attacted my a civilian

Discuss Spyderco's products and history.
TheTacticalOne
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attacted my a civilian

#1

Post by TheTacticalOne »

On december 05 2001 i was walking home from work as i'm lucky enough to live about 3 blocks from work. It was about 12am an i was dead tired because i had to work open to close. I took a shortcut through a parking lot i new i shouldn't have gone through as its a hangout for the local crips gang and being a shaved headed whiteboy the first thing most of them think is that i'm a skinhead(I'm not my wife is black for gods sake). Any way some little hood rat that was about 6'5 and a good 225 pounds come up to me and asks me to give him my wallet and movado. I told him to leave me alone and to **** of, he then showed me a nice shiny aluminum handles civilain and again told me to hand over my stuff. i acted like i was reaching for my wallet and grabbed my HK USP 40 he saw it and took a slice at my shooting arm ripping into my upper arm right through my tricep and completly through my bicep. and this is through a leather jacket. i managed to keep my firearm in my hand and got off a shot very close to center mass. he dropped and i ran to my house and called the police and did my best to take care of my arm until i could get to the hospital. when all was said and done no charges were pressed against me , bad guy lived but is going to jail for a long time if convicted( he had 2 ounces on heroin a handgun as well and the armed robbery charge), my prognosis on my arm is full recovery in 12-16 monthes ans there is alot of muscle and tendon damage. i'm OK i guess i'm just concerned if i did the right thing my using my gun when i could have just taken the loss of the 200 or so bucks in my wallet some credit cards i could have canceled and my watch and not come close to taking a mans life. Did i do the right thing?????





PS- Sal glessar your slashing design of the civie is perfect as soon as the tip of that blade penatrated all th eflesh and muscle behing the point was severed and it is the most painfull wound imaginable i can honestly say i will never carry my matriarch because No matter what happened to me i would never want to inflict that type of pain on someone. I'll stick to my chinook











Funny i'm scared to death of spiders but own 54 spyderco knives..hmmm
kraziekurtis
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#2

Post by kraziekurtis »

I think you did the right thing because who knows he may have killed you after you had given him the money.You never know until you do something...and that something could always be a mistake but you can only learn from mistakes.I have a feeling if I was in the same situation I would have done the same thing <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

It's a shame that the Civilian and the likes can end up in the hands of people like that..you should have shot him in his spine.


You wouldn't want to share any of those 54 Spyderco knives would you? <img src="tongue.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

Welcome to the forum!

Best of luck to your recovery!
Eclipse
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#3

Post by Eclipse »

I am glad to here that you are still alive.

You did the right thing. A knife is as deadly as any handgun. You protected yourself when it was necessary to do so.

Was the $200 in your wallet worth a life. Yes. It was worth his life. He put himself in that situation not you. He threatened you with a lethal weapon. Your response was within the law and morally correct.

When people argue that the money a person carries is not worth someones life that is not true. If you gave him that money you would lose respect for yourself. You might think of yourself as powerless. A robbery takes more than the money in your wallet.

Shooting someone should never be taken lightly. It is normal to question your actions. You should know that you did the right thing.

If you wish to hear from a group of like minded people please go to www.thefiringline.com.

Hope you are healing up well.

Zach


Edited by - Eclipse on 12/7/2001 10:30:20 PM

Edited by - Eclipse on 12/8/2001 1:03:03 AM
Eclipse
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#4

Post by Eclipse »

I want Kurtis to remember that a knife or a gun has no will of its own. It has no malice, no hate, and no spirit. Any weapon can be used for good or evil. It is the person behind the blade that decides the course it will follow.

I like your attitude Kurtis especially coming from one as young as you.

Please note that one only shoots to stop the threat. That is what is the law states and should be followed.

Zach

Edited by - Eclipse on 12/7/2001 10:38:00 PM
panguero
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#5

Post by panguero »

TheTacticalOne,
Glad to hear that you survived the attack. I take it from the name of the gang that you live in LA. Do you work in a pharmacy? Are you licensed to carry a hand gun? If not, I am amazed that the boys in blue didn't slap you in the pokie on a technicality. Perhaps you were licensed and that was that. Perhaps you are not, and they overlooked this technicality due to the circumstances; which I feel is justice served(IMHO). Tell us more if you can.

I feel you did the correct thing. You'll review the incident over and over for years to come and there is no better turn-out than to have the both of you alive; you free and clear and he in jail.

Now the damage to your body is a total bummer. Do you have use of that injured arm now? KK has a good point and Eclipse sounds well informed on this topic. I do feel that materials have a certain level of spirit and vibe in them. Lots of energy locked-up in molecular structures. And Eclipse has good advice.

You'll never know if the assailant wouldn't have offed-you anyway-just for fun, or to gain favor in his gang. Hopefully, his buddies learned a lesson. We can hope so. Hang-in there.54 Spiderco Knives? Wow.
TheTacticalOne
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#6

Post by TheTacticalOne »

thanks for the kind words guys. to answer a few questions. i line in Windber PA just outside johnstown and i work in the restauant buisness as a manager. i have absolutly No use of my right arm for 4-6 months while the muscles heal. The slach completely severed my right bicep muscle into 2 pieces and came close to doing the same to my tricep. i also lost just over a pint of blood. my healing time will be 4-6 monthes healing time maybe longer if the tendon damage is bad and another couple of monthes of physical therapy. i spent a LOOOOOOOONG time in the hospital getting my arm fixed it took 67 stitches to close the skin after the vascular surgeon got done. I am one sore puppy who now has to learn how to be left handed for a year or so. Good thing spydies are ampidextrious. i think i spelled that right<img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

Funny i'm scared to death of spiders but own 54 spyderco knives..hmmm
TheTacticalOne
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#7

Post by TheTacticalOne »

thanks for the kind words guys. to answer a few questions. i line in Windber PA just outside johnstown and i work in the restauant buisness as a manager. i have absolutly No use of my right arm for 4-6 months while the muscles heal. The slach completely severed my right bicep muscle into 2 pieces and came close to doing the same to my tricep. i also lost just over a pint of blood. my healing time will be 4-6 monthes healing time maybe longer if the tendon damage is bad and another couple of monthes of physical therapy. i spent a LOOOOOOOONG time in the hospital getting my arm fixed it took 67 stitches to close the skin after the vascular surgeon got done. I am one sore puppy who now has to learn how to be left handed for a year or so. Good thing spydies are ampidextrious. i think i spelled that right<img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

Funny i'm scared to death of spiders but own 54 spyderco knives..hmmm
TheTacticalOne
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#8

Post by TheTacticalOne »

thanks for the kind words guys. to answer a few questions. i line in Windber PA just outside johnstown and i work in the restauant buisness as a manager. i have absolutly No use of my right arm for 4-6 months while the muscles heal. The slach completely severed my right bicep muscle into 2 pieces and came close to doing the same to my tricep. i also lost just over a pint of blood. my healing time will be 4-6 monthes healing time maybe longer if the tendon damage is bad and another couple of monthes of physical therapy. i spent a LOOOOOOOONG time in the hospital getting my arm fixed it took 67 stitches to close the skin after the vascular surgeon got done. I am one sore puppy who now has to learn how to be left handed for a year or so. Good thing spydies are ampidextrious. i think i spelled that right<img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>
TheTacticalOne
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#9

Post by TheTacticalOne »

thanks for the kind words guys. to answer a few questions. i line in Windber PA just outside johnstown and i work in the restauant buisness as a manager. i have absolutly No use of my right arm for 4-6 months while the muscles heal. The slach completely severed my right bicep muscle into 2 pieces and came close to doing the same to my tricep. i also lost just over a pint of blood. my healing time will be 4-6 monthes healing time maybe longer if the tendon damage is bad and another couple of monthes of physical therapy. i spent a LOOOOOOOONG time in the hospital getting my arm fixed it took 67 stitches to close the skin after the vascular surgeon got done. I am one sore puppy who now has to learn how to be left handed for a year or so. Good thing spydies are ampidextrious. i think i spelled that right<img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

Funny i'm scared to death of spiders but own 54 spyderco knives..hmmm
Hoosierdaddy
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#10

Post by Hoosierdaddy »

TheTacticalOne,

I'd have to agree with Eclipse and KK, the point is you're still here for your Wife and Family. It doesn't matter if it was 20.00, he could of taken your life in a second. Do you think he would worry about this? A few years back I was involved in a similar incident, I took a mans life. Because of the circumstances I did not go to jail. I still have occasional nightmares. It's something you learn to live with. Count your blessings! So many people are not as lucky and skilled as you, you did what you had to! Welcome to the forum, sorry your first post was not so pleasant. Hope your arm heals quickly!
yog
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#11

Post by yog »

TheTacticalOne.
Sorry to hear about your missfortune, although I definately think you did the right thing.
It is not the amount of money that counts, it is the fact that someone threatened you with physical violence and / or death. Just think what would have happened if it was some other unarmed but principled person that had tried to stand up to this crip. Instead of nearly taking a life, you could well have been saving others.

Good luck on your convalescence .

"Walk softly, but carry a big stick."
Hoosierdaddy
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#12

Post by Hoosierdaddy »

TheTacticalOne,

Had a nightmare last night after posting, not your fault, but reflected more on situation. 100 different scenarios could have played out, the main thing is you didn't panic and empty your magazine into the culprit,a lot of people do. You fired one shot dropped him and got away. You sound very competent and proficient with your weapons, a great trait. So many people think because they can hit a bullseye or metallic silhouette everytime or beat the clock they would do good in a similar situation. Most times they would be wrong. When you have someone shooting back or able to inflict great bodily injury it's a whole new ballgame. And it's not like playing paintball either! The shooting I was involved in did not turn out so well! I was shot, not fatally obviously, but a 7 year old boy was injured. His wound was not life threatening and he fully recovered. He was shot by the culprit. I did not initiate the confrontation but the end result was an innocent victim was hurt and could have easily been killed. Could it have been avoided? Possibly... again 100 different scenarios could have played out. Talk it over with your Wife, your friends, co-workers, anyone. Don't keep it bottled up inside you. Seek help if you think you need it! One more thing... not to make you worry, but if this slimeball was in a gang, watch your back!! Good luck!!
Dav
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#13

Post by Dav »

What kind of leather jacket? I assume you're talking about a nice 'fetal lamb skin' one and not a thicker motorcycle jacket?

I was telling my Father about this thread and he replied "I dunno about those ancient weapons, kid. No match for a good blaster at my side." Paraphrasing Star Wars perhaps. <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

It was a good thing that you had a gun, I doubt a knife fight would have been as pretty - not after his initial strike.

Not to make light of your circumstances, but I can't help thinking what would happen to the rest of us (me!) were we under similar circumstances?

I'm sure I'm in the minority on this board when I say I've never fired anthing more powerful than a BB gun. This being taken into consideration, how would my small amount of martial arts training and one medium sized spyderco measure up? Would I realize that I was out-gunned and throw him my valubles? Run?

<shudder>

I'm sorry to hear about your plight, rest and heal well. <img src="sad.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

Dav
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sal
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#14

Post by sal »

Hi Tactical One. Welcome to the Spyderco forum and thanx for the story. I'm really sorry that you had to experience the cut. I think you did the right thing.

I guess it's easier to understand why I've always tried to keep them low voume and difficult to get.

I hope your wounds heal well.

sal
kraziekurtis
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#15

Post by kraziekurtis »

Is that why there isn't a photo of the Civilian or Matriarch on the online catalog Sal?
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Knife Knut
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#16

Post by Knife Knut »

Kurtis, yes that is the reason.
kraziekurtis
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#17

Post by kraziekurtis »

OK thanks....I figured it out finally! <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

I am only gonna carry my Matriarch when I am going somewhere alone when it is dark.

For the other times it will just sit in my display case being displayed proudly! <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>
Mark1955
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#18

Post by Mark1955 »

You should have double tapped him in COM.
golem
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#19

Post by golem »

<...how would my small amount of martial arts training and one medium sized spyderco measure up? Would I realize that I was out-gunned and throw him my valubles? Run?>
In my opinion, in most situations, the key factor to win a street fight is not the technique, but the will of killing the enemy. Those bad guys make them-selves bad guys because they hesitate less to wound or kill people than you and me. So, if you believe that you life worths much more than the robber and the money in your wallet, and you don't have a super weapon like a gun, I would recommend not to fight. Fight only when you feel that your life is in danger and won't hesistate of killing.
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ruxton
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#20

Post by ruxton »

welcome to the forum,
i think you did absolutely the right thing, i would have done the same in your situation. sorry to hear you were on the receiving end of a civilian, thats one mean knife. get well soon!
MAT
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