Crazy man in my office

[gg12]

The man was (perhaps still is) a danger to you. He intended/stated his intent to inflict harm upon you. This justifies a call to authorities and a report. PLEASE do it.

You could probably survive an assault from a sane 70 year old, but a demented, aggitated, psychotic 70 year old....that might be different. I've seen 75lb elderly women slam people twice their size across the room in fits of aggitated rage...and they bite and spit too.

By reporting this, you might help this gentleman get the treatment he needs. You might prevent him from attacking and hurting someone else.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[cwblanco]

Get a restraining order. Take care of business with him over the phone from now on. I would have made some sort of written formal complaint to have something on record. You two meeting in person again would be out of the question.

Restraining order? Yes, we lawyers love that advice. However, I would point that to get a restraining order, one has to file a lawsuit, supported by affidavit(s), pay the filing fee, post a bond, meet with judge to get the order, and jump through the hoops -- an expense that most citizens do not want to incur.

In the meanwhile, watch him closely, make certain that he is well informed that he is not to enter the premises again. If he violates those instructions, you have a criminal trespass where you can get the laws to do the work for you FREE!

[sass20485]

Being nice can get you or one of your staff hurt or worse. Fact that he is " sick" is all the more reason to take precautions and make a police report. Don't give him a second chance to "go off".

[darkvibe]

call police. They have the "mental hygiene law" for a reason and he's it.

[QKShooter]

This is exactly how some pretty terrible "crazy person" with nothing to lose scenarios go down. It does not take much to send a wacko off the deep end.

[ccw9mm]

You have been directly threatened with physical violence. He's still out there and able to approach. He knows where you are. He may be of a certain age, but he's of uncertain capability or willingness. Deal with that as if he were a 24 yr old making the same threats such that you believed your life at risk. 'Cause, it might well be. Are you willing to bet your life it's nothing to be worried over?

Ditto on first steps: call the police; get a restraining order, if you know him or can track him down; and be prepared for anything, for at least awhile.

[retsupt99]

I would most definitely make a report with the police...always want a paper trail.

As for the restraining order? Mmmmm...well, it makes a great story..."Mad man shoots up office, reports are that there was a restraining order."

Once you have a police report, you can make trasspassing onto a business or private property something the police will take seriously...works as well as a RO. IMHO, of course.

Stay arme...if you can at work...stay safe!

[dnowell]

One thing: don't call 911 at this point, in case the other posts weren't clear on that. They have a non-emergency number to use when it's not time sensitive. I imagine that's already clear but it's worth repeating.

[ImaShepardRU]

File a report. Now.
I don't want to read into anything... but....
This is the type of situation you hear about the assailant coming back armed and going beserk. Don't take it lightly. If he comes back, call 911 immediately and be prepared for anything. If you do have to defend yourself or those in your office, the police report would at the least give documentation to the threats that were made and the nature of the this man's behavior.
Just my 2 cents.

[kavity]

I'd say call the police and let them know what had occurred. They may want you to file a restraining order on him so that if he comes back they can get him for trespassing.

It would be best for everyone if you had this documented with the right people. If, worst case scenario, you have to defend yourself or someone else, you will have done everything you could to prevent the situation in the first place.

[Bark'n]

I always try to have at least one less than lethal weapon on me at all times!

I carry a 125 lumen LED Flashlight that is also double duty as a Kubotan as well as OC spray.

A 70 year old feeble man with senility who pulls a knife, I definitely have some options. (1) keep an obstacle between the two of you! A desk or counter would do a lot in keeping him at bay. (2) The use of OC spray against a senile & feeble senior citizen would certainly be looked at much better than smoking him with your blaster! (3) If you do have to shoot him because he is going on his last bayonet charge against a squad of infantry, having used obstacles and OC spray first will show you attempted other options before having to use lethal force.

You should have called the police. You can still probably call the police. You can have him banned from the premises which would result in him being arrested if trespasses again.

[LabTech]

what kind of legal liability would you have if you do nothing and the guy urts one of your employees?

[Hiram]

Definitely call the PD and file a report. My father is 80 yo and when his meds get unbalanced he gets a little weird. Sometimes he thinks he's back in the Marines. He has Parkinsons disease so he doesn't get around too well, but he's still real strong and could do serious damage if he wanted, and he wouldn't even realize what he did.

Your customer won't get the help he needs if no one knows he needs it, and it would give you the paper trail mentioned before if you need it.

[billfromtx]

Clearly warrants a 911 call. While you may feel capable of handling the gentleman, someone else, such as a child, may not be.

Call 911. The police have avenues to handle such folks before anyone gets hurt.

+1...

if you read in the paper he killed someone of hurt himself after he left you, it would be hard to deal with.

[Supertac45]

Hit the old geezer with your chair is my advice if necessary. How fast can he move? I have a 74 year old friend that could easily vault your desk and do whatever he wanted to before you'd ever react. Each case is too different without being there.