me to pull and start shooting in public. I've never been in the situation, but I think it would take more than a robbery at knife point for me to kill someone.

 

[Eddie]

I would draw while moving back to give myself some space between me and the knife and then order him to stop. If he wants to run away, fine. If he goes after me or the clerk then he gets shot. No problem getting involving in this scenario.

Oh, and then I would sue Dicks for lack of adequate security measures, putting me through that kind of emotional trauma, sue the bad guy (if still alive) for the stress I suffered while shooting him, sue the clerk for letting the situation get so out of control and for good measure sue the company that manufactured the knife that the bad guy used for allowing their product to fall into the hands of a criminal. "Shoot first, Sue first I always say."

 

[MoparEric]

You may be right.

It would take a lot for me to pull and start shooting in public. I've never been in the situation, but I think it would take more than a robbery at knife point for me to kill someone.

Why would you have to kill them? There are several non lethal places to hit hit an assailant and stop his his progression. JMO