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Original poster

Have you ever been randomly attacked/mugged/a witness to violence? Where were you?

45 replies

IdaBWells · 10/08/2019 17:31

Not wanting to traumatize anyone but wondering about this. I have lived in England, Germany and the USA. The only place I have been attacked was in Greenwich Park, London as a schoolgirl. I was about 15 and was attacked in broad daylight by a guy who run up to me and started to grab me, I swung my bag at him and dropped it and started to run away. When I looked back he was on the ground looking through my stuff, so I assume his motivation was robbery. This would have been in the early 80s.

I still have felt safe in all the places where I have lived. My cousin was stabbed in the back randomly after he and his cousin on his mum’s side were chased in London. My cousin is dark-skinned as his mum is Anglo-Indian, the attackers were boys of Turkish descent. That was also in the 1980s in London.

OP posts:
berlinbabylon · 10/08/2019 17:44

Not violently attacked but did get my purse stolen in Madrid.

Original poster
IdaBWells · 10/08/2019 17:50

Was it forcibly removed from you or did you just find it had disappeared? What were the circumstances?

OP posts:
awaitingcellulite · 10/08/2019 17:53

In the park aged 13/14/15. We used to be sitting around smoking weed. These older kids on bikes would come up to us and take our weed. Never any violence but we felt intimidated enough to hand it over. Until one day they demanded a mobile phone from one of the boys. It all kicked off, I don't remember much apart from running away!

Chasingsquirrels · 10/08/2019 17:53

I had my bag snatched when I got out of my car - I was in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. I'd gotten careless as despite the warnings hadn't had any problems, and I didn't check around me properly when in an unfamiliar area.

Pipandmum · 10/08/2019 17:55

I was walking in a park in not great area of Boston near my uni at lunch time and three teenagers walked past me then the next thing I know they came up behind me spun me around and pulled my necklace off. They didn’t take my wallet they just ran. I reported it to security they caught one I had to identify him in court! He had to pay me the value of the necklace. Plus be there with his mum I’m pretty sure he got a hiding!

Dieu · 10/08/2019 17:55

Ditto with Madrid.

justasking111 · 10/08/2019 17:57

Tenerife, bag snatcher on a bicycle, yanked me off my feet trying to take my cross body bag.

userabcname · 10/08/2019 17:58

Saw a man get his wallet grabbed out of his hand in Milan. He put up a fight but the thief had an accomplice who roared up on a motorbike and they got away. Also saw an attempted pick pocketing in Madrid but some other passers-by got hold of him and the girl had her stuff returned to her.

Frith2013 · 10/08/2019 17:59

Set upon by 2 neo Nazis in Nottingham. Broad daylight on a Monday lunchtime.

They started by throwing a bottle of my feet (smashing it) and I was lucky I could outrun them (it was a long time ago!)

reetgood · 10/08/2019 18:01

Grabbed my crotch, punched me in the head and stole my bag... all in broad daylight on a beautiful sunny morning. In a city on the edge of a trading estate, but busy road 5mins from college.

thecatneuterer · 10/08/2019 18:03

Someone was murdered in my porch (gang thing - knives and baseball bats) while I watched through my front window.

It didn't make me feel any less safe though - gang members only seem to kill other gang members - it was just a fluke that they had happened to corner him in my porch.

Mereke · 10/08/2019 18:03

I got mugged about 10 years ago in Newcastle for my bag.
About 5 years ago in Kenya someone tried to stab me for my hat of all things, he got the hat and I ran like the wind.

catinboots99 · 10/08/2019 18:03

I got mugged in a soho just behind Wardour street. Luckily all that was in my purse was 2p and a hair grip

ANiceLuxury · 10/08/2019 18:07

Never been attacked but it’s a massive fear of mine

TractorTartofThigh · 10/08/2019 18:08

I was walking down the road in Surrey with my friend and my Boyfriend, aged about 20. Car stopped, 5 blokes got out started calling us hippys and stuff, I thought they were going to beat up my boyfriend and thought they'll never hit a female so stood in front of him, they just started kicking me and when I fell over kicked me loads more! Ended up in A and E. No motive whatsoever. Hmm

NCBabyBoy · 10/08/2019 18:10

I had a bag snatched from my hand by a guy who ran up behind me. I was in the middle of the diamond quarter in Brussels which is a crime-infested excuse for a city.

MatchsticksForMyEyesReturns · 10/08/2019 18:13

18 years ago in the South of France when I was on my year abroad. A group of teen girls sprayed pepper spray in our faces, managed to grab and take my bag. I managed to save my friend's bag by punching one of them in the face.

boltoflightning · 10/08/2019 18:20

2 youths kicked my car in as I was trying to do a three point turn. Hurling abuse at me, they were terrifying, trying to block me ..for no reason at all. They wanted me out of the car, but I didn’t get out.. I managed to get away and drive off.

Most terrifying experience of my life. Enfield.

Bloodybridget · 10/08/2019 18:22

Hackney/Islington borders, London, maybe 30 years ago, I was walking home, it was dark but not very late. Quiet street, group of teenagers outside a house, I thought, maybe I shouldn't have come this way, but carried on. As I walked past them, one tripped me up and was on top of me on the pavement. I was shouting, he got off me saying, sorry, I thought you were a man! I walked away still shouting at them. Not much hurt but very bruised.

MrsBertBibby · 10/08/2019 18:23

Another Nottingham one. I was living in a student house in the red light area, heard a scuffle in the lane out the back, yelled some random blokes names to go out and look, then ran out into the back yard bare foot and clutching a rolling pin.

A young woman scrambled over the 7 foot wall, and I bundled her indoors and fed her sweet tea and fags. You could see on her throat where the fucker had tried to strangle her. She insisted no police so I walked her up the road. Poor bloody girl. I hope she survived and got out.

Jsmith99 · 10/08/2019 18:27

I have never been attacked, but a pickpocket stole my passport in Amsterdam many years ago.

I worked in town pubs when I was a student so I saw plenty of fights between pissed-up idiots. Happened all the time. The girls were as bad as the lads. We didn’t get involved, we just let the doormen deal with it. That is what they were paid to do, and they enjoyed sorting the dickheads out.

ParkheadParadise · 10/08/2019 18:32

Having got out my car to speak to my dd, her partner opened the door and took my purse out of my bag on the passenger seat.

AnneElliott · 10/08/2019 18:37

I witnessed a GBH in London at a boot fair about 10 years ago. Really awful violence - the worst is seen in real life.

Also attempted car jacking in Surrey. Had to drive at one of them to get away. Really frightened as DS was in the back in a car seat. I took the decision to keep driving at one of them at speed and was prepared to run him over if he didn't get out of my way.

ShirleyPhallus · 10/08/2019 18:40

@thecatneuterer that’s so awful, do you still live there?

insertsomethingwitty · 10/08/2019 18:41

Yes, I was walking down a street on holiday on a Balearic island. I had my bag ripped out of my hand, was dragged down the street by my arms on my face and had my shoulder dislocated.