Witnessed a crime up close today.

[blanco64]

This afternoon I was almost literally knocked over by a grab-and-run, but didn't realize what was going on until the person was out of sight.

My wife and I had attended our local Day of Resistance rally. Afterward we went to lunch, and the wife wanted to stop in Barnes & Noble since it's in the same parking lot as the restaurant.

The store has a set of wood and glass double-doors, with another set five feet after the first. I opened the first door for my wife and she stepped in. As I followed, I was vaguely aware of a young guy almost knocking my wife over as he rushed out the "in" door in front of her, and then nearly knocked over a couple to my left who was leaving the store. As we entered the store we realized an alarm was going off on a Nook display right inside the door and one of the displays was empty. The manager was hurrying toward the front door. It was at that point that we realized that the guy had likely grabbed the Nook and took off.

Where I'm disappointed in myself is for not being more aware of what was going on around me. My Situational Awareness was way down from where it normally is. Not sure why (maybe distracted thinking about all of the reasons we need to have a resistance rally in the first place?). The most I would have done if I had recognized the situation for what it was earlier, would have been to get a better look at the person and walk back outside to see where he went, as it certainly wasn't a scenario that justified the use of deadly force.

A good reminder though of why the SA needs to be up at all times. Although this situation wasn't necessarily dangerous, it could have easily been, and I wasn't even thinking about the possibility of any danger lurking inside the door as we entered.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[lionround]

Just a good reminder to keep your SA with you at all times. Other than that, you did the right thing and did not get involved in a fight that was not yours.

[nontechguy]

When I saw the subject line, I thought you were talking about another Obama speech.

[xXxplosive]

Years ago I was working on a job in front of a store in NJ.....all of a sudden I hear a commotion in the store and this guy comes running out the front door right into my arms with the store management chasing him....like you said I had no clue but held on to him anyway.....I had a sledge in the other hand so he wasn't movin or strugglin'.....held him till the cops came, seems he stole something from the store and was making good his get away......soooo.....ya just never know....wrong place right time.

[MJB_17]

Encountering a crime right after a Day of Resistance rally? I'm not sure if that is ironic or overly convenient...

[WarMachine]

Wow. To bad you didn't trip the guy or bumped him hard for pushing past your wife. If so you would have been a hero for one of the last remaining book stores. You might of got a free Nook. LOL. All jokes aside I'm glad you and your wife weren't hurt.

[Sig35seven]

'Apple picking' is also a very popular electronics crime. People just snatch the I phone from your hands and run with it. Usually in a crowd.

[Pistology]

"Thankya' vereh much" That's what they get for texting and walking.

[Secret Spuk]

All the local Barns n Nobles round these parts have dummy devices on display.

[mbguy29577]

A Nook...who would want to risk jail for that thing. I wonder if he could even read.

[Stevew]

He probably thought it was an IPad.

[Mike1956]

"Almost knocked over" could very easily be construed as a physical assault. Assault my wife, and it is clobbering time.

[GentlemanJim]

I ususally look through the windows and try to see what is going on inside most establishments before I go in. I learned that one when I walked into a bank between the time it was robbed and the first police arrived. If I had been a minute earlier I would have walked in on an armed robbery in progress. Every once in a great while I will forgo entering someplace because of who is there and what they are doing.

But a Barnes and Noble? I might not have been so vigilant either. It just goes to show it happens everywhere.

Jim

[Weeg]

When I saw the subject line, I thought you were talking about another Obama speech.

....

[oldnfat]

Bad stuff can go down anywhere. Glad you two were not harmed. You handled it the right way.