Ex-Marine uses pocket knife to fend off attackers with guns

[Dr. Snubnose]

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/30/06 A former Marine who police say killed a woman that attacked him during a gang robbery attempt told reporters Tuesday he acted only to save his life.
"My first instinct was to run," said former Cpl. Thomas Autry, 36. "Those kids were younger than me. They caught me and cornered me. It was about life preservation."
"I'm sorry this whole thing happened. I hate this world has gotten to the point where it is predatory," said a shaken Autry.
The pack of would-be robbers, including a 17-year-old woman, might have mistaken the tall, thin, waiter for an easy mark, said police. But, the bandits picked the wrong victim, said Atlanta police homicide Detective Danny Stephens. The former Marine, cornered by his pursuers on Penn Avenue at 4th Street, fought back with a pocket knife in a deadly melee that left the young woman dead and a man in his late teens seriously injured at a hospital.
Autry suffered minor injuries, including a cut to his hand.
The woman, identified as Amy Martin, had just had a birthday May 10, said Investigator Mark Gilbeau with the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office. An autopsy was expected to be completed Tuesday. "Cause of death will be stab wounds, but we don't know how many yet," Gilbeau said.
Early reports were that Martin was pregnant, but the autopsy concluded otherwise, said the Fulton Medical Examiner's Office.
The teenager lived in an apartment at 3000 Stone Hogan Connector in southwest Atlanta, south of Greenbriar Mall near East Point, Gilbeau said. A young man also stabbed in the robbery attempt remained in critical condition, he added.
The identities of the surviving suspects, who Stephens said are believed to be linked to "a lot" of pedestrian robberies in Midtown and Virginia-Highland, were not released. They face aggravated assault and robbery charges, police said.
Autry will not be charged, Stephens said. "It was a clear case of self defense."
Stephens said Autry had left his job at the Jocks & Jills restaurant in Midtown and was walking along Penn Avenue when a blue Cadillac pulled alongside and three men, one armed with a shotgun, and the woman jumped from the car.
"This group had robbed two men on Piedmont earlier Monday night, taking a video camera and a cellphone," Stephens said.
"Autry takes off running, and they chase him. During the chase, Autry's trying to get into his backpack to get a pocket knife, which slows him down," Stephens said.
During the chase, Autry repeatedly yelled "fire, fire," which Stephens said attracted nearby residents' attention.
Grabbing the knife from his backpack, Autry managed to kick the shotgun from the man's hands and stabbed the woman in the chest, fatally wounding her. Stephens said. In the melee, Autry also stabbed one of the male suspects. Another suspect attempted to shoot Autry with a .380 pistol, which misfired, Stephens said.
The suspects ran back to the Cadillac and drove to Atlanta Medical Center, where police arrested them.
Autry, honorably discharged in 1992 after serving in Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia, spoke to a gaggle of reporters from the porch of his apartment about six block north of the King Center in downtown Atlanta.
Autry recounted the attack, saying he first realize something was amiss when he saw a white cat scurry across the road. That's when he turned around and saw the armed attackers getting out of a stopped car.
He said his military training kicked in, but "what really helped me was growing up in New York."
He said he changed his locks after the incident because of security concerns.
When told that many in the metro area consider him a hero for his actions, Autry disagreed.
"The heroes are those guys out there fighting for us every day and not getting respect," he said, referring to military personnel fighting in Iraq and elsewhere. "That [killing the attacker] wasn't admirable, it was fight or flight and I tried the flight."
__________________

"A GOOD FIGHTING KNIFE IS AN ABSOLUTE ESSENTIAL FOR ALL MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES"
"IF YOU ARE UN-ARMED! THERE IS NO DEFENCE AGAINST AN OPPONENT ATTACKING WITH A KNIFE!"
Lieutenant-Colonial William Ewart Fairbairn "Delicate Dan" (1885-1960)
Doc :D

[EarthDog]

God bless the Corps!

[Teddy Thompson]

Great story, but you must admit it says as much about the competency of the attackers as it does about the skills and presence of mind of the gentleman who was attacked. Think it's safe to say Mr. Autry beat the odds that day.

[squad314]

At first blush it certainly seems the Marine did all he could do to avoid the confrontation.Sad that someone lost thier life and another may still,but "you live by the sword,you die by the sword".No sympathy for the attackers here,just admiration for Autry's perserverance.

[Chucula]

stories like this make me want to get some sort of training.

thanks for post

[Michael Cook]

:spyder: Good thing the attackers didn't sic dogs on him first or he'd have been arrested. :p kidding! :p I kid. :spyder:

[Mr Blonde]

Mr Cook, sir, you have a wicked and evil sense of humor! :D

Although the loss of life is always sad, I'm glad to see the good guy came out OK. I just don't hope the kids were part of a gang with other members seeking payback?

Wouter

[BlackNinja]

That, IMO, is a case of self-defense! It's too bad somebody lost their life, but a guy has to do, what a guy has to do!

[dialex]

Thanks for the story. I had my deepest sympathy for Jean Valjean who spent 30 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread for the children of his sister, but I have no mercy for armed (and eventually stoned) people who rob others. I am surprised that there was no lawyer to flame Mr. Autry for "disproportioned response". :rolleyes:

[potterma]

OooRaaaahhhhh!!!!!

Stack them "predators" up like cord wood!

[peacefuljeffrey]

At first blush it certainly seems the Marine did all he could do to avoid the confrontation.Sad that someone lost thier life and another may still,but "you live by the sword,you die by the sword".No sympathy for the attackers here,just admiration for Autry's perserverance.

I NEVER lament the loss of a life if the person who died made the choice to prey on innocent people. That is NOT "sad." It's better for the rest of us who seek to live in peace with our fellows.

-Jeffrey

[squad314]

I NEVER lament the loss of a life if the person who died made the choice to prey on innocent people. That is NOT "sad." It's better for the rest of us who seek to live in peace with our fellows.

-Jeffrey

Jeffrey,are you sure you read my post?The spirit is very clear.Not every thread here needs to turn into a sparring match.

[peacefuljeffrey]

I'm not trying to turn this into anything. Isn't it okay with you if I state my opinion? My opinion is that there is NO reason to be sad. A criminal got what was coming to her.

The victim's life was put at risk of being ended by the actions of this "gang," and their choice got one of them killed instead. That's SAD?! I say it is gratifying. Crime should come with exactly that cost.

I stand by saying that it's not sad that a victim turned the tables on his attackers and killed one of them. That one does not qualify as a lamentable loss of life. Sorry.


-Jeffrey

[Dr. Snubnose]

I'm not trying to turn this into anything. Isn't it okay with you if I state my opinion? My opinion is that there is NO reason to be sad. A criminal got what was coming to her.

The victim's life was put at risk of being ended by the actions of this "gang," and their choice got one of them killed instead. That's SAD?! I say it is gratifying. Crime should come with exactly that cost.

I stand by saying that it's not said that a victim turned the tables on his attackers and killed one of them. That one does not qualify as a lamentable loss of life. Sorry.


-Jeffrey

I agree with Jeffrey.....the only sad thing about this situation is someone innocent was threathen with death and possible injury....Clear case of Self-Defense here....I would have acted in the same way as this young ex-marine.....glad his previous training kicked in and he was able to escape major injury and come out of this tragedy alive...some people are not as fortunate when dealing with similiar situations.......Doc :D

[squad314]

Guys I think my choice of words is poor.We're all saying the same thing here.When I say"sad",I mean it in the"sorry you tried to victimize someone and got killed,but thats what you get" kind of way.

[para-force]

Guys I think my choice of words is poor.We're all saying the same thing here.When I say"sad",I mean it in the"sorry you tried to victimize someone and got killed,but thats what you get" kind of way.

I agree with you. It's sad that some degenerates of society lack enough common sense to keep themselves from pulling these stupid little stunts like this that only ruin lives.

[Chucula]

It's sad that some degenerates of society lack enough common sense to keep themselves from pulling these stupid little stunts like this that only ruin lives.

They have enough common sense to pick on weak looking people. They are just plain stupid and need some discipline and education. If i ever attacked someone, i would fear the fiery wraith of my dad.

They got what they deserved, but im not sure its entirely their fault.

EDIT:They got what they deserved, but im not sure its entirely their fault.
i'll just say that again

[ghostrider]

They have enough common sense to pick on weak looking people. They are just plain stupid and need some discipline and education. If i ever attacked someone, i would fear the fiery wraith of my dad.

They got what they deserved, but im not sure its entirely their fault.

Not to pic on you Count (because someone else attributed it to lack of common sense) but I think such statements are indicative of the problem of the misunderstanding.

They are not "stupid and in need of discipline", nor do they lack "common sense". They are EVIL and deserve to be treated as such. Calling them "stupid" or saying they lack "common sense" humanizes them, which in turn suggest that they need some sort of compasssion for some reason or another.

They aren't "stupid and in need of some discipline", they are EVIL and need to be put down like the rabid dogs they are.

P.S.
That's why it isn't sad what happened to them, but only sad that some innocent had to deal with them.

[peacefuljeffrey]

Wow! It seems like I opened some sort of flloodgates! :D

I said what I said originally because I have indeed seen people say that they feel that ANY loss of human life is a tragedy (as in truly SAD) and something to lament. I have always gone head-to-head with such people, arguing that once people have made the CHOICE to DO EVIL (which means, to BE evil), there is no reason whatsoever to be SAD if it gets them killed. None. It is NOT the same as losing a productive, peaceful life.

Saying that there is a loss to humanity when such an evil person dies is like saying a GOOD person's life is no more valuable than an EVIL person's life!

Let's not go into the B.S. that people spew about how, "These people might have been able to be rehabilitated and turned into 'productive members of society.'" That's usually the line people hand you about why they are sad that these people died. Well, folks, I think that with the people left behind after the death of an evil criminal, humanity will get by and be able to make up for the "gap" left by this person who "might" have been able to be turned back into a human being, someday, if a thousand variables had gone right all at once...

-Jeffrey

[squad314]

PJ,

I'll take some responsibility as well.I maintain that my use of the word"sad" was misinterpreted.I also said"No sympathy for the attackers".Sometimes it seems that context and tone can be lost in the keyboard. :o
I'm no bleeding heart,and this was one for the good guys. :)