What would you do in a situation like this?

[Motasyco]

I saw this news story (below) and it made me think, what would I have done if I saw this happening, and would it be the right response? I see a couple complicating factors. One, the stun gun. If it looked like a handgun, one may be inclined to respond with deadly force. If I was able to see it was a stun gun or not see a weapon at all, perhaps physical force. The other important factor here is that, as it turns out, these people had a relationship.

I've always felt that responding to such an incident could be very dangerous legally. It may look like a kidnapping in progress but may be a domestic issue. How do you draw the line? It would be very difficult to stand by and do nothing while someone is being attacked. Responding with physical force could end badly for you. Responding with a weapon could result in prison. Calling 911 would be an option but the victim may not have 15 minutes for the police to respond.

Help me reason through this. It seems that the person that responded did a good job in stopping the attack but at what risk? What would you do?

http://www.wcyb.com/news/26930694/detail.html

Woman Attacked By Man Wearing Halloween Mask

By Sherrie Evans

POSTED: 6:59 am EST February 20, 2011

Kingsport, Tenn -- Kingsport police arrest a man who they say attacked a woman in the parking lot of Indian Path Hospital Saturday night.The man was dressed in a purple jacket wearing a halloween mask. Police say 40-year-old Mark Smith knocked the victim to the ground and applied a stun gun to her.A witness heard the woman cry for help and ran over. That's when smith left the scene. Police caught up with him shortly after that. They tell us he confessed to the attack. The investigation revealed Smith was a former boyfriend of the victim.

[gregintenn]

If I didn't have a personal relationship with the woman, I'd call 911. I intend to protect my family and myself. Everyone else, especially those I don't know are free to do the same.

[LagerHead]

I'm afraid I would err on the side of helping the woman. If a man in a mask knocks a woman down and then hits her with a stun gun he's up to no good. No way could I stand there and watch it happen.

[Gun Smith]

If I saw it happening, I'd do whatever I could to help her. I would appear to me that she was in danger for her life.

[Erik88]

If I didn't have a personal relationship with the woman, I'd call 911. I intend to protect my family and myself. Everyone else, especially those I don't know are free to do the same.

Wow. Just wow. I could not stand by and watch some woman get assaulted.

[Raoul]

I'm afraid I would err on the side of helping the woman. If a man in a mask knocks a woman down and then hits her with a stun gun he's up to no good. No way could I stand there and watch it happen.

This.

[Guest bkelm18]

I'd step in and help if I could. I don't sit by and let folks beat on women.

[DaveTN]

I’d stop the attack and let the cops worry about it after that.

If the woman was okay I might follow the perp and talk the cops in to him. Unless you live in Podunk, TN I bet you will get cops fast and a whole bunch of them if you call in an armed robbery in progress.

[Mike.357]

Wow. Just wow. I could not stand by and watch some woman get assaulted.

You gotta ask yourself are you willing to shoot someone over it?

I dunno, might be best to be a good witness and be ready to jump in if it escalates. Tough call.

By the time she is flopped on the ground you ought to know it was not a firearm he hit her with. Just the physical appearance of another man will most likely make the bad guy back off. He is thinking easy pickings.

[Guest Octo]

You gotta ask yourself are you willing to shoot someone over it?

I dunno, might be best to be a good witness and be ready to jump in if it escalates. Tough call.

By the time she is flopped on the ground you ought to know it was not a firearm he hit her with. Just the physical appearance of another man will most likely make the bad guy back off. He is thinking easy pickings.

Agreed.

[gregintenn]

What if it turned out later to not be as it appeared? What if you've just shot an undercover cop in the midst of a drug bust? You'd better think these things out in advance instead of just planning to jump in and be the hero. You don't always know the whole story of what's going on.

[Guest Red5]

Every situation is different but in this one, I would probably draw as I approach and make him well aware that it would be in his best interest to stop. If the beating continues, or if he turns his attention to me, then I would be ready to put an end to it.

I suspect that in this type of situation, when confronted with a loaded weapon, the bad guy will simply want to get away.

[Punisher84]

I'd step in and help if I could. I don't sit by and let folks beat on women.

This.

[Punisher84]

What if it turned out later to not be as it appeared? What if you've just shot an undercover cop in the midst of a drug bust? You'd better think these things out in advance instead of just planning to jump in and be the hero. You don't always know the whole story of what's going on.

You have to look at it from what a reasonable person would think too. How many cops do undercover busts by themselves wearing Halloween masks and tasering someone? I've got many friends in OCU and I've never seen it done that way.

[Raoul]

What if it turned out later to not be as it appeared? What if you've just shot an undercover cop in the midst of a drug bust? You'd better think these things out in advance instead of just planning to jump in and be the hero. You don't always know the whole story of what's going on.

If I walk up asking questions the SOB better be ID'ing himself. I'm an ass and I'm pretty sure my weapon would be in my hand. We can sort it out if the answers are correct. If he's a threat to me I'm too old to run. So he's got a problem.

[gregintenn]

They could be filming a movie or something. My point is, if you don't know for certain what's going on, and you aren't personally threatened, you probably should stay out of it. You stand to loose a lot, but there isn't much chance of you gaining anything.

[Raoul]

They could be filming a movie or something. My point is, if you don't know for certain what's going on, and you aren't personally threatened, you probably should stay out of it. You stand to loose a lot, but there isn't much chance of you gaining anything.

I hear ya, but I have an inquisitive mind. Somebody had best be talking to me. As I said, I'm a bit of an ass.

[Guest Red5]

They could be filming a movie or something. My point is, if you don't know for certain what's going on, and you aren't personally threatened, you probably should stay out of it. You stand to loose a lot, but there isn't much chance of you gaining anything.

A move? Not likely that I would wander onto a movie set without noticing cameras, lights, support crew, etc.

I don't think anyone here is talking about seeing a scuffle and firing like an idiot from across the street. I will be dam sure that I know what is going on before squeezing the trigger.

As for what there is to gain, for me it would be a clear conscience that I did what I reasonably could to protect, in this case, an innocent woman.

Granted, this is all speculation on my part; I have never needed to pull a weapon in public.

[Erik88]

As others have said, every situation is different. I'm not saying I would run up and shoot the guy but I would do something. I usually have a can of Freeze +p on me that I would use first and see what happens from there. Bottom line though is that I could not just stand there and do nothing.

I remember an episode of Caught on Camera(or one of those shows) where they showed how many people walked by this person(actor) who was passed out on the sidewalk in need of medical assistance. Out of dozens and dozens of people, only a handful stopped to help.

One time I was leaving West Town Mall with my Dad. An elderly lady right in front of me fell right on her face. I supposed we should have stopped and analyzed the situation. She could have been an actor? Maybe she fell on purpose? Maybe it was a trick to make us get close so she could rob us?

But we didn't, instead we immediately helped her. Some of the responses here amaze me.

[LagerHead]

I don't think any of those who say they would get involved advocate running into a situation blindly with guns ablazin', hottin' and hollerin' and kickin' up dust. But you can certainly go to the aid of the woman and figure out what's going on. And carrying gives you an extra tool to use if necessary in the defense of life - yours, hers, whatever. But to sit there and watch a woman get beat to the ground then tazed and later find out she was killed by her jilted lover and I might have been able to stop it? I'd have a hard time looking at myself in the mirror if that ever happened.

[Lumber_Jack]

I agree with Red5 on both posts. I would have cleared leather and approach loudly proclaiming that he stop or I will use deadly force. Anyone who is innocently "filming a movie" or otherwise will make no hesitation to stop and explain. I dont recomened anyone start sparying bullets upon the appearance of a situation. but if a woman is on the ground being tazered, I am going to present my best option of helping the woman and thats my firearm. It can easily be reholstered without actually firing any rounds after the BG either explains or flees.

Edit: Sorry for some echo on Lagerhead, not quick enough on the trigger

[gregintenn]

I would have cleared leather and approach loudly proclaiming that he stop or I will use deadly force.

SO let's say you did this, and now you've found yourself with a handgun pointed at an undercover DEA agent. You think he ain't fixin to kill you? You can also bet he isn't by himself. The best case would be that you go to prison for threatening a federal agent with a deadly weapon. You're not going to like this, but it's easy to ba a bad a$$ on the internet. I've always been taught that if it gets to the point you need to pull your weapon out, you'd better be shooting. It isn't a microphone; you don't pull it out and make a speech. It seems very risky to stick your nose in someone else's business. Call the police and be a witness. You have the right to defend yourself. So did the woman being attacked. She decided she didn't need to. This shouldn't be a cause for you to possibly screw up your life.

[DRM]

SO let's say you did this, and now you've found yourself with a handgun pointed at an undercover DEA agent. You think he ain't fixin to kill you?

No, he's not "fixin to kill me"

Last time I checked, federal agents have a *little* bit of training that when a bystander sees a masked man attacking and tasering a woman, that bystander *might* just try to get the person to stop attacking and tasering said woman.

[Mr. Brooks]

SO let's say you did this, and now you've found yourself with a handgun pointed at an undercover DEA agent. You think he ain't fixin to kill you? You can also bet he isn't by himself. The best case would be that you go to prison for threatening a federal agent with a deadly weapon.

Since when do undercover DEA agents attack unarmed women while wearing masks?

I'm sorry but your excuses are just that, excuses. If you could sleep at night after watching an unarmed women being attacked I feel sorry for you.

[gregintenn]

You guys are looking at this all wrong. You just don't know what's happening, or what happened before you got there. I don't know what DEA agents do. That's just an example. It could be thousands of things that brought this on, many we'd never consider. She may well have deserved it. You just don;'t know. I'm telling you that if you go butting into someone else's dispute you are going to open yourself up to all manners of liability. I know a man who once tried to seperate a man and woman who were fighting. The woman ended up beating the good samaritan worse than the man did. Thankfully, no one was armed.