Woman beaten with Hammer, no one helps

[matiki]

I didn't see this anywhere else... this is a sad situation where an unarmed woman is assaulted with a hammer and no one helps despite her screaming bloody murder.

Follow-up Article on Assault

The 22-year-old woman who was bludgeoned with a hammer near the University of Washington last week said she screamed for help several times during the attack but no one responded.

Several cars drove by as the woman was attacked by a stranger last Tuesday near Northeast 47th Street and 18th Avenue Northeast, but no one stopped, according to an account of the attack the victim gave to Mary Erickson.

She even pounded on the door of a nearby rooming house immediately after the attack but nobody answered, said Erickson, who has been sponsoring the woman since she moved to Seattle four years ago from war-torn Rwanda, where her entire family was slain.

"She screamed for help. She saw all types of cars passing by," Erickson said. "She's very fearful. She's traumatized."

No one has been arrested.

The injured woman was expected to have plastic surgery at Harborview Medical Center today to repair her shattered cheekbone; she already has had surgery on her fractured skull, Erickson said. Her injuries will keep her from returning this quarter to the University of Washington, where she is a student.

Erickson said the woman told her she didn't know the man who attacked her in a neighborhood where about 6,000 students live north of the UW. Erickson asked that the woman's name not be published because her attacker hasn't been arrested.

"I think it will take awhile for her to build that trust and be out on her own," Erickson said.

The woman, a graduate of Garfield High School, is in her first year at the UW. She is majoring in engineering, Erickson said.

According to Seattle police, the woman left her dorm room around 7 a.m. to move her Toyota Camry. After the attack, the woman pulled herself up from the ground, went to a nearby building and pounded on the door, Erickson said. When nobody answered, the woman got into her car and drove to the north campus entrance at 17th Avenue Northeast and asked a parking attendant for help.

"She realized she had been hurt badly and that she needed help right away," Erickson said.

The woman has made vast improvements since being hospitalized in critical condition with head injuries and a broken tailbone, Erickson said. She is walking around and has briefly talked with police, Erickson said.

Seattle police are asking anyone with information on the attack to call detectives at 206-684-5550.

©2007 SEATTLE TIMES - For more news from The Seattle Times, visit The Seattle Times | Seattle Times Newspaper

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Supertac45]

A bunch of cowards.

[gunfighter48]

Isn't grand how our educational system is teaching our young people how to not get involved, let the police handle it, NOT. I hope none of them never needs help. How can you look in the mirror the next day and live with yourself knowing that you didn't even pick up the phone and call the cops?

[Ram Rod]

Things like this make it hard for me to understand the future of human evolution. Deep down inside, I hate other people-----until they've proven to me those feelings are unfounded.

Isn't grand how our educational system is teaching our young people how to not get involved

A bunch of cowards

Aye mate----and a whole nation full at that.

[glock27mark]

my heart and prayers go out to her for a speedy recovery (both physicaly
and emotionaly) sad that mos people would rather just watch from behind
a corner or elsewhere instead of trying to help in some way.(even just
dailing 911 is better than nothing).

[HK Dan]

That's it, ban hammers. When framing hammers require a NICS check, this sort of incident will be a distant memory. Where is Sarah Brady?

Dan

[Janq]

That's it, ban hammers. When framing hammers require a NICS check, this sort of incident will be a distant memory. Where is Sarah Brady?

Dan,

Being _completely_ serious go to BBB.co.uk and run a search at their site for news toward the key word "hammer attack"; BBC - Search results for hammer attack
Or try "hammer assault"; BBC - Search results for hammer assault

Everything from children in schoolyards hammering each other with framing hammers to home invaders wielding hammers, to yes even bank robbers (!)...with a hammer.
I absolutely kid you not and it's been going for an age now amongst the UK (England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales) upon their wide ranging citizen arms ban of firearms, knives, and just recently swords of all type including samurai style katanas, even as crime in England and Scotland in specific has been tripled and doubled respectively and across the UK crime victimization is up and at historical peak levels across the board.
Again I kid you not. :|

As to this woman citizens not coming to her aid and folks not hearing her screams are not to blame.
She is responsible for her own safety, not the community, or drivers by, nor the police. People driving by are rocking out to their music, talking on cell phones, text messaging (!), and basically zoned out focused on a spot 3' in front of their hood.
She knocked on doors but it's completely possible people just weren't home. She screamed but it's possible no one heard her voice, especially through aute glass with one in their car rocking out to Molly Hatchet amongst their 18 speaker 500W 'system' as folks tend to have today.
As well this event occurred in the very early morning and alot of people are heavy sleepers. I know I am and would likely have not heard her screaming and if I did I'd have assumed it was one of my kids with my wife not wanting to brush their teeth or some such 18 mo old and 5yr. old normal daily drama. I'd even might include the screaming in my dream and assume it away as just that, I'm dreaming.

I feel bad for this woman and she should not have been attacked. But she being from Rwanda and having lived first hand with and through that countries infamous levels of rampant crime and human rights violations, she should know by now and prior that one cannot depend on ones fellow man to stand up and do whats right or to come to the defense of a woman or child, or even himself.
One has themselves to depend on as a base and anything or anyone else that may come along to your aid or benefit that is good fortune which on a day to day basis just can't be relied on.

I hope she recovers quickly.
And when she does she should look into taking some H2H combat self defense courses, invest in a defensive tool of some sort (pepper spray, knife, or firearm), and also work on her physical fitness as well (not knowing her condition there) toward being able to flee for her life...literally.

- Janq

"Its like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under." - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, 'The Message' circa 1982

[friesepferd]

ugh. ridiculous
i hope the lady recovers well

[matiki]

As to this woman no one is to blame but herself...

This is unusual, as I normally agree with your assessments Janq. In this case, I take exception to nearly everything you've said.

The perpetrator is the only person to blame. That the victim might have been able to defend herself given better circumstances (such as training, weapons possession) is irrelevant. The perpetrator had no right to attack her in these circumstances.

If anyone saw the attack or heard her cries for help, they may not have a legal obligation to at least report it, but they certainly have a moral obligation to do so.

[Janq]

Mtiki,

You're correct and I was not clear.

Yes the victim is NOT to blame.
The attacker is at fault here.
Let me be more clear to that end.

What I meant was in regard to holding fault at society for not coming to her aid as she was in need.
To that end society is not at fault nor is required to come to her aid.
She is to take care of herself. That is what my point was, which admittedly did not come out right.
As to morality...and chivalry, they have all but died. And again that's to assume anyone was available or even heard her screams at that hour. I know I'd be knocked out dead asleep and would not hear such at my home in the location of my bedroom.

I'll go back and make edits to correct my post, and speak more clearly.
Thank you for calling me out on this.

- Janq

[Natureboypkr]

What would have anyone on the forum done if they had seen this incident occurring????

[matiki]

Mtiki,

You're correct and I was not clear.

Yes the victim is NOT to blame.
The attacker is at fault here.
Let me be more clear to that end.

What I meant was in regard to holding fault at society for not coming to her aid as she was in need.
To that end society is not at fault nor is required to come to her aid.
She is to take care of herself. That is what my point was, which admittedly did not come out right.
As to morality...and chivalry, they have all but died. And again that's to assume anyone was available or even heard her screams at that hour. I know I'd be knocked out dead asleep and would not hear such at my home in the location of my bedroom.

I'll go back and make edits to correct my post, and speak more clearly.
Thank you for calling me out on this.

- Janq

No worries mate.

I agree that ultimately you are responsible for your own safety. That said, I feel that members of a society have a responsibility to each other that goes beyond the legal realm.

And also for consideration, is that WA does not allow aliens to possess firearms right now. This is due to an FBI ruling that licensing departments (as entities outside law enforcement) cannot have access to criminal records. So... there's one less way in which she was allowed to defend herself.

I was born and raised just outside of East L.A. We had a similar situation to this occur in my neighborhood, a man was beating a teenager who refused to let him steal his car. When all was said and done, the police had to perform CPR on the attacker, who had been beaten to death by my neighbors (mostly women).

*sigh*

I actually miss that place sometimes.

[Lawman]

What would have anyone on the forum done if they had seen this incident occurring????

Excellent question! Being new to CCW, would I be within my rights to stop and stick my weapon in this dirt bags face?

[Janq]

Yeah I figured there would be no allowance for her to have a firearm, and that's fine.
There are 100 other tools and devices easily secured legally at ones local hardware store or Target that can be used to a high degree toward offense/defense and very easily carried concealed deployable in an instant as necessary, as she discovered with the hammer.
For example knives are freely sold everywhere and it doesn't have to be a 'combat' branded tacticool unit either. My local Stop N' Shop food mart sells pocketable 2 to 4" single edged fixed knives with sheath as applied to cooking for less than $10 right along side the Tupperware and measuring cups.
Completely legal to purchase and possess and easily pocketable handy in hand.
Guns aren't her only means of defense.

As to society being responsible to itself I agree within limits.
Problem is that when the rubber hits the road we have in the news daily tales of parents that won't or can't even take care to look out for their own children. Being realistic and practical I can't and don't look to those same members to look out for me. :\

- Janq

[farronwolf]

What would have anyone on the forum done if they had seen this incident occurring????

Mmmm, stopped and helped. Whether the BG got to eat some lead would have been entirely up to him, had I came upon an incident like this.

But there are others that would have called the police and waited as the BG continued to beat her with the hammer. Having completed their civic duty with the call.