Wine and cheese saves the day?

WASHINGTON - A grand feast of marinated steaks and jumbo shrimp was winding down, and a group of friends was sitting on the back patio of a Capitol Hill home, sipping red wine. Suddenly, a hooded man slid in through an open gate and put the barrel of a handgun to the head of a 14-year-old guest.

"Give me your money, or I'll start shooting," he demanded, according to D.C. police and witness accounts."

Remainder of MSNBC article may be found here

A group hug?

I'm honestly not sure whether this story should warm the heart or turn the stomach.

Sometimes, all people really want is a really good glass of red wine.

Leave it that damn "Cha-Cha". Sounds like a bad Saturday Night Live sketch...
Who's the biggest freakazoid here-the robber, "Cha-Cha", or the police cmdr. who suggested squeezing someone with a gun down their pants?

Two-buck Chuck? They're toast.

Geo

I suppose it worked becaused the intended victims were fortunate: their suggestion made them seem more human to the guy with the gun.

Or maybe it was the setting after all? A few weeks ago in Utah, a particularly scary criminal broke out of prison, drove to an Arby's, and pointed a gun at someone in the restaurant. He was immediately tackled by a customer --and he never even had a chance of being offered a glass of wine in an Arby's.

Hi,

I like to believe there was an element of surprise in how the victims responded, which caught the criminal off guard and effectively disarmed him.

Years ago a friend was approaching a mass transit entrance in San Francisco. A guy approached demanding his wallet, my friend glibly remarked, "I don't have time. I'm late getting home to dinner with my family," then kept walking. He is more mentally agile than most, but he did recognize later when talking to his family this was a close call.

Sometimes doing the unexpected works.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I like to believe there was an element of surprise in how the victims responded, which caught the criminal off guard and effectively disarmed him.

Years ago a friend was approaching a mass transit entrance in San Francisco. A guy approached demanding his wallet, my friend glibly remarked, "I don't have time. I'm late getting home to dinner with my family," then kept walking. He is more mentally agile than most, but he did recognize later when talking to his family this was a close call.

Sometimes doing the unexpected works.

Regards,

Some time ago, a friend of the family was being followed by a shady guy around a mall, following her from store to store. As she wrestled with a way to get rid of him quickly (mall security wasn't really an option here), she turned around, faced him and asked, "Don't I know your mother?" He was stunned, and she repeated, "Yes, I do know your mother." He fled as quickly as possible and didn't bother her again.

aschie30 wrote:Some time ago, a friend of the family was being followed by a shady guy around a mall, following her from store to store. As she wrestled with a way to get rid of him quickly (mall security wasn't really an option here), she turned around, faced him and asked, "Don't I know your mother?" He was stunned, and she repeated, "Yes, I do know your mother." He fled as quickly as possible and didn't bother her again.

I was afraid she was going to try to scare him off by inviting him to get some wine with her.

David Hammond wrote:

aschie30 wrote:Some time ago, a friend of the family was being followed by a shady guy around a mall, following her from store to store. As she wrestled with a way to get rid of him quickly (mall security wasn't really an option here), she turned around, faced him and asked, "Don't I know your mother?" He was stunned, and she repeated, "Yes, I do know your mother." He fled as quickly as possible and didn't bother her again.

I was afraid she was going to try to scare him off by inviting him to get some wine with her.

That would probably scare him off! I can see the headline: Foodies worldwide fight crime by offering wine to would-be criminals! [Cue image of foodie in superhero cape with bottle of wine and corkscrew in hand.]

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I like to believe there was an element of surprise in how the victims responded, which caught the criminal off guard and effectively disarmed him.

Years ago a friend was approaching a mass transit entrance in San Francisco. A guy approached demanding his wallet, my friend glibly remarked, "I don't have time. I'm late getting home to dinner with my family," then kept walking. He is more mentally agile than most, but he did recognize later when talking to his family this was a close call.

Sometimes doing the unexpected works.

Regards,

About 12 years ago when I lived in Lakeview on Roscoe right at the end of Kenmore, I was walking home late at night when, as I went down the two steps to my apt, I heard someone say "don't turn around and put your wallet on the ground". I of course turned around, and saw two 18-25 year old punks. I replied "What ?". He then said "give me your wallet". "yeah, right. F* you", I said. I then put the keys in my lock, opened the door went in and locked it. Not exactly my smartest move, but it was obvious that they were just looking for an easy mark.