What Should I do in a Mugging?

Someone attempted to mug me last night with a gun. I saw the gun and quickly moved to my right and fled to the main street and went into a restaurant. I asked the policeman who took the report if that was the right thing to do. He said absolutely. Never give the gunmen or robber control of the situation.

How long does it take to get your phone back from the police? I have been mugged and the phone has been found.

Wow. Really sad to hear these stories. My dad was coming home after closing shop as he is a business owner. He got a lift of one of his employee and literally like 10 metres away from our house. It was about 11pm and he had £2000 in cash.

He just turned around at the right time and he saw a black guy with a massive metal bar about to swing and he shouted like crap and he got scared and ran away. The neighbours came running and we called the police but he was not caught. The UK police are pretty pointless.

This was planned as they obviously knew the time and that he had money!

I was mugged today but he didn't get anything. My purse was far up on my arm and he couldn't get it off. Slapped me in the face though, but it's only a little swollen. I screamed like hell.

My partner got mugged this weekend. They asked to borrow his phone and he said he had left it at his friend's house. My boyfriend recongnised this boy asking the questions from work. He told him that and the boy continued to rob him.

My boyfriend carried on walking then he heard footsteps running behind him, so he ran. They caught up with him and smacked him round the back of the head, and he fell straight to the floor, smashing his head. They turned him around, and two of the boys held his legs while the other one sat on his chest, kneeling on his arms, crushing his left elbow into the floor, squashing his face into the floor as well. They went through his pockets and stole his phone, money, provisional license, debit card and joint card. They ran off, my partner picked himself up off the floor and walked home.

I woke up in the morning not knowing anything that had happened, looking to find my partner siting there with blood over the bed from were his face had been smashed into the floor, his left arm had bruising all up and down it where the boy had been crushing it into the ground with his knee, and he was unable to move it at all. I said we needed to go to the hospital straight away, so we did.

It turns out that the boys that robbed him broke his arm in two places. We are now waiting for him to have an operation on it, and he will now be out of work for six weeks as he is left handed and unable to use it at all. The boys used our card to pay off their phone bills. We are now waiting for them to be identified.

I was mugged last night. I was walking home through a rough part of Manchester and got jumped on from behind by two men. They slammed my head on the ground and started punching me. As I was on the floor, one of them was rummaging about in all my pockets, I couldn't think clearly. It was very disorienting. I reported it to the police and they've taken a statement, but I don't think much will come from it,

Well obviously, some of you do not live in the U.S. Here we still have the right of self defense. Even more so in the northwest. There are very few robberies, and most robbers are shot. Get a gun, know how to use it and become tactically aware. This is about responsibility and being responsible for the most important thing you own: your life! How you dress and act will be assessed by criminals. Like a wolf looking over a caribou herd, they look for the easy kill.

A few simple examples. To figure out what I mean, next time you're at the mall, just watch people, It's easy to see which are the sheep waiting for the slaughter. Criminals also look for really simple things, like people wearing flip-flops. All they have to do is stomp on your foot. There's no way can you run away barefoot with a sore leg. Really simple things like this will target you as an easy victim. They don't target clean, short military type haircut individuals wearing button up shirts that are not tucked in and athletic type shoes. Why? Because this type of appearance means the subject is probably carrying concealed. Just making rational observations will save you from being mugged and probably save your life. I would advise you to use common sense, but it's not that common anymore.

I do muay thai, which is Thai boxing, which came in handy when a guy on a bike tried to rob me of my phone. I managed to get him in a clinch and give him two knees to the body. After that he was shocked. Try doing muay thai. Trust me: it will benefit you without you even knowing.

I've been mugged five times, once in Amsterdam, once in Paris, twice in the UK, and once in my own home! I consider myself very unlucky as this is way more than average, but I travel and go out a lot on my own.

Four out of the five times, it was done by pairs of men who appeared to be of African origin, so without being unfair, I agree with the comment regarding stereotyping in high risk situations.

I was followed by two creepy guys, but they thought I hadn't seen them. I continued to walk at a reasonable pace. I got to my car opened it, jumped in, locked it. They surrounded the car, and started waving though the windows. I started up my car, and drove away. They walked off and seemed dumbfounded.

Crucial tips to avoid being mugged: I have traveled around the world, and spent significant time in many horrendous crime-ridden African slums and shanty towns that make the bad parts of Western cities look like Disneyland. I have also spent time walking through the classic ghettos of America: Compton, South LA, East St. Louis, inner city Detroit, the lower Ninth Ward and central city in New Orleans, etc.

Here is what I’ve learned: Whenever you’re out at a “high risk” time in a “risky” area, i.e., a quiet street in a non-ideal neighbourhood, you need to be on high alert. The worse it is (poorer/late at night) the higher your alertness needs to be.

At these times, identify and evaluate the potential risk of every single person in your vicinity. That old lady walking her dog can be dismissed, but keep that drug-influenced hobo stumbling along in the corner of your eye and especially, keep your full attention on those three tough-looking black guys coming your way. Don’t be afraid to stereotype. This is your life we are talking about, not a politically correct speech.

You need situational awareness. See the mugger before he sees you. Don’t be caught off guard. You don’t have to be paranoid, (although I’d definitely prefer to border paranoia in very “high risk” situations than be sorry) but always be aware of who around you, especially behind you. Unless they drop from the sky, you should have a level of awareness that notifies you before someone manages to run up from behind. Time and time again muggings often come down to the victim acting carelessly.

Hide your valuables! Valuable are temptations. Do not show off your phone, do not wear headphones, do not wear flashy jewelry, do not wear a watch in “high risk” areas. Not only do headphones obviously display you’re carrying some kind of media device, they also severely inhibit your awareness. I don’t care how boring that walk home late at night is without your music or chatting on your phone. Don’t be an idiot. These should be used only in emergencies.

Ideally, you shouldn’t be carrying anything you can’t avoid to lose. Leave unnecessary cards at home, back up your photos, have your phone on track mode, don’t carry large amounts of cash, etc.

Running is the best self defense move, and putting distance between you and your assailant should always be your first priority.

Learn some simple self defense techniques immediately, such as stabbing your attacker in his windpipe with your fingers and using your elbows and knees to strike. Strike someone with your lower palm rather than fist to avoid breaking your knuckles. Women especially need to learn a bunch of simple techniques. The internet will tell you everything.

Realize that, unless you’ve come to terms with the idea that you must damage someone in order to survive, you may hesitate in the moment. Mentally prepare yourself now and frequently remind yourself.

Realize right now that: You are a human not a victim, and as a human, you are a dangerous animal capable of inflicting serious harm on others. No matter your size, height, gender, race, personality, what type of cereal you eat for breakfast, etc., you are dangerous. An eight-year-old girl can easily temporarily cripple an adult male so she can run away, if, and that’s if she happens to know what to do.

Don’t get into a victim mentality. As someone said though, if you are outnumbered or you do not see an easy escape, then it’s best to comply with all demands, especially with armed opponents. Don’t mess with armed attackers. Life is not the movies, and it is very hard to disarm someone.

Decide if you want to carry pepper spray and if you do, learn how to use it. Practice at home quickly grabbing it from wherever you’ll keep it and positioning it in your hand ready to hit the trigger. Practice until it becomes automatically programmed into your muscle memory.

Walk confidently. Do not appear vulnerable. Muggers aren’t idiots; they choose their targets, and will naturally go after those who appear most vulnerable. If you look like you’re going to be too much trouble for them, they will pass you up.

I personally look anyone who appears threatening confidently in the eye. It’s critical that you don’t aggravate them, but I rather give them a brief confident look that says: “I see you, I am aware of you, I will be watching you, I am confident in myself, don’t you dare try something.” Women, however would probably be better off just keeping your head up and confidently getting out of there.

One extra tip often suggested when walking through “high risk” areas is to: act crazy. Crazy people are unpredictable, and the last thing a mugger wants is an unpredictable target. This is not at all for everyone, but if you feel confident in your acting skills, keep it in mind. Don’t overdo it though. Use gentle muttering and slight twitching, rather than something that will draw immediate attention. Don’t be scared. Be aware.

It's all good to travel safely and not put yourself in the position to get mugged, but if you do end up in the position, I recommend that you learn a little coordination and self defense my friend because it is ridiculously stupid to comply.

If you comply, you're surrendering to taking a beating at their will. Why not be able to defend yourself and fight back so people won't want to mug you?

In almost all cases, people who are trying to mug and rob other almost always go for the easiest target and least resistant person who is going to be easy work and fun.

Wake up! You're a human, not a mouse! Learn how to defend yourself and still be a safe and smart traveler, and if anything, run away. Don't let yourself get beat up.

I nearly got mugged today at the bus station. I had just come out of a shop. It was a rather busy street as there is a big crossing and two big supermarkets. It was about 8 p.m., but this station is just next to one of the busiest roads in my area. Anyway, I sat on the bench there, waiting for the bus, when two guys came up. One went to the left of me, and one to the right. The first guy to the right just asks me a casula question which I could not answer. So for a couple of minutes nothing happened. I sat there, texting with my phone, when all of a sudden the guy to my left tried to grab my phone and mug me. I jumped up, grabbed him in a headlock and hit his head hard a couple of times, then eventually kicked him in the stomach. Although he seemed like a rather strong guy, I suppose I just had the luck of the surprise on my side. He was just screaming that I should let him go, so I guess he did not expect me to attack him immediately.

Eventually, I started wondering where the other guy was, and saw the guy I had in a headlock throw the phone at him and he attempted to run away, so I immediately went right after him. I have to say I am pretty unfit but he seemed to be even more unfit because after only a few seconds he stopped, threw the phone at me and walked off.

What I experienced was, I realize now, really a mixture of pure luck and the element of surprise and some absolutely amateur muggers who didn't seem to bother with someone who would defend themselves. That guy could have pulled a knife out any minute and I could have been stabbed. I simply acted out of pure instinct. I did karate for a while so I knew how I could defend myself best, besides my dad giving me a bit of advice.

What I did right after I was mugged was to call the police. Living in the UK, there are cctv cameras everywhere, and as those muggers were so stupid to mug me right at a bus station and one of the busiest places on the streets, where cameras are everywhere, I am hoping that they will be caught eventually. They worked as a team so I suppose I am not their only victim; it just seems like they are rather used to mugging girls who don't resist. But as I said earlier, it was really pure luck that he didn't have any kind of weapon on him. I just ordered some very strong pepper spray, and here is my advice so that you won't get mugged:

Don't put your phone or any values on display, especially during the night. Also avoid showing earplugs that stand out (like mine, which are white ones) because they are just a big temptation.

If you can, get some pepper spray. I got mine from ebay for about 4 pounds. It doesn't cost the world and the one I got now (K.O. Pepper Spray) is from a German company. In England, you can only get coloured spray, but that just colours your mugger and not much more and may blind him for a few minutes so you can run away.

Although the one I got now is considered illegal since it can cause serious health damage, in the end these people are threatening others, so personally I couldn't care less if I traumatise those who try to traumatise me.

If you really don't see any chance of using the pepper spray without causing risking your own life, just give them your things. Get insurance for your valuables beforehand and a tracker for your phone. The police do those for free, so if your phone should ever be stolen, they can trace it back.

If you can, leave any cards or important documents that you normally carry in your wallet at home. I may have only been nearly mugged for my phone, but they also could have taken my wallet, so from now on I will leave those in my room and only take them when I need to get cash.

I have really been extremely lucky. It seems like someone has looked over me there, but I will be a lot more careful from now on. There is another bus station a bit farther away, but that really stands in bright light at night, with lots of shops nearby, so although I will avoid going out at night for my shopping trips, if I should ever need to, I'll make sure to go to that bus station.

Mind yourself whenever you go out at night and really do not show your valuables. You are better off texting whoever you want to five minutes later than risking having your phone stolen or being mugged.

I was mugged yesterday in north Chicago - half a block away from my home. This was only 7:20 p.m., not late by any stretch. Apparently, he had followed me for five blocks.

I had on my earbuds and wore a conspicuous black hat. Although I was listening to music, my intuition told me that this mugger-to-be was shady. Instead of calling 911, I simply moved to the opposite sidewalk. Bad move. Within 15 minutes, the guy moved from the left sidewalk to the right sidewalk and approached me.

He muttered something about the street lights, and me, being stupid with my earbuds, and I let my guard down and asked him to clarify. Within two seconds, he was pulling on my right arm, which had my handbag, and it was all over.

I called 911 once I reached the apartment. Fortunately, he was apprehended by the cops.

Do not, I repeat, do not simply thwart a stalking mugger simply by switching lanes. If you feel suspicious, don't be afraid to call 911. It's better to be safe than sorry. I learned the hard way.

Also, bus it if it's dark outside. You may lose two bucks, but you would at least save yourself from all the trauma.

My advice: move to a jurisdiction where your natural right to defend yourself with a firearm has not been abridged or obliterated by nonsensical laws.

Then, buy a gun, learn how to use it, and never fear a mugger again. You'll never have to shoot one. They'll run like hell as soon as you pull it out.

I was mugged this past New Year's Eve on my way to my friend's place in a relatively safe suburb in Surrey, Canada. I made my way up to a street corner (one that I've walked by a thousand times before) to find two guys waiting for me. One asked me what I had in my pockets, at which point I tried to get away by crossing the street. They followed be into the street and one pointed bear mace in my face.

I bolted and thought I got away scot free, only to find one of the jerks had taken my brand new Galaxy S3 out of my pocket. I foolishly turned back just in time to see them being picked up by a beat-up Honda. My biggest mistake was not getting the license plate number, even though I had plenty of time as they were getting in the car.

A word of advice for avoiding being targeted is to avoid wearing the white earphones that come with many high end smart phones. They stick out and advertise that you have something nice and flashy in your pocket.

I got mugged yesterday. I was coming back from a party and a bit high around 2 a.m. in Paris, alone, when I saw three guys talking on the street.

One of them asked me for the time and of course, I took out my iphone to check (exactly what he expected). Yet he didn't do anything, just thanked me and I kept walking. This was two blocks away from my house.

So as I was walking down the street that leads to my house, I heard running behind me then when I turned around to see what was happening I recognized the same guy who asked for the time right behind me. He pushed me against a wall and his two friends appeared from nowhere and surrounded me.

They asked for my phone and started searching me for money. Luckily, all I had apart from my phone was my keys and an empty wallet. I didn't try to fight and just let them take my phone and then they ran away threatening to beat me up if I screamed. I regret giving the my phone and I'm angry for having smoked that night because it slowed down all my motor reflexes My house was literally 50 meters and I could have gotten away if I was sober.

I got mugged yesterday among the buildings at South Beretania Street and Fort Street Mall. It was around 7 p.m. I had my iphone in my right hand while I was listening to music.

I sensed there were two persons (who looked and dressed like guys, but they might be girls) who were walking on the right side of me. Suddenly, one of them hit my head hard, either using his fist or with a stick he was hiding. I fell down, my vision was blurred, and one of them grabbed my iphone. The other one violently tried to grab my purse, I couldn't think clearly under those extreme circumstance, especially after they hit my on my head. I tried to hold my purse as hard as I could, but my attacker pulled my purse as hard as he could. It felt like my right wrist was almost broken, but I kept fighting. I don't know why. I just didn't want to give them my purse, since they already took my iphone. I really couldn't think; I just got mad because he hit me on my head.

My attacker stepped back a little bit, and then he tried to come back for a second attempt, but I was able to get up and run and then I saw someone coming on the street, and called 911, but it was too late to catch them.

Both of the persons who robbed me were asian. They dressed like guys, but they might be girls. They were in their early 20's.

Be careful. If you run across the same situation, try to get out of the situation as fast as you can. I learned my lesson; just give them everything, and then find a safe place to call to cops, because you might not be the first one who got robbed. And if the robbers don't get caught, they'll keep hurting others.

I've been mugged by a large group of people before. I didn't have a chance to just give up my money; they wanted to beat the crap out of me, too. This was in front of a large posse and two of my friends who were helpless to defend me.

In the end, I ended up running away while only losing about $20 in cash (managed to escape with cellphone and $400 watch, now damaged from them grabbing it). One of my friends recognized one of the attackers, so three out of about ten of them were caught. I told the cops they stole $100 from me and they were forced to pay that back (I regret not claiming more) The attackers were youths and only had to serve a laughable 60 hours of community service.

That was five years ago. Now, I carry a 6-inch dagger on me at all times, so my next attacker is going to be having a very, very unlucky day.

Any kind of mugging, in any way should be reported to the police.

I got mugged at 9 a.m. in October 2010. I was walking with my son and my friend's daughter, who were 11 and my son is 7. He took my bag and threatened to stab me if I didn't give him my bag. I'm from the Philippines and just staying five months here in Perth, Western Australia and I'm separated from my husband, who is an Aussie and at the moment I'm just working for my son and me to have a food to eat, money to pay rent.

Since that moment, we've been traumatized, especially my son. He's back in my country now and he's scared to come back here. Today while I was working, a girl took my photo and took my address because she said I won an ipod and that's why she needed my address, she said, because I was using the EFTPOS correctly and that's why I won the ipod. Now I'm not sure if that's true. I wasn't thinking at that moment that maybe she is a burglar.

I'm scared again and I don't want to walk down the street. Maybe they are going to get me or I don't know what would happen. I'm home now and I don't want to move. I'm just sitting on the couch and nervous. Can anyone help me?

Best thing to do: If you see an opportunity, run!

If you look up street violence, there is a new website that makes it easier for victims to report street violence, easier for witnesses to engage, easier for locals to judge how safe their streets are, and easier for the police to catch violent criminals.

I got mugged for my iPhone a week ago. I reported it to police, the whole nine yards. But I don't know what to do. It happened on my commute home from work, standing at the bus stop. I work really far and that's the only bus that takes me there, so I take the same bus every day.

The attacker is a local, so I have reason to fear that I'm easy to recognize, and that they might know I take the bus every day (and therefore am an easy mark for another mugging). I am terrified of having to take that bus again to go to work, but I don't have a choice and I fear I'm going back to the lion's den.

If I were you, I would not carry a nice phone or cash (plus important cards) or just be proactive about where you are. Don't let these muggers get anything of value since that is the only way to "vote with your money".

I don't think these people should be supported by our money. I'm hoping they stop when they realize it's not worth mugging me for 5 dollars but I need everyone else to follow me.

This is coming from someone who nearly got mugged but was smart enough to get away while I had the upper hand.

I can probably fight and get away but for those who can't it's probably better to hand over a wallet with 5 dollars and let them split it two ways.

Try to think and not let yourself get into this type of situation in the first place. Police weren't of help, didn't even offer advice.

I was almost mugged today. it was 1:30 pm in broad daylight as I was walking near my house. These two guys stopped their car right in front of me. I realized what was about to happen and ran back home like all hell.

All crimes witnessed must be reported to the police.

If you've witnessed (hence, experienced the crime as a victim) a mugging, it's recommended that you report to the police. Call the non-emergency line or physically go to a police station.

If your mugging experience happened days/weeks/years later, do not hesitate to still report it to the police. The information you give to the police will remain with them for a super long time. This information might be similar to others who've experienced the same crap as you did (Good news, you're not the only one getting robbed by similar groups/person).

If you're mugged, the whole point is: Save your life by giving the textbook, money, phones, wallet, your picture of who knows what, etc. to them. If they're happy, they will leave you alone and not continue. If you don't give them your stuff, they'll be upset and will probably hurt you and then take the stuff. See the connection there? Give the stuff up when asked, run to safety! Don't give up the stuff, get hurt, and lose your stuff anyway. You're just getting harmed in the process.

After you're safe, report it immediately to the police. For example, I just got mugged at 2 a.m. I come home and I'll pick that phone up and call the police (non-emergency number, check google). I explain my situation and an officer will come over to record what happened. Do not worry about "irrelevant" information. The police will always accept your crime report because well, it's a crime. Police service, by the way, is 24/7 (it should be).

Summary: When you're safe, go to the nearest phone (a friend, pay phone, your house, school, workplace) and notify the police that you've just been robbed or someone attempted to rob you. Mentally, this will be good for you since you don't have to keep this terrible experience a secret by not telling anyone, even the police.

Continue life as it should be after this. It's okay to feel mad/upset/sad because this experience is happening quite often, I see as I'm flipping through the internet. Someone has tried to mug me three times. Luckily, I'm still alive and haven't gotten anything stolen yet. But, an iPod or a few pieces of paper with numerical values is not an acceptable exchange for my life. Don't be stupid and try to avoid losing your stuff, just give it up, whether it's house keys, wallet or money. I know the feeling that you just don't want to give up your hard earned stuff, but your life is in that mugger's hand when he simply wants that piece of paper. So do what the mugger asks and try your best to end the interaction.

I was mugged today. Three guys hit me in my head, held me in the street and took my rucksack with Macbook pro 17 cost £2,000 UK pounds.

I was mugged yesterday by four guys with masks and they put a gun to my head and told me to get on the floor and give them all I have, so i did. But they ended up getting arrested 130 min later.

@bamtheink: Yes, report it. Always report these kinds of things.

I got mugged today while coming back from the school bus. The guy followed me from behind with a weapon. I gave him my phone and some change as he had a metal weapon. The phone was insured and had a locator built in and also the cash wasn't much. That's not the point, though. The point is that I won't be stupid enough to risk my life for a phone or money. Normally I would fight, but it is not worth the hassle to risk being stabbed or killed.

I won't be carrying my phone with me any more, or cash. The funny thing about it is, as I ran home and told my parents what happened (luckily they were home as my mum was off today and dad finished work early), my mum called the locals and then dad got me in the car to look around, but it was too late. Then the phone rang and it was a security guy from a local shop calling me to let me know that he has my phone. I thought the guy was joking, but it was true. It was a very professional security guy. I went to the store and the police were there as my mugger was shoplifting shortly after mugging me. Lucky me. Not so lucky him.

Now he's at the local police station and is locked up for two offenses in one day. Wow. Only a brainless person can be so stupid to do that. I learned my lesson. This is second one this year. The first one, I didn't give them anything. I ran to a shop and the owner of the shop scared them away. The second time, I was lucky. Wow. They don't give up, do they? They need get a life or burn in hell.

I know self defense, but if there is a weapon, it is not worth the risk. The law is on my side.

I almost got mugged in high school. I was walking home alone at around 4:20 in broad daylight. The first person comes up and asks for a dollar and tries looking into my bag. The mugger tells me he doesn't want to "fudge" me up and shows that the second mugger is behind him and his covering his face. I ran away to safety, but I think the second mugger goes to my school. What should I do?

It's not as easy as everybody thinks. I am an egyptian living in egypt and I just got mugged today! Unfortunately guys in our country are practical, and guess what? I got mugged on a bridge at 12 pm in broad daylight! Weird, huh? The man jumped from a motorcycle and pointed a knife at me. He asked for my cell phone, and I gave him my new blackberry.

In a situation like this, you can't think at all -- believe me. Even if you know self defense you won't be able to use it because you can't think straight and the man holds the knife very close to you so even if you blinked just one simple stand that's it. And of course they stab you anywhere, you may simply die, so it has nothing to do with self defense. You have to be mentally prepared, which is hard for most people because we don't get into fights much, do we?

In January, I almost got mugged when a woman came from behind and tried to open my bag and steal my wallet and I managed to stop her from taking it and she kind of got a shock. Do you think that I should report it to the police or is it too late? The same thong happened to a girl who went to the same college as I do.

I was mugged with my girlfriend a few hours ago by two guys on a motorcycle. They stopped behind us for a moment, checking to see if anyone was around. One of them got off the motorcycle and approached us and said "all I need is the cellphone." I looked at him and he hit me on the head and threatened that he would stab me. I assessed the situation and decided that we couldn't run away because they had a motorcycle and no one was around to help. I gave him my phone and my wallet when he demanded it. Good thing my girlfriend didn't have anything on her and we got out with me just getting a bruise.

Lesson learned: never stay in dark and unpopulated areas.

I got -sort of- mugged on a train not so long ago. I was with a girl and an other guy, we were alone in the compartment and this 40 something, homeless-looking guy walked in. First he asked for money saying like 'hey, can't you guys help me out' but ended up pulling a knife. Funny, I wasn't scared at all, probably because he didn't look like he was crazy, and was obviously just trying to scare us. He would not have stabbed us anyway. We didn't give him anything and eventually he went away.

I don't know where most of you guys are from. This happened in Romania, which is otherwise a relatively safe country, but if the guy had meant business I would have given him everything, my underpants included. This is not about fear or skills. I've practiced karate for over ten years and I've been at national and international championships, but when someone has a knife or a gun in your face, you don't play hero.

Don't listen to anyone who says otherwise: be cooperative and give away everything; a phone is not worth your life. It is very, very hard to just disarm someone, unless you have done it many times before and you really know what you're doing. But either way it can always go wrong, and if you mess with the wrong guy, you get a knife in your guts. On the other hand, if you win, you protect your phone. It's not really a big payoff for the risk you take.

Today I was shopping alone, and this guy (a bit older than me, like 16-17) comes up to me and he asks for money. I tell him I don't have any and he tells me I'm full of crap (a bit obvious when I have a bag of clothes in one hand and a chocolate sundae in the other). He keeps hassling me and i keep saying no (keeping my cool the whole time) then I walk off, and of course he follows me so I go into a store with quite a lot of people.

The guy grabs me and his friends surround me, he tells me he's going to beat the crap out of me in front of everyone here if I don't give him some money. I tell him he's not going to get any of me (bad move) and he grabs me and pushes me into a glass stand quite hard. I was surprised the glass didn't break.

I get up and try play a macho act on him "Bleep! dude, Go away! you're not getting anything from me!" I say right into his face. I walk off once again, this time to the counter where the employees are.

I stand there and they look at me, then the guy comes at me again but this time I start talking to the employees, explaining the situation they overhear the conversation and deny it all trying to act like we're buddies or something. Then the employees ask them to leave and they walk outside of the store and wait. So I wait there till they decide to leave then I sneaked out and got into my mum's car (i asked her to come pick me up), one of the group spotted me and they started running towards the car, one got there first and started tapping on the windows but I told my mum to drive and she did. Lesson learned.

As a martial arts student who has an orange belt in Japanese jujitsu, I am by no means an expert, but here are a couple of tips that may help some people if someone actually puts his or her hands on you.

This works for anyone, but is especially good for women to use: If someone grabs you by your hair, don't try to peel their hands off. I know, sounds weird, but here's what you do: clap your hands on *top* of the one on your hair and hang on tight. Kick out at them to distract them, then with your hands still clamped to your head, start turning in a clockwise direction, under the attacker's arm. Do it fast enough and with enough force, and you've broken a wrist. Or at least made your attacker hurt like stink. Then run and call the police.

Second: The "Secret Service" move. This works on 90 percent of all people. Take your index and middle fingers and push them into the hollow of your attacker's throat. In most people, this will immediately activate their gag reflex and they will back away automatically. Again, run and call the police.

I also advise everyone, men and women, to take a basic self-defense class to help you know how to be safe in this kind of situation. Many cities offer community education classes for this. I highly recommend it. It could be the best $50 or $100 you ever spend.

Two guys attempted to mug me last night in a street near my home. Fortunately they were amateur muggers, as I am an amateur muggee.

Attempt no. 1: Walked up to me, threatened me, walked off with their friends.

Attempt no. 2: Ran up behind me, barged me against a wall and got in my face, asking for my phone. Shorter one brandishes some sort of loose belt like a weapon. One of their friends comes back and tells them to "allow me", and after arguing they do.

Attempt no. 3 They close again near the shops, tell me some story about them being jumped by a "white boy like you" earlier. Ask for my phone again, Try to barge past them and get a few half-hearted kicks and whips from the belt before I manage to leg it to the safety of the shops.

Lessons? Don't go that way to the shops again alone at night, if confronted run away immediately if possible and finally, report them to the police (which I'm about to do after reading the other articles).

Muggers are a weak species. I've been almost mugged about 13 times, and to date no one has ever obtained anything from me. If you are outnumbered or you do not see an easy escape, then it's best to comply with all demands, especially with armed opponents.

If it comes down to being in a group and the number of attackers do not outnumber you, then you should consider a counter attack in which you can reverse the situation. For example, one guy with a knife threatening four of you, the person nearest to the back of the attacker should try to assume some form of choke hold or take down. This should compel the rest of your group to attack. Once you have a hold of the weapon it's best to run. Otherwise if you think you have total control, hold your attacker while one of you phones the police. Muggings are obviously very hard situations to judge, but if an easy opportunity arises, then it is best to follow your gut instinct.

I got mugged walking up the road beside where i live, walking the other direction on my mobile phone to a mate, when three guys decided to jump me and even though i gave them my mobile they decided to give me a good kicking. afterward i needed an ambulance. I have no idea what they looked like either or I'd take the matter into my own hands. All muggers never get caught! That's Belfast for you. full of scum.

My three friends and i were mugged at the corner near my school half an hour ago. two guys on bikes came up to us and told us to give them our phones. my friend said 'no' and the guy closest to us asked if we 'know what it's like to be stabbed in the shoulder'. a guy from the school shop walked towards us and they ran off, but not before they pulled a pocket knife on my friend and stole his phone.

I said that we should go to the Garda station (Irish police service) down the road and report it while the incident was still fresh in our minds. instead my friend gave us all a lift home and now here i am writing this.

I got mugged and pushed to the ground. Reported it to the police who wouldn't give me a case number.

A week later I'm still waiting to hear anything from them.

A traumatised 22 year old female

i got mugged the other day. Two guys were hiding at the side of a subway and just as I walked past them, one boy said, "oi bruv." i looked around to see him and he dropped me after a few punches. He was with another boy to and they both were kicking while i was down, telling me not to look up.

They searched my pockets and stole my phone, mp3 and wallet which had a lot of cards in and only a little bit of money. I'm pretty positive i know who did this, but I've heard a lot about them before and they're not to be messed with.

I haven't gone to the police because I'm scared of it coming back on me when they know i reported them. Any advice?

i was coming back from the movies and a guy a couple years older than me about 16 was following me and started to go jog. my house was right around the corner and he turned around when he saw me step on the property. is it bad that he saw where i live?

Well, do muggers ever get caught?

I was just mugged 10 minutes ago. I was walking down the street and it was 1:30 a.m. One drunken man came up to me while i was listening to music and started to harass me when another drunken man stopped him and "helped" me cross the street. He then said he needed money for bus fare and said he helped me so I should now help him. He made me hand over 15 dollars then i managed to get away as he went to a bar.

Two of my friends and I were leaving our prom after party and we sat down for a bit on the bench in the park (stupid mistake).

The next thing you know three guys with hoods/gloves and masks approached us and threatened us They told me to take out my wallet and cell and hand over everything.

I was complying, however, they still decided to hit me in the face a couple times. The next thing I know they go up to my friend Natalie and they hit her a couple times because she refused to hand over her cell. Then they took out a gun and pointed it at her head. Really scary situation! Wrong place at the wrong time. Thankfully no one got hurt. But they did escape with a cell/phone and 125 bucks. The cops came but couldn't find them. All I can say is lesson learned. Don't go to parks at 3 a.m., even with three friends.

i got mugged a few nights ago. My ipod was stolen. Three guys threatened to smash my head in with an array of wine bottles they had. i was calm and planned a way to hit one and run but i assessed the situation and realized that i would be injured by one of the other two. so i gave up the ipod and walked on. The police came with dogs a helicopter but none were caught. The most unlucky day of my life so far.

two teen girls tried to steal my ipod the other day on the bus (I'd never seen them before) but the boys that were with them go to my school? I was punched 10-15 times in the head but i snatched my ipod off them. the police came and found the two girls but I'm scared about the boys. how do i go to school and face them again?

yesterday i was nearly mugged yesterday. one of the attackers looked very violent but the other two looked quiet reasonable.

they "allowed me" and walked away. i was waiting for the no. 3 bus when they came back. only the other two this time but one said sit. i did, then he told me to give him "it" i gave it.

i then started to plead erratically they gave my purse back and said i was "safe." the two then walked back to the other and disappeared down the road. could they come back to mug me another day?

i got mugged on a sunday, it was two of them one had a gun and looked careless. say i had hold of the gun and they try to attack me and i shot them and killed them, will i go to jail?

I got mugged today. Five of them with knives, just five doors from my house. i followed, remained calm and observed as much as i could about them. Didn't hesitate to give stuff as it was no value to me. The police came within five minutes and they caught one of them within 10 minutes. Unlucky day.

Yes all muggings should be reported to the police

i was recently mugged.. they took my phone and some money. is it worth reporting this to the police?