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Comment by kilps | Hacker News Reader

If you're confronted by guys with knives you're going to run away? It's generally safer to give them what they want and be done with it.

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I put a detailed discussion of this in another post - if I'm getting robbed, I probably have some small bills in my pocket and more in my wallet along with stuff that can ID me. So I'll toss those small bills out and I'm going to bolt. Now, I am a damn fast runner, I'm big, trained in martial arts and in very good shape. If I don't see any way out then yeah I might just submit, but that puts me into a vulnerable position. If I toss some money out there, it's unlikely he's going to chase without grabbing it that gives me a few seconds lead and I'm probably faster than this guy in the first place, so by the time he reacts he has got $40 guaranteed and I'm at least a football field away. If he chases me and manages to catch up as I am getting tired, I'm going to do my very best to kill him. The vast likelihood is if I'm in a rough neighborhood I'm carrying a knife of my own, which he probably doesn't expect and I also carry one hand openers so when I feel I have an advantage I'll let him close get it into him and then take off running again. If no knife I'll go looking for a brick or a stick.

I'm glad I don't live where you do.

"... I'm probably faster than this guy in the first place, so by the time he reacts he has got $40 guaranteed and I'm at least a football field away. ..."

I've used this technique sans the $40 dollars. One thing to keep in the back of your mind, "do they have a mobile phone?". If they do, a football field might not be enough. You have to move out of sight, then change directions ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/3497187984/

I'd give them the money and then back away, maintaining eye contact. Running shows fear, and people are more likely to be killed (in war, anyway) on retreat, because it's easier to kill someone if you don't see the person's face.

On the other hand, people that have moved, by running or otherwise, to a different location are pretty difficult to kill with a knife.

On the other other hand, knives can be thrown, usually faster than you can run.

I wouldn't expect a Joe random robber a) to carry a knife usable for throwing; b) to know how to throw that knife. Most knives are as useful as rocks, when thrown.

Although in a real situation you might not want to test anything from this thread, because you could be very unlucky.

Yes, and if he missed you can pick the knife up, throwing a knife is a good way to disarm yourself.

I don't know, being hit hard by a rock would probably throw me off balance.

He probably should have said "less useful than rocks", because knives not specifically balanced for throwing would probably fly less accurately than most rocks.

I used to own a set of throwing knives. They're not exactly point and click and remember, thieving is an opportunity thing. They're likely to just let you run and steal an old lady's purse instead.

I agree, but I'd rather not turn my back on any antagonist with a knife. As another commenter has said, a 95% chance of getting stabbed are rather crappy odds.

Neither would I, but there's a lot of sick fucks out there and there's no telling what they'll do if they have you in a submissive spot. I particularly don't want them knowing where I live. Plenty of people have gotten killed because they got robbed and they didn't have enough money to satiate the thief.

Additionally, start with "I am <your name>, I'll give you what you want, please don't hurt me" or words to that effect. The point is to identify you as a vulnerable person with a name - memory sayeth it's psychologically much harder for them to hurt you once you've got a name rather than being some nameless victim (but no, I don't have a citation handy, sorry).

unless, like many criminals, the robber is a sadist or a sociopath or a psychopath

Are really all that many criminals sadists, sociopath or psychopath? I've always thought that most mugging were crime of opportunity...

A very high percentage are in my experience. This person is mugging you, probably for drug money, because they don't give two shits about anyone but themselves.

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