Woman Pulls Gun on Unarmed Assailant

The Macomb Daily ^ | Norb Franz

[Mean Daddy]

A would-be robber got a little more than he bargained for after targeting the wrong motorist at a Warren intersection. Acting as if he had a handgun, the man tried to rob a 40-year-old woman. But he wound up on the wrong end of a pistol wielded by his intended victim.

The Warren woman told police she braked for a stop sign on Lorraine Boulevard at Dodge Avenue, when the man opened the driver's door of her 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass. With his hand in his right pocket, he pressed an object to her jaw that she believed was a gun.

The culprit ordered her to give him money -- but she had other thoughts.

Clutching $6 in one hand, she began struggling with him as he again demanded her money.

Determined not to become a robbery statistic, the woman reached with her other hand to the passenger seat for her 9 mm handgun, grabbed the pistol and pointed it at his face.

"If you're going to shoot me then do it, 'cause I'm definitely going to kill you," the brave resident replied, according to police reports.

The surprised assailant ran without getting a cent. He is described as a black male in his mid 20s, 6 feet tall, 165 pounds, wearing a blue skull cap and baggy blue jeans.

No shots were fired.

Shaken by the incident, the woman waited until Tuesday to report the March 19 holdup attempt. Reports state that she felt by the time she had regained her composure, she thought it was too late to file a complaint. The woman eventually approached two Warren patrolmen investigating a report of a stolen automobile on her block on Packard Avenue.

The Warren woman, whose name is not being published by The Macomb Daily, has a permit to carry a concealed weapon, police said. Attempts by the newspaper to reach her for comment were unsuccessful.

Detectives have not yet determined if the attempted holdup is related to an earlier similar incident. Police said a teen-age boy told a woman at Fast Track gasoline station on Van Dyke that he needed a ride to Lakeside mall in Sterling Heights. When she said no, he brandished a handgun, Detective Sgt. Scott Pavlik said.

The woman drove off, circled the area and called police after spotting the teen. Officers arrested him a short time later.

[Hacksaw]

I grew up about 2 miles east of where this incident occured. As a kid growing up in the Detroit area, my parents were adamant that "nothing good ever goes on south of 8 Mile Road.." (meaning: in Detroit).

LOL - I remember that. I lived in Southfield for a while. Actually, just a short drive north, their were lovely lakes covering the area everywhere, as I am sure you know. I wouldn't mind moving back if I could get a cottage.

[BullDog108]

If you want to read a good book in this mode, read Jerry Pournelle's Starswarm.

Thanks for the tip. I'll check it out. Is this the same Pournelle that has a PC Computing magazine column?

[RyeWhiskeyJoe]

Please re-reread the last line----the apprehended youth was the possible suspect in the earlier gas station attempted mugging. Typical liberal bait-n-switch reporting, make the sheeple think everything worked out fine and all is safe on our streets.

Iligitimi non carborundum (don't let the little bast--ds wear you down).

[wardaddy]

Good analysis.

[aruanan]

"Woman pulls gun against would-be bandit"

Hmmm, well, then, who was it who came up with the non-factual headline here?

[Salvation]

**"If you're going to shoot me then do it, 'cause I'm definitely going to kill you," the brave resident replied, according to police reports.**

BTTT!

[HairOfTheDog]

What she did worked. She should be wary pointing and and not shooting, especially that close, but she lived long enough to get better because she did something, and the kid has a little more fear of approaching a woman with bad intent. Good for her.

Not all women can fire a .45 well enough for the gun to become a friend.... I am an accomplished shooter and my hands are just too small for the grip on large-semi-autos. Little short fingers.

[Puppage]

I would suspect Mean Daddy...the original poster?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

If I were in her shoes, I would've dropped him when he opened the door to my car.

[wku man]

"He is described as a black male in his mid 20s, 6 feet tall, 165 pounds, wearing a blue skull cap and baggy blue jeans."

I can hear 'em screaming now..."Racial profiling! Racial profiling! That's not fair! That description could apply to half the population of Detroit!" I think the description says alot about who's commiting the crimes, at least here in the Tampa area.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[Dr.Deth]

Sigh, another missed opportunity to help cleanse the gene pool. It makes me sad :(

[Pablo64]

At that close range she wouldn't have any trouble with a 9mm. If in doubt, load it with Hydro Shock hollow points, or some other load designed for personal defense.

[Shooter 2.5]

Thanks for all the information.

Her 9MM still beat the .45 she didn't have.

[Delta 21]

That should read ""He is described as a black male in his mid 20s, 6 feet tall, 165 pounds, wearing a blue skull cap and baggy blue jeans with a huge brown streak down the back."

[Atlas Sneezed]

"Racially motivated slaying in Warren"? "Race is the subject in Warren shooting"? "Warren woman goes on trial for killing unarmed black teen"?

Don't forget the term "honor student." (see Bonfire of the Vanities.)

[Pearls Before Swine]

A bullet simply cannot knock a man down. If it had the energy to do so, then equal energy would be applied against the shooter and he too would be knocked down. This is simple physics, and has been known for hundreds of years.

First off, fascinating article--thanks for the post.

Second, this item is incorrect. There is equal momentum transfer between shooter/rifle and the bullet. That is, after the shot, the center of mass and momentum of the composite system of shooter and bullet are unchanged. However, the velocity of the bullet is much greater than the velocity of the recoil. Even thought the bullet's mass is smaller, since energy goes as the square of the velocity, most of the energy goes with the bullet. The recoil on a gun or rifle is in single digit numbers of foot-pounds; the bullet energy varies from several hundred (hand gun) to a couple of thousand foot-pounds (high energy rifle round like a 30-06).

[B4Ranch]

Interesting article by a person who has never been in combat or actually seen what happens to a person when they are shot.

My personal experiences have shown me that a .45 caliber round into the upper chest area on one side or the other actually spin a man completely around while a 9mm is equal to a good punch in the frontal shoulder.

Given a choice, knowing that I will be defending myself against an armed attacker, I will always select a .45 caliber.

Now when the additional factors of personal comfort are added into the situation of carrying a handgun whenever I leave my home, I would select a .25 caliber knowing the odds of having to use the weapon are slim. Weighing comfort and effectiveness knowing that I would rarely be inclined to shoot someone more than 30 feet away from me I will select a S&W Chiefs Special in .38 caliber.

[Atlas Sneezed]

"Don't worry about unzipping, shoot through your jacket."

Careful. That'd better be a hammerless (shrouded) revolver! If it has a hammer, or if it is a semi-auto pistol, you might get off a shot, but the action will be jammed by fabric for the rest of your shots. You may as well carry a single-shot.

(And try to limit this practice to jackets made of natural fibers like wool or cotton. You don't want to end up in flames as untreated nylon or polyester catches fire from the muzzle blast. It may hamper your follow up accuracy.)

[Atlas Sneezed]

"Not all women can fire a .45 well enough for the gun to become a friend.... I am an accomplished shooter and my hands are just too small for the grip on large-semi-autos. Little short fingers."

That's really not related to the 45 ACP round, but to the fat, double-stack magazines used for it any many other types of rounds. You can get 45s of several fine brands with single-stack magazines.

[JimRed]

Please re-reread the last line----

Mea maxima culpa, Joe! That's what I get for scanning instead or reading the detail! You're right!