The Video Carjackers Don’t Want You To See

[amigocabal]

When I used to work in the city, my office location was not in the best area of town. Frequently, there were questionable people walking around. At the time, there had been an increase of violent crimes and some vehicles had been carjacked in the area. Needless to say, I did not want to be the next victim. As an added safety measure I walked with a group out to my car and always had my keys ready. I was lucky to never be a victim of of such heinous crimes, but I was always on the lookout.

Little did I know criminals use multiple ploys to get their victims out of the car. I believe there are ways to prepare for this type of personal crises and it all starts with good old-fashioned common sense and avoidance.

Victims Are Always Chosen With Certain Traits

In a recent article on self-defense, I discussed how victims are not randomly selected. They are observed and picked because they are perceived to be weak. In a study regarding how predators selected their victims, pedestrians were videotaped walking down a street and had incarcerated convicts view them. Within seven seconds of viewing the pedestrians the convicts had selected their targets. Selections were not based on gender, size, age or race, but rather on the body language exhibited. The convicts identified the following body language cues used as their basis for victim selection:

Posture: People that walked with shoulders slouched or slumped were selected as victims as opposed to those who walked with their chin up.
Gaze: Those avoiding eye contact were chosen as victims because of the perception that they were preoccupied. Making eye contact naturally communicates confidence.
Stride: People who walked with a stride that was too long or too short, or those who shuffled or dragged their feet, were selected over those who had a smooth and natural gait.
Rate: Those who walked slowly with no apparent purpose, and those who walked fast as if they were uncomfortable, were selected over those who walked naturally and deliberately.
Fluidity: Those who demonstrated awkwardness in their movements were chosen over those who seemed to glide as they walked.
Wholeness: Those who swung their arms wildly while walking were selected over those who moved from their center, with coordination and balance.

Continue reading...

[TheFeniX]

A lot of this was covered in our CHL class years back. And it's just good information anyway. Being aware means you can not only be prepared for criminal dangers, but also accidents such as some dumbass driver not paying attention.

Leave space between your car and the car in front of you when stopped so you have room to escape if someone tries to carjack your car. A good rule of thumb is if you can look over the hood of your car you can see the wheels of the car in front of you touch the pavement, then you have room to go around.

This is one of those things that people have said to me "You can't live your life this paranoid" when I've mentioned it. Which was always dumb to me. I leave at least a car-length between me and the car in front of me at a light for this purpose. It's never saved me from a car-jacking as I've never been carjacked. It has however meant that that the time I was rear-ended, I was at the front of a pile-up, rather than in the middle. After the collision, my truck was a half car length closer to the car who got to drive away, not involved in the wreck. Our Smith Driving class would cover the same thing a few years later.

Same thing with making eye-contact with random strangers and saying hello. I use it as a way to say "I see you, you see me," but it's also a great way to possibly make someone's day a bit more enjoyable and also helps keep your social skills sharp.

[Elheru Aran]

The title is absurdly clickbaity and the article largely a mass of self-evident facts that would be obvious to the minimally intelligent. Congratulations, you win the Buzzfeed Medal of the Day!

[The Infidel]

While we're at it, this page tells a lot of stuff about how not to become a victim.
http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/

[Edi]

While we're at it, this page tells a lot of stuff about how not to become a victim.
http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/

I clicked on your link and the next thing I knew, it was six hours later. Just you wait and I will have my revenge some day...

[General Zod]

I'm digging the no nonsense link. It mostly supports what I've picked up from observations of other people doing stupid shit. (I've been fortunate enough to have avoided any actual violent encounters up until now.)

[Broomstick]

Unfortunately, I have had to deal with some violent encounters in my life. The website matches my experience.

Here is a video of what is legal use of force in the US, it was an incident that recently occurred in Atlanta, Georgia. Yes, it's a black man holding a gun on a white man, and the police are nice to the black man with the gun. It's also an example of a properly done citizen's arrest.

Note, please, how the not-a-victim guy is only using the amount force required for the situation (yes, pointing a gun at someone IS considered a use of force). He's not kicking the guy on the ground, he's keeping his cool, he's obviously pissed and a bit insulting but he's making no additional threats (he shouldn't have to, with a gun in his hand), he didn't actually have to shoot the guy, he doesn't physically hurt the man at all. He doesn't need to do that. When the cops show up our solid citizen immediately puts his gun down, lets the police take over the situation, and is respectful and compliant. Note, too, that he secures his weapon and asks the cops if he can put it away.

By the way, isn't it nice to see a respectful and professional interaction of police and black man given recent events? This is actually the way it is supposed to happen, and this is not a one-time thing, it's just that this sort of correct outcome doesn't make the news very often and it's quite a bit of luck we got this one on tape.

In past instances where I've been involved in a "violent encounter" my experience has been somewhat similar. If you're doing what you should - keeping your cool, using only sufficient force to end the threat and not going past that, yielding to the police when they arrive - you'll be OK. You might still have some legal stuff afterward, but you might well have the outcome seen here where the police treat you well and perhaps even thank you. The problem is that not everyone stops at "sufficient", and it takes a LOT of self-discipline to keep your cool and practice restraint in an adrenaline-charged, potentially dangerous situation. That's also why the police were calm here - dude was pissed off, but clearly in control of himself and not a danger.

[General Zod]

I have had steroidal meat heads get up in my face before and scream at me, but I've been smart enough to not let the situation go past that.