A stranger threatened to "shoot" me today when I was with my child. was I being unreasonable to call 999?

[BlackFriYay]

I was on my way to collect DC from school, toddler was with me on reins. The seats were full so we went upstairs where there was only a few seats left, next to other passengers.

I sat on the nearest one and put toddler on my knee, I didn't pay any attention to who I was sitting next to as i was sitting sideways with my feet in the aisle and my back to the person occupying the window seat. Toddler was squirming a bit and wanted to get down so as soon as another double seat became available we moved across there.

A man sitting in the area we moved from started playing loud music through his phone, some daft parody song on repeat.

As our stop approached I got up, lifted the little one and was walking towards the stairs, past the strange bloke with the music. As I passed him he said not to ever sit next to him again or he'll shoot me in the face. Confused as hell, I looked up as we got to the stairs to see if he was talking to me and he was. He then said "oh is that a woman?" IE me, then added "never mind I'm still going to do it" whilst making shot gun gestures toward me.

I couldn't get down the stairs quick enough and tried to tell the driver what had happened but he could barely hear me through the plastic. I didn't want a scene I just wanted to get as far away from the prick as I could.

In a panic I called 999 which I'm not sure was the right thing to do or not, perhaps 101 would have been more appropriate. They've made an appointment to come and see me at home on Tuesday which is the earliest appointment they have.

I asked whether they're going to make any attempt to look for the man as he seems dangerous threatening lone women with children. They said they'd circulate his description and If any officers see him they will talk to him?!

Do you think that is sufficient? Am I blowing this way out of proportion?

I felt so, so vulnerable and scared but they don't seem to think it's anything major.

Yes, you are right to report it. I travel on buses a lot and there have been a few scary incidents, where police have been called. It’s right that they take it seriously.

A bit confused by those who appear to be suggesting if he’s a “nutter” it should be ignored.

Do you know how many people suffering from schizophrenia and other such illness have killed or attacked random people in very brutal ways?

Not saying every mentally ill person is violent but people making threats like that are.

Obviously the OP is right to be worried about this particular incident
but saying that people shouldn't be persuaded to use public transport because it's dangerous is ludicrous. How many people are killed by cars, through collisions and pollution? Far far more than are killed by all strangers, let alone strangers on public transport.

And that's dwarfed by the huge numbers who die premature deaths due to lack of exercise: swapping the car outside your door for a walk to and from the bus/train station saves lives.

The behaviour of the general public is going down hill everyday. some people think they’re living in the wire.

Did you think he was going to shoot you?

Locating the bus and detaining the bloke threatening to shoot random members of the public. What do you think they should do?

Yes buses seem to attract the mentally ill but that never excuses murder threats, whether or not he had active intent. OP and toddler have a right to a safe journey. It isn't over-reacting. And fwiw I doubt he would have threatened a man. The bus company and police need to follow up. I'm sick to my back teeth of obnoxious threatening men and I don't care about their potential mental health problems any more. Just get them away from us.

Thats so horrible, how awful for you. I don't think you over reacted he sounds psychotic.
What an underwhelming response from the police and bus driver.
Follow it through and give the police as much info as you can. He's not a productive or right minded member of society. There's no doubt more going on beneath the surface.

I would want them to talk to him. I don't know why you wouldn't.

They won't do that. They're too underfunded, they barely even investigate shopliftings or muggings any more. Unless physical violence happens, don't expect anything to be done.

Doesn’t matter. You don’t get to go around threatening to kill people with impunity in this country, thank goodness. As I’ve said a couple of times now, threatening to kill is a criminal offence in itself.

We’re not even talking a heightened pub fight with alcohol involved; we’re talking a man on a bus threatening to shoot a woman in the face while she’s with her small child, for absolutely no reason. If that’s not a red flag - what is?

@BlackFriYay

There's no resources for that.. but you know that already

He may well be suffering from mental health problems as it makes no sense at all why he'd target me like that 😔

I'm going to contact TFL now.

In the unlikely event any of this sounds familiar.. it was at approx 2:50pm today on the upper deck of the 75 bus going from Croydon to Lewisham Station. I got off at Lutwych Road in Catford. The guy was wearing jeans, trainers and a hooded jumper. I know other passengers noticed his strange behaviour beforehand with his music.

If he can be identified from CCTV, it may be that this is another piece of evidence that this person is a danger to others, and to himself. He clearly needs to be in secure accommodation for the safety of others, and his mental issues to be addressed, but MH care is so overstretched that people who need to be confined for their own safety and the safety of others are left to their own devices, but a case for sectioning has to be built.

I'm not sure that I do.

It's hardly shoplifting, he's threatening to shoot random women with kids.

Busses all have cameras so I’d have done exactly what you did in that situation, and I’d expect something to be done about it.

Making threats to kill is a criminal
offence and very frightening. Even If he is mentally ill, which seems likely in this situation, it isn’t something that just just be accepted as every day behaviour. Some people are so mentally ill they shouldn’t be out unsupervised.

Men can't be allowed to get away with this shit. They are the most destructive thing on this planet.

In 2014 this man was imprisoned for more or less exactly the same thing that this guy did to me today and there wasn't any children involved. Same area.

https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/11615287.video-catfords-fritz-jailed-for-i-will-shoot-you-bloodclart-bus-rant/

He's a local character and most people know of him, he undoubtedly has some mental health problems, but it's terrifying being on the receiving end of something like that and you don't know whether they're harmless or not at the time.

It’s a threat to kill isn’t it ? So he should be arrested

I'm guessing you're not in London as you get pretty immune to this sort of stuff on TFL. He committed an offence and you're totally within you rights to have reported it, I think 101 would have been more appropriate, but you were shaken and did what you thought was best at the time.

The OP is in London.

I learned from a young age that the upstairs of a bus will have a higher % of crazies!

YABU - you get random nutters about. Calling 999 is a waste of police time, could have stopped someone in genuine danger getting through.

Of course they'll never find him and certainly shouldn't putting any precious resources into doing so.

Sorry you had a fright but people are strange

If he was actually going to shoot a stranger on the bus then it is very serious.

If he was a wanker threatening her but wasn't going to shoot her then it isn't quite the same panic for the police.

I'm guessing you're not in London as you get pretty immune to this sort of stuff on TFL.

Bullshit, it’s not a daily occurrence to get told you will be shot in the face in London.