Moxie Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 The girls working the booth today had someone steal their money bag with over $1000 in it. The two mothers working the booth chased the thieves down and then the police caught them so we got all the money back. My question is, would you chase down the thieves? I'm not sure I would. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 Yes, I have done it before. In a mall. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraw4321 Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 Oh man! I just got back from a booth and this is my worst nightmare! I probably wouldn't chase here because such a high percentage of people are armed. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 I would probably chase them in the heat of the moment, and then afterward I would realize that it was probably a stupid thing to have done and could have been dangerous. I would have had extra nerve in this case because there was another mom involved in the chase. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 Nope, I wouldn't chase them down because I don't want to risk getting shot. There are plenty of sociopaths out there who don't blink an eye at taking a human life (they're the same sociopaths who would steal from girl scouts). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 No. Call me a coward, but that money wouldn't be worth risking "life and limb" as far as I'm concerned. And I would imagine that the kind of person who would rob little girls is the same kind of person who is easily provoked to violence. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 Nope. I sold Girl Guides cookies when I was in 7th grade equivalent at a mall where one of the mall owner is former Girl Guide. One of the mall guards stayed near our counter at all times. This happened last month north of me. "UNION CITY — Girl Scouts selling cookies are a common sight this time of year outside local supermarkets, but a local scout’s experience was shattered Wednesday when her proceeds were stolen by a gunman outside a Union City grocery store, according to police." http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/02/09/union-city-girl-scout-cookie-stand-robbed-at-gunpoint-police-officers-cover-losses/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 (edited) I might. I would do what felt right in the moment, and that's not a situation I have been in. I think I would be more inclined to give chase because it's scouts' money. When I changed the cash registers at walmart, if someone had grabbed the money cart and run with it, I wouldn't have chased. I didn't care about walmart's money as much as I would care about the troop's. Edited March 4, 2017 by Ravin 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 I hope that is incident changes the the way our troop handles money. Right now, the money is kept in a big envelope on the table. A cash box would at least be harder to steal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 Wow. I bought cookies from Girl Scouts at a table today. They did have a cash box. They also took credit cards though. If it were in my neighborhood, like where I saw the Girl Scouts today, heck yes. I mean, you don't know what you'd do in the moment, but there are a lot of people out on the street and I would have totally felt empowered to scream and ran after them. I'm crap at running, but I'll bet someone would have stopped them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 Probably wouldn't be a good idea, but I expect that in the heart of the moment I would. Probably channeling my inner Chuck Norris or Steven Segal. Shows what I was watching in the '90s. Hey, I was young and foolish. Now I guess I'm old and foolish. Whatever. I doubt I could catch anybody anyway. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 I have done it myself. In my case the man was not a thief, he was attempting to kidnap an 11yo girl from the library and the girl's mother caught him trying to pull her out the back door. He ran through the library and I chased him and got his license plate. In that instance it was about more than money though. The police needed to catch someone like that for the good of society. It was a good risk. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 I have done it myself. In my case the man was not a thief, he was attempting to kidnap an 11yo girl from the library and the girl's mother caught him trying to pull her out the back door. He ran through the library and I chased him and got his license plate. In that instance it was about more than money though. The police needed to catch someone like that for the good of society. It was a good risk. A child's safety (and possibly even her life), now yes, that is worth risking life and limb for. Good for you! I'm so glad that you had the presence of mind to help. My worst fear is that I would freeze and do nothing in a situation like that. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 I have done it myself. In my case the man was not a thief, he was attempting to kidnap an 11yo girl from the library and the girl's mother caught him trying to pull her out the back door. He ran through the library and I chased him and got his license plate. In that instance it was about more than money though. The police needed to catch someone like that for the good of society. It was a good risk. I like that phrase. A good risk. Several years ago, myself and a couple of other passersby stood in front of a car and wouldn't let it pass because the man had strong armed the woman into the car and hit her. He was trying to drive away and she was desperately trying to get out but he had the child locks on. Her kid was in the back seat - it was a domestic issue and she was clearly scared out of her wits. The cops came and really read him the riot act and helped her out of the car and that's the point at which I left. That's exactly how I felt about it - some of the people on the sidewalk were yelling that we shouldn't stand in front of the car, but I felt like it was a worthwhile risk. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 Nope. It is only money. The unpredictability of the situation would make chasing them too dangerous. Not worth taking a chance over money, no matter how much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 A child's safety (and possibly even her life), now yes, that is worth risking life and limb for. Good for you! I'm so glad that you had the presence of mind to help. My worst fear is that I would freeze and do nothing in a situation like that. Sadly, the library was full of grown men who froze. I think my experience in doing things quickly in emergency situations in the hospitality industry made me run when the mother was yelling for someone to catch him. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 I like that phrase. A good risk. Several years ago, myself and a couple of other passersby stood in front of a car and wouldn't let it pass because the man had strong armed the woman into the car and hit her. He was trying to drive away and she was desperately trying to get out but he had the child locks on. Her kid was in the back seat - it was a domestic issue and she was clearly scared out of her wits. The cops came and really read him the riot act and helped her out of the car and that's the point at which I left. That's exactly how I felt about it - some of the people on the sidewalk were yelling that we shouldn't stand in front of the car, but I felt like it was a worthwhile risk. I agree that it was a worthwhile risk. He would have sped away and endangered everyone on the road and the people in the car. So many lives must have been at stake that simply backing away would be been more frightening than getting hurt yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 There have been times when I've been near other people's emergencies when I've run to help, and times when I have frozen. In the moment I think my response varies more on my situational awareness before the incident than it did on risk assessment. There have been moments where DH was zoning out and I noticed something he didn't. Once when DH was pumping gas and I was playing a game on my phone when there was a car wreck nearby and DH ran to help before it even registered that the sound I just heard was a high speed car accident at the intersection behind me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 I have done it myself. In my case the man was not a thief, he was attempting to kidnap an 11yo girl from the library and the girl's mother caught him trying to pull her out the back door. He ran through the library and I chased him and got his license plate. In that instance it was about more than money though. The police needed to catch someone like that for the good of society. It was a good risk. In that instance I would have chased the man down as well because he likely would have gone after someone else eventually. Money isn't worth the risk though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 Nope. It is only money. The unpredictability of the situation would make chasing them too dangerous. Not worth taking a chance over money, no matter how much. Agreed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 In that instance I would have chased the man down as well because he likely would have gone after someone else eventually. Money isn't worth the risk though. Agreed. For money no, for a person, yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 Hmmm...I wamt to say I would not because money isn't worth dying for but dog gone it, if someone did that to the precious kids in my 4H club after all the work we do to scrape together money for our projects, I am pretty certain I would be mad enough to lose my head and run like a screaming mimi after them yelling things like, "You low life scum bag!!! Stealing from 4H will cause the universe to smite you with the hail of a thousand astroids!" :D. Don't mess with my 4H kids! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 I might. Not saying I SHOULD...but I'm a redhead. We tend to lose our tempers and act before we think. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 I am thinking of the list of people we tend to lump in the low of the low...thieves that rob children! Yup. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 I would chase, but not with the intent to tackle or stop them but to alert others about what just happened, get a description, see where they're headed, etc. I can't imagine just standing there like a lump and watching them flee without doing anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 Getting more of the story today. One of the moms chased him and then an armed stranger joined in. Really?? You going to shoot someone in a crowded parking lot over what could have been a small amount of cash?? Smh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 Getting more of the story today. One of the moms chased him and then an armed stranger joined in. Really?? You going to shoot someone in a crowded parking lot over what could have been a small amount of cash?? Smh. "Armed" does not equal "going to shoot someone." 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 "Armed" does not equal "going to shoot someone." Umm, he had his concealed carry weapon pulled out while chasing the guy. Does he run faster with a weapon in his hand?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 Umm, he had his concealed carry weapon pulled out while chasing the guy. Does he run faster with a weapon in his hand?? Maybe. My nephew carries his in the waistband of his pants- close to where the buttcrack is. If he has to run he takes his gun out and holds it so he doesn't have to worry about it falling. Or maybe he figured if the guy looked back and saw a gun he'd drop the money. Who knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderchica Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 I probably wouldn't have chased. When I worked fast food, I would have let them have whatever they wanted and not resisted. It was something we discussed sometimes. It only happened once- the employee thought the guy was joking and didn't give him anything. He wasn't very forceful, and she threw him by her calm reaction. He did try to go to the restaurant next door though, but we called them quickly and they locked up before he got there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneezyone Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 Getting more of the story today. One of the moms chased him and then an armed stranger joined in. Really?? You going to shoot someone in a crowded parking lot over what could have been a small amount of cash?? Smh. That could have gone south very, very quickly. I probably wouldn't have given chase for reasons just like this. I understand the motives of thieves running from apprehension. I don't understand the mind of armed strangers running after them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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