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Old 06-01-2011, 12:20 AM
 
1 posts, read 1,439 times
Reputation: 15

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I've lived in Memphis since 2000, when I relocated from Marietta, GA when my mother found new employment. I was already fairly familiar with Memphis because a good portion of my family lives here or was from here. Now that I've got some background out of the way, I'll get to the crux of my post:

My buddy and I were jumped and robbed by 7 or 8 black teenagers this evening.

We had gone to a friend's apartment complex by the airport off of airways around 9:30 or so to pick him up and grab a few beers and just kick it for a bit. We were waiting on him in the parking lot, smoking some cigarettes and chatting, when all of the sudden a group of young males surrounded my car. I had the windows down since we were smoking and one of the guys asked if he could use my cellphone to make a call. I wasn't born yesterday, so I gave him a look like "you must be out of your mind" and politely declined. That's when he said "give me your ****ing phone, your cash, and get out the ****ing car". One of his partners on the passenger side proceeded to punch my friend in the side of his head very hard and just about knocked him unconscious then tried to start opening the car door to drag him out. While that started happening, the one who was talking took a swing at me and then grabbed my $250 cellphone out my hand. The one behind him started reaching into his pants (for a gun I'm sure) and trying to get into my car while yelling at me to get out of the vehicle.

I still had the keys in the ignition, and was able to get the car started. I threw it into reverse, whipped out of the spot, and peeled out, but not before they smashed my windshield and beat the hell out of my car. We got away, luckily. I was able to reach my friend using my buddy's phone, and we went back to look for those kids after we picked up some protection, but they were long gone.

I'm a big dude, about 6' 5" and 280 lbs, and have never had anyone try and pull any stuff like this with me before. I always kind of rolled my eyes when people talked about how rough and dangerous this town could be. I experienced it first hand tonight. I hope those animals get what they have coming to them. I'd file a police report, but I doubt I could pick them out of a lineup, and the police here are notoriously useless. I just wanted to remind everyone to be careful out there and to always have your guard up. You never know when some hard-up folks with nothing to lose and no morals or common decency will up and ruin your day or take your life for no good reason.

Try and be safe out there.
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Old 06-01-2011, 12:51 AM
 
165 posts, read 546,164 times
Reputation: 88
"...by the airport off of airways..."

That's really all that needs to be said.
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Old 06-01-2011, 09:20 AM
 
3,371 posts, read 13,322,584 times
Reputation: 778
Assuming this isn't one of our old forum buddies in disguise...

Yes, that is one of the worst areas in town. It's an unfortunate incident, but sort of expected in that area especially at night. Sitting around outdoors at night in a public parking lot, smoking and drinking beer. Something bad is bound to happen.

And you went back to look for them after you "picked up some protection"? I take that to mean you went and got your own guns?
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Old 06-01-2011, 11:40 AM
 
Location: East Memphis
845 posts, read 2,530,229 times
Reputation: 455
Quote:
Originally Posted by StrongBad18 View Post


I've lived in Memphis since 2000, when I relocated from Marietta, GA when my mother found new employment. I was already fairly familiar with Memphis because a good portion of my family lives here or was from here. Now that I've got some background out of the way, I'll get to the crux of my post:

My buddy and I were jumped and robbed by 7 or 8 black teenagers this evening.

We had gone to a friend's apartment complex by the airport off of airways around 9:30 or so to pick him up and grab a few beers and just kick it for a bit. We were waiting on him in the parking lot, smoking some cigarettes and chatting, when all of the sudden a group of young males surrounded my car. I had the windows down since we were smoking and one of the guys asked if he could use my cellphone to make a call. I wasn't born yesterday, so I gave him a look like "you must be out of your mind" and politely declined. That's when he said "give me your ****ing phone, your cash, and get out the ****ing car". One of his partners on the passenger side proceeded to punch my friend in the side of his head very hard and just about knocked him unconscious then tried to start opening the car door to drag him out. While that started happening, the one who was talking took a swing at me and then grabbed my $250 cellphone out my hand. The one behind him started reaching into his pants (for a gun I'm sure) and trying to get into my car while yelling at me to get out of the vehicle.

I still had the keys in the ignition, and was able to get the car started. I threw it into reverse, whipped out of the spot, and peeled out, but not before they smashed my windshield and beat the hell out of my car. We got away, luckily. I was able to reach my friend using my buddy's phone, and we went back to look for those kids after we picked up some protection, but they were long gone.

I'm a big dude, about 6' 5" and 280 lbs, and have never had anyone try and pull any stuff like this with me before. I always kind of rolled my eyes when people talked about how rough and dangerous this town could be. I experienced it first hand tonight. I hope those animals get what they have coming to them. I'd file a police report, but I doubt I could pick them out of a lineup, and the police here are notoriously useless. I just wanted to remind everyone to be careful out there and to always have your guard up. You never know when some hard-up folks with nothing to lose and no morals or common decency will up and ruin your day or take your life for no good reason.

Try and be safe out there.
Sorry to hear about your experience. That sounds VERY scary. However, I will say this; Hanging out in apartment complexes in the hood is not really a good idea, not matter how big you are. You guys must have also been pretty laid back to not see the group of teens plotting on you. You typically will see a group of guys congregate and start approaching your car if you are paranoid and know to be on the look out. Thugs in this area are very brazen and DO NOT care. They will try to jack anybody that looks like an easy target or an unsuspecting mark. If you are hanging out in bad parts of town you need to have your head on a swivel and have your *protection* handy.
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Old 06-01-2011, 02:08 PM
 
469 posts, read 964,824 times
Reputation: 321
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tigertate View Post
Sorry to hear about your experience. That sounds VERY scary. However, I will say this; Hanging out in apartment complexes in the hood is not really a good idea, not matter how big you are. You guys must have also been pretty laid back to not see the group of teens plotting on you. You typically will see a group of guys congregate and start approaching your car if you are paranoid and know to be on the look out. Thugs in this area are very brazen and DO NOT care. They will try to jack anybody that looks like an easy target or an unsuspecting mark. If you are hanging out in bad parts of town you need to have your head on a swivel and have your *protection* handy.
This advice would apply equally to say the least back in the Atlanta area where this poster is from. If you were hanging in the same manner in a similar location (of which there are many) in that or most other cities you basically have a sign on your back saying "I'm not aware of where I am; therefore I wouldn't know what to do or how to get away if threatened." There's no sense in going into the zip codes where heavier violence exists and painting a bull's eye on yourself. That wasn't a public parking lot, it was home turf to somebody - You really don't want to hang around to find out who, do you?
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Old 06-01-2011, 03:37 PM
 
1,703 posts, read 6,290,130 times
Reputation: 944
I'm really sorry to hear about that. I hope all is better today.

The real lesson here is that it's never a good idea to hang out in parking lots in apartment complexes in neighborhoods that are notorious for crime.
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Old 06-01-2011, 06:41 PM
 
209 posts, read 458,104 times
Reputation: 54
Airway, West Part of Shelby Dr, Winchester. It is not safe to go to Apartment in the night. Well, keep in mind that if you have to go to the above region in the night. Keep your telephone contact, not stay too long, and find high traffic area to stay. That could be safe for you guys. Technically, the most safe area in the South in night, should be airport and airport-parking lot. That could be safer. Well, if you could, do not got dangerous area in the night, that is the best.

But, not all area in South are bad, I went to a friend new house in the W. Holmes. It is pretty safe and nice.
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Old 06-02-2011, 08:47 AM
 
1,292 posts, read 4,975,682 times
Reputation: 1204
"We got away, luckily. I was able to reach my friend using my buddy's phone, and we went back to look for those kids after we picked up some protection, but they were long gone."

...and even luckier for you that they were. While I certainly understand the instinct to "get even", you need to understand that your response after this situation was absolutely wrong.

Had you found the perps when you returned, the outcome could have easily been tragic...for you. Anything you might have done at that point would NOT have been self defense - it would have been retaliation....and YOU could be facing serious criminal charges, even as serious as murder. What makes you think they wouldn't have spotted you first...after all, you're on their turf! What if an innocent bystander was killed or injured?

What if you retaliated against the WRONG teenagers (you admit you probably wouldn't even recognize them in a police lineup)?

The proper response when you escaped the situation would be to call the police and let them take it from there. No, I'm not naive enough to think they would have actually caught the bastards, but that is still the only acceptable response in a civilized society. This isn't the wild west, even though it seems that way at times. Your actions simply lowered you to the level of the thugs who robbed you...
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Old 06-02-2011, 07:45 PM
 
1,201 posts, read 2,335,762 times
Reputation: 717
i totally understand joe's counsel to the offended party; however, i understand how the maligned victim feels. i really get tired of hearing and seeing the abuse of the system, our society, our city, and many of our citizens by immoral, and often, dangerous individuals. people who steal w/ the blink of an eye, steal from victims of floods, who have been victimized already by natural disaster by stealing copper, aluminum, washers, dryers, stoves, and the footprints, if they could be picked up. setting fires to claim insurance, staging car crashes to steal claims or set up a stolen parts ring. steal from the food banks, defraud as many government assistance programs as possible, steal christmas presents, christmas ornaments, and even today, several individuals attempting to involve themselves as the on-board victims of the cable cars crash. add to this, those in office who steal from the people under the color and authority of their elected office, and those who stage accidents, in order to file law suits and settlements from the city, the county, and the state. the same scenario in the private sector.

the shakedowns get old. the one good thing that i can say about the trolley story is the fact that the would-be thiefs were caught on camera, while spinning their lies. hopefully, it was a city camera, paid for by the taxpayer, that stopped this foolishness from going any farther. there were some decent witnesses, who actually stepped up, w/out having to be paid by crime stoppers, and told investigators that those who alleged that they were on the trolley's were not, indeed, on either trolley. that is a little good news. i continue to deal w/ the problems w/ folks taking groceries and presents at thanksgiving and christmas, while so many who truly needed the food did w/out. that program needs to be revamped. i don't worry so much about the presents getting to a child, unless they are clothes, coats, shoes, school supplies, i do hate to think the elderly and the poor and any child should always have enough to eat.

again, i understand the wise counsel of joe, but i totally understand this victim's feelings. many times, what adds insult to injury occurs as law enforcement arrives and begins telling you that there is really nothing they can do---usually being said before the door of the cruiser is opened. it is exasperating, to say the least.
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Old 06-04-2011, 10:14 AM
 
Location: Memphis, Tn ~ U.S.A.
2,352 posts, read 5,344,051 times
Reputation: 2181
This thread should be made a sticky
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