Tonight i had an altercation with 2 druggies (late 20's to early 30's), or they may have been drunks as they were both drinking cheap cider, but they looked like heroin addicts to me. i don't think a discription is needed here is it.
I came out of the shop to find them both stood by my dog (a cracking little staffordhire bull terrier called max) and fussing him, but one had unhooked his lead from the shop wall but quickly put it back and thought i hadnt noticed, and immediately tried to distract me by talking about and complimenting me on max (he really is a stunner tho) while the other lad barged into me on his way past, at which point i told him (politely) to watch where he was going, but just received a torrent of abuse back. when i asked the other guy what his mate's problem was he simply shrugged and said i was just lucky he hadnt stabbed me cos ''he's a nutter''. at this point i'm thinking WTF!? but it also got my back up as ive just nicely recovered from being slashed and receiving 6 stitches a few weeks ago. So i just walked away, but at this the second guy started shouting abuse and was joined by the first guy again (knife boy) who then threw a bottle which narrowly missed a woman walking past.
I walked round to my sisters nearby and was telling her what had happened and could feel myself getting wound up, mostly due to the implied threat of being stabbed, particularly as it was over nothing and i had done nothing wrong, but also as i'm sick of decent people getting treat like this by scumbag druggies. so decided to leave max there and go for a short run to clear my head and burn off some of the mounting anger.
The end result is that i bumped into the same 2 druggies again and had a second altercation, which they provoked by immediately acting aggressive and rushing at me, and in which they didnt fair very well at all.
Those of you who have read some of my posts here will know i'm an ex boxer and a keen weight lifter, so don't exactly fit the target or victim discription, so i can only guess that they took my polite, reasonable attitude in the first altercation to mean weak and vulnerable/intimidated, bolstering their confidence to have a go. The only thing on my mind was stopping them before laddo had chance to pull a knife out as being cut the other week is still fresh in my mind obviously, so i admit i wasnt gentle in putting them out as quickly as possible. but i dont feel guilty. it was self defence and they got what they deserved. who knows what might have happened if i'd let them intimidate me.
I'm not sure why ive posted this, i almost didnt, but i guess i just want other people's thoughts on this.
I'm aware its going to appear that i went back out specifically to find them, but i didnt. not conciously anyway. i just wanted to calm my nerves etc. i'm a decent guy, in my opinion. i'm a family man, and work hard for a living. i dont break the law and i fought for my country. i'm not saying i'm perfect, far from it but i'm definately miles above scum like this and dont see why i should take off them. sometimes you need to stand your ground, and this was just one of them. I also know a fair number of you are going to criticise me for not just walking away, and i accept that as ordinarily i would have. incidently its turning my back and trying to walk away is what got me slashed a few weeks ago, so it seems i cant win either way at the moment.
I'm not stupid enough to believe that this will put them off doing similar to others, they'll just choose weaker targets, but i still feel justified and thought i'd post what happened.
Thanks guys.
Sam
I came out of the shop to find them both stood by my dog (a cracking little staffordhire bull terrier called max) and fussing him, but one had unhooked his lead from the shop wall but quickly put it back and thought i hadnt noticed, and immediately tried to distract me by talking about and complimenting me on max (he really is a stunner tho) while the other lad barged into me on his way past, at which point i told him (politely) to watch where he was going, but just received a torrent of abuse back. when i asked the other guy what his mate's problem was he simply shrugged and said i was just lucky he hadnt stabbed me cos ''he's a nutter''. at this point i'm thinking WTF!? but it also got my back up as ive just nicely recovered from being slashed and receiving 6 stitches a few weeks ago. So i just walked away, but at this the second guy started shouting abuse and was joined by the first guy again (knife boy) who then threw a bottle which narrowly missed a woman walking past.
I walked round to my sisters nearby and was telling her what had happened and could feel myself getting wound up, mostly due to the implied threat of being stabbed, particularly as it was over nothing and i had done nothing wrong, but also as i'm sick of decent people getting treat like this by scumbag druggies. so decided to leave max there and go for a short run to clear my head and burn off some of the mounting anger.
The end result is that i bumped into the same 2 druggies again and had a second altercation, which they provoked by immediately acting aggressive and rushing at me, and in which they didnt fair very well at all.
Those of you who have read some of my posts here will know i'm an ex boxer and a keen weight lifter, so don't exactly fit the target or victim discription, so i can only guess that they took my polite, reasonable attitude in the first altercation to mean weak and vulnerable/intimidated, bolstering their confidence to have a go. The only thing on my mind was stopping them before laddo had chance to pull a knife out as being cut the other week is still fresh in my mind obviously, so i admit i wasnt gentle in putting them out as quickly as possible. but i dont feel guilty. it was self defence and they got what they deserved. who knows what might have happened if i'd let them intimidate me.
I'm not sure why ive posted this, i almost didnt, but i guess i just want other people's thoughts on this.
I'm aware its going to appear that i went back out specifically to find them, but i didnt. not conciously anyway. i just wanted to calm my nerves etc. i'm a decent guy, in my opinion. i'm a family man, and work hard for a living. i dont break the law and i fought for my country. i'm not saying i'm perfect, far from it but i'm definately miles above scum like this and dont see why i should take off them. sometimes you need to stand your ground, and this was just one of them. I also know a fair number of you are going to criticise me for not just walking away, and i accept that as ordinarily i would have. incidently its turning my back and trying to walk away is what got me slashed a few weeks ago, so it seems i cant win either way at the moment.
I'm not stupid enough to believe that this will put them off doing similar to others, they'll just choose weaker targets, but i still feel justified and thought i'd post what happened.
Thanks guys.
Sam