Catching Someone Red-Handed...

In My Humble Opinion
1

In this thread, the OP discusses his plan to put a scare in a locker-room towel thief.

It got me thinking about what might happen if you actually caught the thief in the act – that one-in-a-million event where you turn the corner just in time to see the bastard reaching into your locker and pulling the towel out. Have you ever been in that situation? What did you say to the culprit?

I don’t have anything quite on point in my own life. I was once nearly mugged by a group that included one of my then-clients, though. Before I could say anything, he said something like, “Oh, shit, it’s my lawyer!” and they all took off running.

What did you say when you caught someone red-handed?

2

When I was 17 or so I saw this kid try to break the combination code on my school locker. I had three friends with me and he was physically small. We basically advanced on him menacingly. I talked, but I don’t remember what I said. The little rat scurried around us and left. I afterwards regretted not beating the shit out of him or at least doing something to him, at the very least not letting him just leave without a word, but it was such a strange, unexpected event and I’m not a violent person.

3

I am moving out of my apartment so my landlady was showing it to prospective new tenants. Important note: My landlady is well-meaning but nuts. Rather than keeping the key to my place (she doesn’t have one of her own) she got me a mat for my front door to keep the key under. (Yes, I know, hooray security!) Also, rather than showing the place herself, she began to tell prospective tenants to come up to my apartment so I could show them around, but she didn’t bother telling me or asking my permission, so my dinner kept getting interrupted by folks wanting to look around, so I stopped participating. (All I wanted was some notice from her, I’d have been happy to do it by appointment.)

I know she has some sort of relationship with other tenants in my building but I have never been introduced to them. So one day I got home from work, walked my dog, and went out again. Unlike my usual practice I only went out for ten minutes (to grab my dinner), and when I got back there were five total strangers in my home, with one of the tenants-agents standing by the front door doing what looked a lot like “keeping watch” for my unexpected return. I came in and found them all there - what do you say in such a situation?

They all had the decency to look mortified as they prowled through my home as I stood there glaring at them while I restrained my dog from jumping all over them while my dinner got cold.

I am fairly sure that the tenant-agent saw me leave and called the landlady to tell her the coast was clear, so the tenants should come while I was out.

I am so glad to stop paying rent to this woman.

4

In my college fraternity in Boston, we often had problems with late night break-ins. One time, 4 or 5 of us came back from a pizza place around 8 or 9 PM to find a guy standing in my room, with a desk drawer open, and 3 boomboxes from other rooms in front of him. It was odd, we just looked at each other for a few seconds, then he said something like “I’m looking for (obviously made up name)” Somebody said “Call the police”, and the guy bolted past us (no one managed to grab him), and down the stairs. Another fraternity member was coming up the stairs, and we yelled “Paul! Grab him!” He got past Paul, to the front door, where yet another fraternity member tried to grab him as well. He made it outside, with 6 or 7 of us chasing him now. Most of us dropped out within half a block or so, but Paul and another guy who had run track in high school kept up the chase all the way across the Harvard bridge into Cambridge, where he managed to get away. Damn fast runner.

Bricker, you can’t leave your story there - what happened the next time you met with your client?

5

I don’t mean to make light of being mugged (or almost mugged), but that is freakin’ hilarious. I hope you had a good laugh about it.

6

My ex caught three kids trying to break into his car. He went out and said, "What in the hell do you think you’re doing?
Them: “Uh, we were just looking for Walgreen’s.”

Ex: “Well, you’re not going to find it in my car.”

They took off running and that was that.

7

We were in Paris, and we went to see the Arche de Triomphe (sp?) early in the day before the tourist crowds got too thick. You can get to the Arche via an underground passageway from the street so you don’t get annihilated by the swirling crowd of insane drivers doing their traffic circle around the monument. It was nice; there were very few people around.

We were climbing up the passageway stairs on our way back out of there, the only people on the stairs apparently, when I started to feel crowded. “That’s funny,” I thought, “there’s no one else around. WTF?” I turned around abruptly and there were two pickpockets, 17-year old girls, and one quietly had my wallet halfway out of my purse. I snatched it out of her hand, and I think I said to them, “Voleurs!” They turned away unconcernedly and walked unhurriedly away. My husband followed them, shouting “Voleurs!” and pointing at them, but there weren’t enough people around to take note and certainly no policemen.

I’m sure once we left they went right back to their trade. Beware the walk-through under the Arche de Triomphe! And for that matter, most other big-tourist-draw landmarks in Europe. Those pickpockets are skilled.

8

About 10 years ago my then-boyfriend and I were staying over at his brother’s house. I was having trouble sleeping and it was about 3:30 am. I heard what sounded like a car door opening and I looked outside. There was someone in the passenger side of our car. I woke the SO up and told him to look outside. The guy was still in the car. The SO silently went into the livingroom where there was a pool table and grabbed a pool cue. He slowly and quietly opened the front door and was sneaking up behind him. The metal front gate was closed and he had to open it, but it was maybe 5 feet from the guy, so he did it in a very quick motion trying to get through the gate before the guy heard him.

The guy heard him at the last possible second just as the SO swung the pool cue. He missed him by inches. The guy took off, jumped over a fence, and got away. He had tried to steal our stereo and when he couldn’t get it out, smashed it up with his screwdriver instead.

9

I was sleeping in a makeshift tent in my car’s backseat while parked on campus (ahh, the joys of school!) when someone began trying to force my door open. Popped upright, pulling the blanket/tent down, stared at the guy for a second, while he went wide-eyed at having a human being suddenly appear in front of him. Then, he just took off running.

At my retail job, I catch people in the act at least once a week; according to store rules, I’m not supposed to do anything or accuse him; instead, I’m somehow supposed to get a member of management (usually involving going off to a phone to page them) AND never lose eye-contact with the “potential” thief from the point that I saw them pocket something to the point that they bypass both sets of front doors. Right. Instead, I just walk up when I see them do something and, without accusing them of stealing, say something like…

“Hi! Y’know, it’s usually not a good idea to put <item> in your pocket, since you might forget it’s there… mind if I take <item> up to the cashier for you, so you don’t forget?”

or

“Y’know, it’ll be really difficult for the cashier to check you out when you’ve removed the box/security tag to <item> and put it behind this merchandise; they might even gasp accuse you of stealing <item>, which would suck! Let’s take the item and box up to the cashier so you won’t forget to buy it!”

About 50% of the time, the would-be thief will realize they’re being given an easy out-- just pay for the item-- and the other 50% of the time, they feign ignorance: “oh, sorry, I put the item in my pocket accidentally, oops,” which allows me to give them an out by just saying “oh, yeah, haha, good thing you remembered it was there, that would be awkward otherwise! Did you want to purchase it, or shall I put it back on the shelf for you?”

10

My father walked in on two teenagers in my parents’ house trying to steal Xmas presents. One ended up with a broken nose and one was very nearly killed by my father. The kid ended up with several broken ribs, broken facial bones, concussion, and was generally stomped on by a very big, very mad person. My father is a very nice guy except if you are trying to rob him. He doesn’t take kindly to that sort of thing. The parents of the boy sued my father, if you can believe it.

11

I gotta ask - what are your ethical obligations in a case like that?

I assume you can’t go on representing him.

Regards,
Shodan

12

I have two from the last week!

On Monday I was at the Taste of Times Square festival with some friends. I had gone directly from work and I had my backpack with me, full of random crap. My book for my book club is in there, as well as a notebook I write in and my tupperware from lunch that day, that kind of thing. As I am wandering around I feel my bag unzip and I turn around to see this guy standing directly behind me. I reached back and zipped up my bag and just stared at him until he walked away. I should have started screaming “Pickpocket!” but I wasn’t thinking at the time, I just wanted him to get the hell away from me.

On Friday I was on my way to the grocery store when this 17 year old boy ran by me, closely followed by a slightly older and much faster guy. The older gentleman pushed the kid down and kicked him, screaming, “Gimme that! Gimme that shit!” and holding out his hand. I reached into my purse to grab my phone when the kid pulls a handful of fire crackers and a lighter out of his pocket and hands it to the other guy. “That shit isn’t funny! Throwing lit fire crackers through people’s windows could kill someone you asshole!” Then he kicked him again. The kid picked himself up off the ground and limped away. I wanted to kick him too but he was crying so I restrained myself. :stuck_out_tongue:

13

I’d sue your father too, tbh. Sounds a little excessive.

14

So - what happened? Did they win a settlement?

15

Actually, it turned into something that would have lasting reprecussions in my office and my then-career. The client part was almost a non-issue; he missed his next court date and got nailed on the capias about four months later, and I passed his case on to a colleague based in part on what had happened, so I never talked to the guy again in a substantive way.

The reprecussions part had to do with how that story divided the office, with several people insisting I shouldn’t (or even couldn’t) call the police and press charges. (I didn’t). Others felt I could and should. It was very weird; it was a tiny issue but people on both sides got really hot under the collar about it, with accusations about being insincere and not cut out for a PD job on one side and accusations of being foolish and naive on the other.

Other events happened later that were unconnected to that cllient or that event, as well, things that I really don’t want to go into, but in a weird way, fallout from that could be said to have led to my decision to leave criminal law.

Still kinda sore subject, so forgive me if I drop it here…

16

No, I couldn’t represent him.

From a strict ethics standpoint, I could have reported him.

17

No. The young man was arrested and charged with breaking and entering and some other charges and his parents dropped the suit.

As to it being excessive - I hope you’re kidding. They deserved the throttling they got. They were attempting to rob my family. Had my brother not stopped him, I’m sure my father would have killed the thief and thought nothing of it.

18

I’m not kidding.

From a legal standpoint, if someone kills a person who is in the process of robbing a house, wouldn’t they be convicted of manslaughter if the robber was without a gun/knife/weapon of some sort? I was always under then impression that you could use equal force, but that’s it. Perhaps the laws are different there.

19

My son caught a burgler red-handed in his apartment, and chased him down the street. He tells the story here. Got his stuff back, and got the burglar arrested and put in jail.

20

Many years ago I was talking to my father on the phone. He mentioned that two of my cousins, who were probably 14 at the time, were in the hospital. They were both in pretty bad shape. When I asked what was wrong with them, I was told that they were beaten up pretty badly. When I asked who would do such a heinous thing, I was told that it was the owner of one of the many cars that they had broken into that night.