Lost My Temper on a Mugger.

I am a Physics Lab instructor and Tutor at my university (I have too many jobs  ), and at times I find myself heading home really late at night due to grading lab reports or holding long Tutoring sessions before exams. This happened to be one of those nights and we didn’t wrap up the exam review until about 12:30. I live on the complete other side of the campus and down two blocks – which is about a 30 minute walk. This is normally not a problem during the day and I actually enjoy it, and I felt it would be stupid to spend 475$ a semester just to park by the science building which was less than a 5 minute drive.
Any who, enough rambling!

So I was walking home, minding my own business. I was about a block from my apartment when this guy approaches me, pulls this dinky little knife on me and demands all my money and my backpack.

I know everybody says to go with it, and give them whatever they ask for to hopefully keep from harm… but I don’t know what came over me. I wasn’t scared; I was just extremely pissed off and annoyed. I was tired and cranky…very cranky. I worked a 24 hour shift the day before, slept for about 2 hours, and then had classes from 8am till 6pm, and then had to work and do the tutor session.

So… I let him have my backpack… right upside the head, over and over again. My backpack weighs a ton, and this night was especially heavy since it was my long day. It had 4 text books, and a bunch of papers that needed to be graded.

I kept smacking him with it until campus police rolled by on their patrol. I’m 5ft nothing on a good day, but my temper when tired is definitely that of a troll. The police said when they pulled up, I was yelling at him about going back to school and getting a job.

The jerk seriously picked the wrong person to mess with.


On the bright side... I now don't have to walk any more. Campus police offered to give me rides when I have to head home late. Lol


In the end, I know It was probably very dangerous to beat the guy up with my bag... but it was that whole fight or flight reflex kicking in, and us Italian, we tend to hit first and ask later.

Aren't we glad that you are ok!! And that you can hold your own and showed the sucker who's boss..

It was a dangerous thing to do, but i know exactly how angry you would have felt.. Us mere mortals normally just freeze up and do as told and feel angry after.(or maybe that's just me)

I hope you got some good rest that night!

Props to you. I know I'd probably have socked him straight in the nuts and nose, at the same time.

1) Glad you're okay

2) Glad the mugger got what was coming to him.

That is a great story, I'm glad you didn't get hurt though. I love the stories where somebody is trying to take advantage of a person they think is weak and then they end up getting owned by that person. I doubt he was expecting to be beaten with a backpack. :D

In all seriousness you are very lucky you didn't get hurt. I work for the campus police at my school and even though we are a pretty small school some crazy stuff can happen.

The good ones are always so far away.

Glad it turned out the way it did.

How long did it take you to master the backpack? I've always heard it could be a deadly weapon but so few choose to study it.

You GO girl! We need more strength and grit in our world!! :salute:

Way to pound the tar out of that loser. Glad you're okay.

Glad you won - I bet that was the shock of his life.

However, discussing it in a public forum is probably not the best plan, in case he somehow manages to find justification for pressing charges (assault/battery?) against you. Yeah, sounds ridiculous, but it's not impossible, especially in our overly litigious country. That said, in Texas, it's probably even less likely to be a problem for you than elsewhere in the country, so rock on. :)

Way to go ! Glad that you are ok.....and I am glad that you " beat " some sense into that scumbag.

I am glad you are ok. Is is interesting what happens to us when we are in a situation like that. I bet he thinks twice before taking on anyone again. Now you can say you are a black belt in backpack :D.

Glad you're ok, sounds like it ended the best way possible and you weren't a victim... could have been much worse.
Next time please use your best defensive weapon... your brain, no walking across campus (or anywhere for that matter) in the middle of the night unescorted.
WHEN SECONDS COUNTS, THE POLICE ARE JUST MINUTES AWAY.

well played. glad you weren't hurt.

You go girl!!! Hai ya!

thank god it was only a "dinky little knife" & not a gun!
:rofl: you schooled him on better life choices & owned him at the same time! that had to be the most educating (& embarrassing) beat down he's ever gotten! hope he takes your advice.
on a serious note, coming from experience, having actually been a victim of assault, it's hard to have to choose between fight or freeze but it all boils down to weighing the possible outcomes of both decisions & choosing to do what may help you survive the encounter, whether or not weapons are visible.
i froze during one assault because i sensed that resisting/fighting would only make it worse. for the longest time though, I hated myself for not fighting back but had to finally accept that i did the best thing i could in that situation & got out of it with my life.
yet shortly after that, i endured severe abuse in a relationship from which i ended up pregnant & in the end, i got hot-headed & ran my mouth & although i was badly hurt for it, i got my point across to him that he no longer had power over me anymore & it's been 10 yrs since i've heard from him. i dont regret it & i'd do it again.
because of that experience i'm feisty as hell now & i can grow a rather large set sometimes in my current relationship & i'm thankful my better half is not the aggressive type too. he knows when to tell me to chill out & when to just back off & let me blow my steam cuz i'll eventually get over myself & calm down & begin thinking rationally again...& most importantly he knows why i'm so aggressive & although he doesnt like it sometimes, he understands.
so anyways, please be safe & weigh the outcomes next time, god forbid there ever is a next time.

Haha! That's awesome. You go girl! :gj:

Oh wow, this thread exploooooaded in comments while I was sleeping and in class!

I agree with all of you who said that what I did was dangerous. After sleeping on it, I realized just how bad it could have ended up. However, I don't regret what I did -- and I hope the guy learned a valuable lesson.

Now though... when faced with 4 labs worth of reports to grade, I am kinda wishing I had given him the backpack simply so I didn't have to grade them. Lol.

I do stupid things when I am exhausted :(. Some good did come of it though, before when I asked for rides home - campus security always said no, not anymore!

When I walk at night, it is rarely alone. I have a friend who usually stays during my shift with me to study together then afterwards walks me home, and once we get there I drive him to his place. Last night though, he was sick and I made him stay home instead of keeping me company. I made the mistake of telling him what happened and got a 3 hour lecture from him.



@ mommanessy247 - I am very, very, glad that you are in a relationship now with somebody who respects and loves you. I also really look up to you, that you were able to get yourself out of the situation you were in. I know too many people who need to get out but are to afraid.

Part of my anger stems from the fact that my whole life people have taken advantage of me, or underestimated me. About a month ago, I got out of a parasitic relationship where I was doing all the bending and the giving, and getting nothing in return - and I feel that part of my snapping last night at the mugger, was a result to still being upset and angered by the relationship. It was the icing on the cake. I'm normally a very even tempered person and it takes a lot to make me angry.

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Originally Posted by Toxic Tessa

Part of my anger stems from the fact that my whole life people have taken advantage of me, or underestimated me. About a month ago, I got out of a parasitic relationship where I was doing all the bending and the giving, and getting nothing in return - and I feel that part of my snapping last night at the mugger, was a result to still being upset and angered by the relationship. It was the icing on the cake. I'm normally a very even tempered person and it takes a lot to make me angry.

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Sounds like this may have been very therapeutic for you! Glad you're alright.

ha that was such a cool post :gj:

i'm proud of ya, and i shared the story with my co-workers lol. as you said before, you know you made a dangerous decision, but hey, it worked out. that's all that matters. i'm sure the mugger didn't stand a chance against a woman with a bottle full or stored frustration :D

as the 'ol saying goes "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" :gj:

Our brains are extremely crafty, we have a fight or flight reflex and our brains processes a million things a second when it happens. Your brain decided that fight was the best option and you whooped butt! :gj:

I am shocked no one has mentioned this is why we need to be able to carry guns on campus... Just saying ;)

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Originally Posted by Clear

I am shocked no one has mentioned this is why we need to be able to carry guns on campus... Just saying ;)

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lol you mean a place where a ton of people start to feel frustrated, stressed, and overwhelmed by the work they need to finish? people there need to carry guns around? lol i am NOT on board with that idea :P:colbert:

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Originally Posted by h00blah

lol you mean a place where a ton of people start to feel frustrated, stressed, and overwhelmed by the work they need to finish? people there need to carry guns around? lol i am NOT on board with that idea :P:colbert:

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I wont derail her thread with a discussion on it. But if you would like, start a new thread and I will give my input :)

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Originally Posted by Clear

I wont derail her thread with a discussion on it. But if you would like, start a new thread and I will give my input :)

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Y'all feel free...but do so in the QT Room, please. ;)

Well i'm glad you're alright, you sure showed him :)

Oh my gosh that is insane! I'm so glad you are ok! That is so scary! So glad that guy didn't get away with it.

And I love it, us Italians...lol, my granny is from Italy and every female in our family is a no nonsense kind of gal. My first reaction when someone pinches/touches my behind in public is to deck them in the face. My fiance has done it so many times when I didn't know he was around and he thinks it's hilarious when he catches my fist in the air, one of these days I'll get him... lol. I do it if someone jumps out and scares me too, now I know where that comes from, my Italian side!

Again, I'm so glad you are ok!

We actually have a marksmen club on campus, and I am a member. We each have our own guns, but they are checked in with the campus police. We just go and pick them up when we need them for practice or a competition. :D



@ SlitherinSisters - LOL. Definitely from the Italian side. Since I am from Italy, I feel I have the right to say with confidence, that we are a bunch of hot-blooded people who definitely act on instinct before reason. I'm like you, my first instinct when somebody touches me in that way, is to turn around and whack them. I use to be the only waitress at a diner on the Mon-Thurs graveyard shift, and the regulars were the bar crowd. I've "accidentally" knocked over cold drinks on inappropriate customers.

awesome story!

Kudos to you for standing up to the jerk for trying to mug on a woman alone on the street.

Very glad to hear your ok, good thing the campus patrol came along too.
Did you get to press charges?

:bow: :rockon:

This is why I have my CCW. I pity the fool who brings a knife to my gun fight.

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Originally Posted by Soterios

This is why I have my CCW. I pity the fool who brings a knife to my gun fight.

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I'm going to assume you didn't mean that to sound quite as cocky as it did.

On the off chance that you meant it how it sounded, the following applies: Situational awareness is key. If you let a bad guy get too close, you could easily be stabbed before you can draw and fire, and once that knife is going in and out of your body, you're screwed even if you do get a shot or shots off.

Don't get me wrong, I'm planning on getting a carry permit soon myself, but much like 4 wheel drive doesn't give you license to drive like an idiot in the snow, carrying a gun doesn't make you immune to attack. It gives you more options, sure, but nothing makes you invincible, and it's a very heavy responsibility. If your gun goes bang and somebody dies, it will change your life (and probably the lives of those around you) forever, even presuming you're found to have acted in self defense. It's not something to take lightly.

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I kept smacking him with it until campus police rolled by on their patrol. I’m 5ft nothing on a good day, but my temper when tired is definitely that of a troll. The police said when they pulled up, I was yelling at him about going back to school and getting a job.

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Every part of that paragraph... <3

This is full of win! So many people rollover and let the bad guys win. Each situation is different but you made the right decision here.

Just don't do that against someone with gun! :)

sounds like you gave the perp a reason to go back to school, as wel as educating him on how hard a book can feel. I also agree with everyone you were very lucky this guy was soloing and you caught him off guard..

I always have ot go for the 3 main points if I get into a fight and it not a knife deal, knees eyes and throat cause if they can't see you, chase you or breath then you can get away. I always like the refence in a comic book ( ghost rider cross over ) were blaze tells ketch that in a fight that last more than 30 seconds you done lost. and anything goes.

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Originally Posted by Wiggy

Every part of that paragraph... <3

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LOL. I didn't even realize I was yelling at him. I was just so angry haha.

The part I especially liked is that instead of cussing him out, you were yelling suggestions for how to improve himself to become a better and more valuable person.

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Originally Posted by olstyn

I'm going to assume you didn't mean that to sound quite as cocky as it did.

On the off chance that you meant it how it sounded, the following applies: Situational awareness is key. If you let a bad guy get too close, you could easily be stabbed before you can draw and fire, and once that knife is going in and out of your body, you're screwed even if you do get a shot or shots off.

Don't get me wrong, I'm planning on getting a carry permit soon myself, but much like 4 wheel drive doesn't give you license to drive like an idiot in the snow, carrying a gun doesn't make you immune to attack. It gives you more options, sure, but nothing makes you invincible, and it's a very heavy responsibility. If your gun goes bang and somebody dies, it will change your life (and probably the lives of those around you) forever, even presuming you're found to have acted in self defense. It's not something to take lightly.

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Please don't assume to know me or anything about my level of responsibility and awareness with a handgun and then proceed to scold me on actions I've never taken.

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Originally Posted by Soterios

Please don't assume to know me or anything about my level of responsibility and awareness with a handgun and then proceed to scold me on actions I've never taken.

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I never assumed to know you - all I did was respond to a post that made you sound EXTREMELY cocksure. If you meant what you said seriously, you were in need of a dose of reality. If it was said in jest, well, that was covered by the first line of my post, where I said, and I quote, "I'm going to assume you didn't mean that to sound quite as cocky as it did."

If you didn't mean it to sound that way, then I apologize for misinterpreting you, but I'd then offer this advice: think before you post; it will help you avoid both being misunderstood and sounding foolish.

I'm so happy you're okay!! I hope they post his picture around the campus on flyers and quote "attempted mugging on small female (female won)". :rofl: