Biker mob assaulting NYC Internet executive Alexian Lienn. Photo via CarScoops.com
Posted on 10/05/2013 5:53:28 AM PDT by marktwain
This image of a biker gang pummeling Internet executive Alexian Lienn as his wife helplessly looks on is terrifying.
Biker mob assaulting NYC Internet executive Alexian Lienn. Photo via CarScoops.com
Lienn and his wife were enjoying a day out celebrating their wedding anniversary with their baby daughter when a so-called “pop-up gang” of bikers surrounded them as they drove on Manhattan’s West Side Highway. One biker, later identified as Chistopher Cruz, swerved in front of Lienn’s Range Rover and “brake-checked” the vehicle by slamming on his brakes, forcing the vehicle to stop. 2,000 lb SUVs being much harder to stop than a sport bike weight just hundreds of pounds, the SUV bumped Cruz and came to halt. Other bikers quickly swarmed the SUV, slashing it’s tires and trying to get to the terrified family trapped inside.
We covered the details of what happened next in an earlier article that features a video of the ensuing chase, but that video just coincidentally cuts off before the biker mob pulls a now-trapped Mr. Lienn from his vehicle and beats and stomps him on the pavement as his wife helplessly looks on, their two-year-old daughter in the back seat. Mr. Lienn could have easily been killed, and was completely at the mob’s mercy.
While this particular mob formed in New York City, they can occur anywhere, and the thuggish riders that participate come from far away. Edwin Mieses Jr, the biker left paralyzed as Lienn’s SUV ran over him trying to escape, came all the way for Lawrence, MA for the ride (and had a long arrest record of dozens of motor vehicle infractions).
Video of the attack—and revelations that the NYPD has a policy of ignoring these gangs—has given many people to consider what they would do if caught in a similar situation, and for Americans that live in states where they insist on exercising their freedom, that may involve preparations to use a firearm in self defense.
Long guns (rifles or shotguns) are impractical in vehicles, as are their derivative pistols (AK- and AR-based) because of size limitations.
Small pocket pistols and revolvers, while comfortable for everyday carry, are limited by small magazine/cylinder capacity.
Were I trapped in such a situation, pinned in by traffic and confronted by a hostile mob looking to breach the vehicle’s cabin with the obvious intent of causing my family harm, I’d want a service-sized semi-automatic pistol with a standard-capacity magazine of 15-20 rounds, with at least two spare magazines within close reach.
Frankly, this sort of situation calls for the “Zimmerman special.”
After Florida neighborhood watchman (and road hazard in his own right) George Zimmerman had his Kel-Tec PF9 pistol confiscated and he became the center of a political firestorm, he purchased a FN Five-seveN pistol. He did so at a time when the New Black Panthers put a bounty on his head, and there was the very real possibility that he would have been lynched by a mob if his location were revealed.
He needed a handgun that could carry a large number of rounds, so that he could engage multiple threats quickly and accurate.
We don’t know for sure who helped Zimmermann select the Five-seveN, (though I have a hunch it was probably his Federal Air Marshall friend, Mark Ostermann), but it was an inspired choice. The Five-seveN boasts a factory standard 20-round magazines, and the high-velocity, low-recoiling 5.7x28mm round that lets a shooter get back on target quickly and transition from one target to the next.
When he turned himself in to be charged for murder, Zimmerman turned over his Five-seveN, 3 20-round magazines, and 61 rounds of ammunition that had become part of his everyday carry gear. It was all released back to him after the trial (Zimmerman’s PF9 remains in the custody of a spiteful U.S Department of Justice). He is believed to be carrying this gun to this day.
The Five-seveN is a bit of an exotic, but the same role could just as easily be filled by a Glock 17, Springfield Armory XD, Beretta M9, or any other service-size pistol with a 15+ round magazine capacity with several spare magazines in reserve.
We live in a world where criminal mobs form in minutes via social media, and police would rather ignore them than confront them.
What would you chose to defend your family with in such a situation?
Yes, keeping mobile is key. Getting lost like those Brit soldiers and winding up in a mob by accident can be fatal. In the NYC biker situation, the driver should have used the weaving tactic I have explained up thread, while calling 911, and STAYING ON THE HIGHWAY until police show up or he ran out of gas. It was a terrible mistake to get off the highway and quickly led to his being trapped in gridlock, surrounded, etc.
His biggest error was getting off the highway. He was safe until he was trapped in gridlock. Weaving on the freeway would have kept the bikes at a safe distance until the police arrived. Don’t get off the highway! On any highway, an SUV has nearly as much mobility as a bike. On a city surface street, the 4-wheeler will be trapped but not the bikers.
Move to Beaufort.
Disagree. If you slow down, they slow down, until you are all stopped and you are surrounded and get your beating.
Weaving at 60mph is easy, safe, and EFFECTIVE against rabid bikers. Even an insane biker knows that a weaving 4-wheeler will blast him into the trees if he misjudges his timing.
It turns out that heat has been the enemy of the caseless cartridge concept. That “old-fashioned” brass shell does more than just hold the gunpowder, it also serves as a heat sink to absorb and remove most of the heat generated by the burning powder. Without that brass shell, all of the heat goes into the chamber. Pretty soon it’s red hot, hot enough to ignite a caseless cartridge on its own.
Sheesh, it's so obvious.
This is basic tactical driving 101, and so easy your grandmother can do it!
Surface streets in ghettos are super dangerous. They can also roll shopping carts in front etc, anything to get a placid sheeple to stop, so they can move in for the kill.
When a ghetto-ite steps in front to get you to slow down, SPEED UP, and you will see an amazing leap for safety.
But mainly, never use your GPS on “shortest” in a city, or you may drive into a high-danger zone. Stay on the highways until you are near your destination. Keep your gas tank full, so you don’t have to stop in an unknown area of a city. And if you have a flat tire in a bad section of town, drive on that rim until you reach a safe area. Your life is not worth a tire and wheel.
Besides taking away the adrenalin rush, if you have to take it off the side of the paved road, most cars aren’t real good at playing ATV at 60 MPH.
I saved my own life with that trick when 3 cars tried to box me in.
I new my Toyota 4X4 could take it off the road at 50mph without a hitch, the cars they were driving couldn’t.
You ever seen what happens when a station wagon tries playing ATV at 50mph?
Even sport bikes with low ground clearance will be able to follow most 4X4s off road, I think.
Not everyone dries a 4X4.
Your advise is only good for people that do drive a 4X4 and know how to handle it at 60mph off road.
Your average car, don’t try to take it off road at 60mph.
The West Side runs up the west side of Manhattan. As you reach Northern Manhattan you have three options where he was. Head to the GWB, Harlem, or the Bronx. He should have headed to Jersey. We still have a semblance of civilization and the State Troopers are no joke. They patrol the Jersey side of the GWB because there is a lot of drug flow from Bronx and Harlem. I used to live in that area of NJ and it was not uncommon to be woken up by gunfire as Troopers shot down drug mules on the Turnpike.
Thanks! Good to know.
Is adding gratuitous slaps at George Zimmerman required to get an article viewed these days?
If you like Bob Owens work, it is a good idea to visit the blog.
Not at the moment, no. But thanks for the offer. The rest of the article has some value, but I don't think I'll be delivering any hits to his blog.
“Even sport bikes with low ground clearance will be able to follow most 4X4s off road, I think.”
Maybe. Most street tires do not have the traction needed for offroad. If the driver has great offroad skill, probably can do.
Off road is an almost completely different skill set on motorcycles than on pavement.
Motorcycles are far less forgiving off pavement than four wheeled vehicles.
If the bike is set up for off pavement, they can do some amazing stuff.
Any gun .380 or better would have been a blessing.
Had I been in that situation, I would have been using my F-150 as a motorcycle snowplow, while the wife worked 911. I’d have also pulled out the Sig and extra mags. When I ran out of room to keep driving, I would have shot the first biker beating on the glass, and then continued to the next threatening target until they retreated.
I’m not trying be a “tough talker”, I’m just saying that if you carry, you should think about what you are going to do, and I’ve given it a lot of thought. This man’s family was under attack, and in such a situation, you need to use everything at your disposal.
Unless I was a real off-road pro and knew the terrain, I’d stay on the highway at 60mph, weaving, as my first choice. Even a 4X4 can go around a corner and find itself trapped in a culdesac.
He exited the freeway and got stuck in surface street traffic, at a light I believe.
I own one and it is one of my favorite guns, but they are not for everyone. They cost over $1000 and are expensive to shoot. However, back when I bought mine a 50 round box was only $16. One of the reasons 5.7 ammo was so pricey recently is because during the shortage ammo manufacturers went full bore production on the standard calibers to maximize profit. The prices have come down in the past couple of months and I have not had too much trouble finding it.
The functionality of the gun is flawless. It shoots very flat and is extremely accurate. I have never had a jam. Recoil is like a .22 pistol.
It is the size of a Beretta 92, but weighs only 19 ounces and is easy to carry concealed. Standard magazine capacity is 20 rounds. Everyone that shoots it loves it. My oldest daughter has demanded that I leave it to her in my will.
I don't know about the knock down from such a high speed small caliber on an assailant hopped up on drugs and adrenaline, but the noise and the muzzle blast are similar to an AR and would be very intimidating up close. Unless you are a total zombie you will crap your pants and run for cover.
Several of us at work each have one. Sort of a Five Seven club. As one of my co-workers said. If the shit gets deep and you find yourself in the middle of a crowed intending to do you lethal bodily harm then its party favors for everyone.
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I used to carry my .357 in the car, but I’ve since changed to my 9mm Ruger & an extra 15-round mag. The nature of the threat has changed.
Travis wrote:
“Unless I was a real off-road pro and knew the terrain, I’d stay on the highway at 60mph, weaving, as my first choice. Even a 4X4 can go around a corner and find itself trapped in a culdesac.”
I think that is good advice. If you can get to a real freeway, you can out run the bikes if you have a full gas tank. Very few bikes have capacity for more than a couple of hundred miles. That capacity drops rapidly with high speed. They likely get more and more nervous as they get into unfamiliar territory.
If the situation stretches beyond twenty minutes, the police (outside of those with the motorcycle riders) might even get involved.
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