# If someone beheaded a soldier of your country and waited 20 minutes surrounded by a crowd... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 25, 2013, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294 "2013-05-25T04:55:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/1 "2013-05-25T04:55:20Z")
…what do you think the citizens of _your_ neighborhood would do? ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/2 "2013-05-25T04:59:45Z")
They may very well sit around in shock. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/3 "2013-05-25T05:15:52Z")
Wouldn’t they all be recording it on their phone cameras? On the news clip that they have been repeating, there are a few seconds showing a large woman getting up from beside the body. I could be wrong, but it looked like she was posing beside the body while her friend took photos. ---
**Author:** ![nicole1912](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de0a6/32.png) [@nicole1912](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicole1912)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/4 "2013-05-25T05:26:45Z")
> [@Doggo](#): > > Wouldn’t they all be recording it on their phone cameras? > On the news clip that they have been repeating, there are a few seconds showing a large woman getting up from beside the body. I could be wrong, but it looked like she was posing beside the body while her friend took photos. I’ve not been following this closely, but I think one of the reports I read said that she was comforting him as he died, rather than posing for a photo by his dead body. Someone who’s been following this more closely can no doubt comment more authoritatively… ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/5 "2013-05-25T05:42:04Z")
Loot the body probably. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/6 "2013-05-25T05:43:52Z")
If it’s a crowd, probably no one does anything. That’s the nature of crowds, everyone is waiting for someone else to intervene. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Mood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@Blue\_Mood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Mood)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/7 "2013-05-25T10:07:59Z")
> [@Doggo](#): > > Wouldn’t they all be recording it on their phone cameras? > On the news clip that they have been repeating, there are a few seconds showing a large woman getting up from beside the body. I could be wrong, but it looked like she was posing beside the body while her friend took photos. Wow - I feel bad that her brave actions could be construed this way. (Not a slight against you, but that if you’ve thought it probably others have as well.) After ascertaining that he was beyond help, she was providing comfort as **nicole1912** said, not wanting him to be alone when he died (although he was presumably dead already). She and her daughter also wanted to shield him from his slayers, who are the ones who wanted to take photos. Also, while this was going on, another woman was talking to the other perpetrator, trying to keep him calm until police arrived. Three calm, brave, heroic women. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/8 "2013-05-25T10:11:55Z")
They could have been more heroic with pepper spray or a taser. If those weren’t illegal there, that is. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/9 "2013-05-25T10:19:13Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > They could have been more heroic with pepper spray or a taser. If those weren’t illegal there, that is. Yeah, I’m sure that taking on murderous lunatics with knives would have turned out well for them. :rolleyes: It was neither their job nor a good idea for them to do something like that. And before anyone starts going on about the glories of guns, in America the killers would have likely had guns too. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/10 "2013-05-25T10:27:38Z")
Not even talking about guns, just shaking my head at the position the British people are in, not even allowed to defend themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/11 "2013-05-25T10:30:13Z")
I think we’d have a similar result. A few people would go forward to help, not realising it wasn’t an accident, the crowd would stand off holding their breath - what if those dudes were rigged with bombs? The police would take 20 minutes at least - same as England they are not all armed but more likely to fire more bullets and more likely to kill the knifemen I would think. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/12 "2013-05-25T10:44:39Z")
The first police got there 9 minutes after the first 999 call. The tooled-up armed response took 14 minutes after the first call. and 10 minutes after they were tasked. I guess for the first 9 minutes people didn’t really know what the fuck was happening. One of the extremely brave people who intervened initially though that the murderers were trying to help the victim. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/13 "2013-05-25T10:48:36Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Not even talking about guns, just shaking my head at the position the British people are in, not even allowed to defend themselves. The women who tried to talk the murderers down demonstrated more courage than ten thousand would-be vigilante fantasists. \ ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/14 "2013-05-25T10:49:57Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Not even talking about guns, just shaking my head at the position the British people are in, not even allowed to defend themselves. Thank you for your concern ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/15 "2013-05-25T10:54:06Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Not even talking about guns, just shaking my head at the position the British people are in, not even allowed to defend themselves. This must surely be a tongue-in-cheek comment. If it’s serious then I’m shaking my head in disbelief. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/16 "2013-05-25T11:00:53Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > The women who tried to talk the murderers down demonstrated more courage than ten thousand would-be vigilante fantasists. > > \ Nonlethal self defense is now the purview of vigilante fascists? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/17 "2013-05-25T11:02:33Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > This must surely be a tongue-in-cheek comment. If it’s serious then I’m shaking my head in disbelief. It’s not tongue in cheek. And further, the state is coming down hard on people for saying naughty things about the murder on Twitter. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/18 "2013-05-25T11:38:33Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Not even talking about guns, just shaking my head at the position the British people are in, not even allowed to defend themselves. how is a shoot-out with more casualties be better than what transpired here? instead of a possible massacre - there is a single victim and the two perpetrators were apprehended. if it happened in America; the two madmen would be armed, the victim would still be dead, there would be a shoot-out, there would be more casualties, and the perpetrators would die either by suicide or by cops. that, by the way, is an optimistic scenario, ruling out further friendly fire between civilians with concealed weapons and cops looking for newpaper trucks to shoot. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/19 "2013-05-25T11:42:58Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Nonlethal self defense is now the purview of vigilante fascists? There was no self-defence necessary. These disturbed young men had carried out their crime and were not threatening anyone else. The same thing would happen in New Zealand. No-one would attack them. No-one would rush home to get their shottie or 303. They’d just think it was an accident or violent assault and wait for the police to arrive. Which they did 9 minutes later. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294/20 "2013-05-25T11:44:25Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > It’s not tongue in cheek. And further, the state is coming down hard on people for saying naughty things about the murder on Twitter. It is? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-beheaded-a-soldier-of-your-country-and-waited-20-minutes-surrounded-by-a-crowd/659294.md?page=2)