I was out running tonight when some guy’s in a dark subaru proceeded to drive up and down the road laughing and throwing bottles at me. WTF! What is the appeal? I don’t get it – do you really think that if you stopped the car, that you could 1) out-run me or 2) escape getting the living shit beat out of you?
I just don’t know what the appeal is for this act. This isn’t the first time this has happened to me (one of my roomates in college had a bloodied hand from people throwing things at him once as well). Do you not realize that I may have a wife and kid that would be seriously affected in the event that serious harm would come of me because “you just happen to like tossing glass bottles at me as I run”? Assholes! I hope none of the dopers out there have done this as I can ASSURE you that if I catch up to people that do this again, I WILL kick your ass with no regrets or mercy.
Whew…thanks…I just needed to get that off my chest.
BTW if anyone is a cop in Seattle or Washington state – the car was a dark mid nineties subaru wagon J-* with some youngsters in them. Wishful thinking, I know…
Hey, I’m in washington state-seattle area, and I got something for the good fight.
Last saturday, my husband saw some kids throwing “stuff” (unidentifiable) out their car window at other cars. They did it 4-5 times in a row, aiming for the driver’s window each time. He got the licence number and description of the vehicle (GMC Van, Maroon) but didn’t think it was 911 worthy. Next day though, he called up the local sheriff’s office. Apparently the deputy was very interested. I’m soooooo hoping one of the victim drivers called it in and the kids are sooooo busted right now.
I wish that I had gotten the full license plate – but, alas could only make out the one “J” in it as it quickly speed away (It was dark out). I would’ve called it in if I had, I was so pissed off. I just don’t know what the appeal of this is. I could’ve been seriously hurt! All just for a fun prank!? Ok - I’m calming down now…no really, I am…
I have no idea what the joy is in doing this. Once somebody threw a penny at me while I was running. It hit me in the back of the neck and it hurt like hell. Unfortunately, they were moving way too fast for me to get the license plate.
No, they don’t think about the consequences of their actions, because they can drive away from them. By the same token, they’re not worried about what you could do to them if they stopped because they haven’t got the balls to stop. They feel more powerful because they can outrun you. That’s evidently the joy.
I’ve had this happen to me as well when I was walking to work. Something else they don’t think about is that the object they throw (in my case a beer bottle) is going the same speed they are (in my case the speed limit, which I assume they were doing, was 40mph). That could have done some serious damage to my skull, which it missed by mere feet. That’s not a prank, that’s a potential fatality.
Like I said: stupidity and cowardice. That’s all it is.
When riding my bike people do the same thing. One beep or insult I let go without looking at them, the second one automaticaly gets the middle finger without looking at them. Acknowledging them encourages them.
Last week I flipped off my brother and a couple months ago a friend by mistake, but they understand.
Get their plates, turn them in. Here in our city we can do that right over the net. Checking into it, ask a cop the next time you see one walking around, I bet there is something you can do.
When I was at LSU, these fratboys were driving around in a jeep spraying people with a fire extinguisher. When the cops hauled their asses in, they were genuinely dumbfounded as to why this was a problem. Said one, “We were just having fun!”
A friend in Cincinnatti reports that a new stunt to pull there is randomly shooting people with a paintball gun. However, they haven’t been very careful about who they pick, and it’s only a matter of time until they hit someone who responds with a real gun.
The idea is - I’m going to do this because I can and because I want to. I wonder where they learn this behavior from?
Something about being behind the wheel of a vehicle seems to bring out the jackass in lots of people.
I personally am tired of simply trying to get where I am going in my car while sticking close to the speed limit, only to have countless jackasses (all too often in pickup trucks) whiz by me because they have to act like macho morons.
I recall seeing one of those “world’s stupidest criminals” shows that featured some idiots riding around in a car shooting people with a paintball gun. Of course, they were videotaping themselves. (Gotta love those truly stupid enough to video evidence against themselves.) They shot one bike rider, causing him to swerve and fall into a hedge. Big laughs from the riders. They shot a car, causing it to screech to a halt in the middle of an intersection. Yuks galore. They shot another car … that turned out to be an unmarked police vehicle. Whoops. Big trouble in little idiotville.
Goddamn fratboy morons. When I hear of somebody doing crap like that, I wish I could pull 'em out of the car and beat them until they cried for their mommies.
[qoute] I don’t get it – do you really think that if you stopped the car, that you could 1) out-run me or 2) escape getting the living shit beat out of you? [/qoute]
Well, we were afraid for your safety. You see, we thought you were going into extreme dehydration.
[qoute]I just don’t know what the appeal is for this act. [/qoute]
Hey! We were being good samaritans.
[qoute]This isn’t the first time this has happened to me (one of my roomates in college had a bloodied hand from people throwing things at him once as well).[/qoute]
That wasn’t us, but obviously it was some of our good samaritan friends.
[qoute]Do you not realize that I may have a wife and kid that would be seriously affected in the event that serious harm would come of me because “you just happen to like tossing glass bottles at me as I run”? Assholes! I hope none of the dopers out there have done this as I can ASSURE you that if I catch up to people that do this again, I WILL kick your ass with no regrets or mercy. [/qoute[
Your wife and kids should thank us for enabling you to get the much needed drink you should have when running. Poor thing, did you just start running yesterday?
Seriously now, I hope that you really didn’t get hurt and that the bastard fucktards spend some time in juvie or military school (ie, a prison school for bad kids).
mmjewett,
I know how you feel. I’ve never had people throw things from cars at me (yet), but I have had this kid on a bike launch fireworks at my sister and me while we were on a walk. It was frightening, because we could have been hurt, and this coward of a kid was riding away on his bike. I wanted to follow him and beat him up (or attempt, my sister is an amazon and could have probably held him down while I gave him a good wedgie), but by the time we had stopped clutching each other in terror he was out of sight.
My current neighborhood is better in that department, and usually running is no problem, as long as I avoid * the street of children who follow you asking repeatedly where you live and what’s your name and if you have a boyfriend and if he’s older than five *
These things even out in the end. I’ve had stuff thrown at me. I’ve been chased by dogs. I’ve been clipped by mirrors.
On the other side of the coin, I once had this woman who looked exactly like Martha Stewart stop her car, and ask me if I was thirsty. I said “yes” and she poured me this huge ice tea from this cooler she had in her car and then left.
It was the best iced tea I ever had.
I’ve also been jogging, gotten passed by a car when the car pull over and a hand sticks out the window holding a beer!
I’ve been offered rides when I got caught in a thunderstorm.
More often than not people are nice to joggers. To avoid getting stuff thrown at you, as well as the nuts don’t jog after dark. It’s also just not safe.
I had a beer bottle thrown at me a few weeks ago as I rode my bike along the Potomac next to the Kennedy Center. At the time I thought it was just careless littering. Now I see it was meant to be a projectile.
Next time I’m going to pick the bottle up and throw it back at their car. In DC you can’t get too far without having to stop at a red light.
Probably for the same reason that some men holler at women when they’re out walking. Because they’re jackasses. It’s not like yelling “ooooh, baby!” is going to leave me swooning with lust, yet these yahoos persist. On the other hand, I’d much rather be hollered at than have things thrown at me.
I also don’t understand why people feel the need to heckle us. Whether it’s to hoot & holler because we’re hot chicks, or whether it’s to yell at us for no reason.
Hey, I’m out sweating and working my ass off here. Drive on by, please.
Scylla, I can’t believe someone offered you iced tea. Man, something like that would be great after a long run.
To add to his stories about good happenings, one time I was running after work, tripped on a sidewalk seam and fell forward.
I wasn’t hurt, other than a tremendous dash to the ego. But someone pulled over, got out of the car & made sure I was okay. He was a runner too, and had done a similar swan dive before, and was looking out for me.
But all too often there are people who are mean or are just plain oblivious. So we must be watchful…
