[mercop]

You are walking across a parking lot with a significant other or friend when a guy walks up wearing a leather jacket. This is not that alarming since it is kind of chilly out. He has both of his hands in his pockets.

At the same time the person you are walking with is on their cell phone. The guy walks up and says "let me hold your cell phone". Would you view this as a robbery?

I often bring this scenario up in classes. Too often this is part of reality that does not transfer from the "labs" of the range and dojo to the street.

In the places I worked this was a very common robbery tactic because it has a very high success rate. If you speak "street" you would recognize this as a robbery and most people just hand it over or "kick it out". For those that resist or don't get it are usually end up with gun in their face. It they still don't get it there is a good chance of physical violence or being shot.

This tactic is popular because they do not have display a weapon or even say robbery. Even though most folks give up their property and fell that they have been robbed, sometimes they don't report it because they never saw a gun and the bad guy never "said" he was robbing them.

Would you know you were being robbed?

 

[DaggerD]

I think that I would know for sure. There is an undeniable physical feeling your body gets in these situations. I guy asking to hold my cell phone is absolutely trying to steal it. I can't say what I would do. It depends on all of the circumstances.

 

[mercop]

One of the most direct and logical answers I have ever seen on the subject.

 

[overlordsshadow]

I'd say anyone with hands in pockets asking to hold my anything would be told to screw off politely.

 

[Prof. Cecil Feio]

Texas.

§ 29.02. ROBBERY. (a) A person commits an offense if, in
the course of committing theft as defined in Chapter 31 and with
intent to obtain or maintain control of the property, he:
(1) intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causes
bodily injury to another; or
(2) intentionally or knowingly threatens or places another in fear of imminent bodily injury or death.
(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the second
degree.

Texas Penal Code
http://law.onecle.com/texas/penal/29.02.00.html

 

[kingjames]

But if walking up and saying "let me hold/get that" And you give it to them you technicly were not robbed under that code. No injury, no statment of robbery, no threat. He asked you for it and got away with it. My friends brother did back in florida did. You are being robbed it is robbery, But they a have a good knowlage of the law. Get out with at the most a misterminer: strong arm,petty theft.

 

[BenjiofSection31]

the trick is not to be an easy mark. I lived in some pretty crappy areas and nver got robbed and have been able to extricate myself out of several attempted robberies.

The most interesting attempt was just outside D.C. where I worked for a think tank. My route from the Metro stop to work was not exactly savory.

Asides from the obvious, carry something in your pocket that "looks like" it might "be" a weapon, being alert and looking pissed off (LOL), is to befriend the homeless on your regular route. As strange as this sounds, when I was confronted by two guys, some of them left their regular stomping ground (a heated grate) and got up and started coming over and shouted at them, which freaked them out and they took off.

Never ignore people that might help you someday.

 

[BenjiofSection31]

And yes, any stranger that approached you and asks for your property is robbing you. In a parking lot situation, always keep an eye out for suspicious people and put cars between you and the suspect if there is no where viable to go. You shouldn't be on your phone in a big lot in the first place.

I was in the Caribbean with a friend and a big guy approached my BF from behind and asked to hold his video camera.

As it turned out, my BF had long hair, which startled the guy because he thought my BF was a "She" LOL.

He laughed it off and took off for easier pickings.

 

[BenjiofSection31]

Sorry for my random musings.

The long and short of it is to lie and say the guy told you he was robbing you. Who is going to be believed? A robber with a laundry list of priors with Zero credibility, or some Joe who got robbed and probably has no moe on his record than a traffic ticket?

Problem solved.

 

[Penny]

"Sorry man, my batteries are dying." <-- Standard response to this request from a stranger.
--------------
"Lemme get a cigarette."
"Sorry man, last one."
--------------
"I'm a couple bucks shy, could you spot me a five?"
"Sorry man, I've got just enough for what I'm gettin."
--------------

I've found that people respond well when you look sincere and say "sorry."
It's gotten me out of a bunch of confrontations. My favorite was:
"I need to meet with you in my office!"
"I'm sorry. I'm in the middle of this right now. Can we do this later?"
"Come see me when you're done then."
... Never had that meeting.

 

[BudgetSurvivalist]

And yes, any stranger that approached you and asks for your property is robbing you.

Please clarify. A panhandler asks me for a quarter, and he is robbing me?

 

[Smudge]

This is similar to a scenario I actually ran across not long back

(Background) A few months ago I was made redundant to make ends meet Ive been delivering takeaways for a local chinese restaurant

3weeks ago I'm walking through an underpass to get to some flats in an unsavoury neighbourhood as I pass a group of [email protected]'s (younger persons) I hear "mmhhhhh I could just eat a chinese" I stop look at each of them (4) I was sh!tting myself but wouldnt let them know it (p!ssed off from a bad night)and replied "No you dont" then carried on.
So Yeah I figure I'd know, sometimes their just chancers I knew a guy who admitted he'd tried to mug (rob) someone once and he said he felt cheeky (out of line) doing it. If they dont get agressive from the offset or show a weapon their more than likely chancers and just looking for an easy target. If any of the 4 I mentioned had made a move I'd have dropped that chow mien and legged it no 2 ways about it.

 

[HotPrepper]

For those unfamiliar with this tactic, here is something similar. This guy mentions the word robbed, but it could just as easily have been done without saying it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWnZ5foqWU


Edit: I don't want to debate the fact that this is real or staged, because it is a very plausible situation. For all intents and purposes, it could be a police training video.

 

[Prof. Cecil Feio]

But if walking up and saying "let me hold/get that" And you give it to them you technicly were not robbed under that code. No injury, no statment of robbery, no threat. He asked you for it and got away with it. My friends brother did back in florida did. You are being robbed it is robbery, But they a have a good knowlage of the law. Get out with at the most a misterminer: strong arm,petty theft.

Did you miss the Italics AND the Bold type?

 

[Prof. Cecil Feio]

Sorry for my random musings.

The long and short of it is to lie and say the guy told you he was robbing you. Who is going to be believed? A robber with a laundry list of priors with Zero credibility, or some Joe who got robbed and probably has no moe on his record than a traffic ticket? ...

*Ohhhhh ... I get it. So the robber has to tell you, "Hey, by the way I'm robbing you!" for it to be a robbery?


*Sarcasm

 

[Thedragon]

Yes, it is our taxes being used for bailout funding.

 

[mercop]

If you can articulate that you felt that failure to hand over your property would result in you being harmed it is a strong arm robbery not a theft. Most would define robbery as a taking of property by force or intimidation.

 

[Element]

Is the guy a politician? I would have to know that in order to be sure.

(sorry, couldnt resist)

 

[cadethepagan]

All the better to be armed.

-Cade

 

[Cannon Fodder]

All the better to be armed.

-Cade

However, I would not shoot someone over my stupid cell phone. If I felt like the situation was about to get violent, I would simply hand over the phone. Just as I would not feel right taking a life over my cell phone, I surely would not give my life for it either.