Re: Ever been bikejacked?

In article said:

You should have insisted on filing a formal report. That way you
know the incident has been logged, descriptions of suspects noted,
etc., in case someone else has a problem. Otherwise, there's a risk
it will be forgotten among the piles of other "random" crime reports
the police hear every day.

I asked the officer if a crime had been committed based on my description
and he never actually answered the question. He claimed that they'd
send a squad out, which I'm assuming would be logged. As for a formal
report, I didn't think about that; if he'd said there was a crime involved,
I'd have probably tried to be more formal. I've never had to file
a police report, though it sounds like a bit of an ordeal.

I did call for the reason you said, what if some 12 year old was riding
along later that night?

Quoted message said:

BTW, where was this, so others can beware?

Minneapolis, Marshall Street, between Broadway and Lowry.

Quoted message said:

I've had people try to grab me as I rode by, both in the US and
Australia, but fortunately I was able to keep going.

Did you do anything besides ride off? Did you file report(s)?

Quoted message said:

were pretty common for awhile in southern CA, along the river trails
through Santa Ana, Orange, and Long Beach.

There was a report last year about the Cedar Lake bike trail, which
goes from the west side into downtown, that some kids were hanging
out in an isolated overpass area and harassing people. I rode it
occasionally and never encountered them, but trails in general
seem like places with lots of isolation and thus suitable for
thuggery. Another reason for the MUP-haters to hate on, I guess. 🙂

-- Dan

--
Dan Cosley ([email hidden] * http://www.cs.umn.edu/~cosley/)
GroupLens Research Lab, Univ of MN (http://movielens.umn.edu/ * 612.624.8372)
*** Just a foot soldier in the Army of Truth ***

Dan Cosley said:

In article said:

You should have insisted on filing a formal report. That way you
know the incident has been logged, descriptions of suspects noted,
etc., in case someone else has a problem. Otherwise, there's a risk
it will be forgotten among the piles of other "random" crime reports
the police hear every day.

I asked the officer if a crime had been committed based on my description
and he never actually answered the question. He claimed that they'd
send a squad out, which I'm assuming would be logged. As for a formal
report, I didn't think about that; if he'd said there was a crime involved,
I'd have probably tried to be more formal. I've never had to file
a police report, though it sounds like a bit of an ordeal.

Hmm. Consider whether they'd have offered to file a report if you'd been
behind the wheel of a 1500lb deadly weapon...er, wait. ;->

Seriously, though, a threatened 'car jacking'; would that not be a crime or
incident worthy of a formal report? Why not on a bike - the citizenry is
similarly in jeopardy, eh?

I'm surprized, though, that nobody's played the Kryptonite Lock card, heh,
or at least suggested wild brandish of a sturdy hand pump.

Best solution, though? When you get home, why not round up the homeys and
get in the car and come back and see if you can't discourage such behavior
for the future. ;-)

-B

Dan Cosley said:

Minneapolis, Marshall Street, between Broadway and Lowry.

nordeast! that very stretch of marshall is where the [censored] lifted my
cannondale road bike back in '96 .. my pride and joy while i went to the
U of M. i was busy drinking at the time. that's not a particuliarly bad
neighborhood by any stretch .. college student and working class, at least
it used to be. lots of artsy types moved in for the low rent in the late
90s. prob'ly ain't so low anymore. still has the coolest supermarket in
the cities, tho: Sentyrz. liquor & food. for minnesota that's a rarity.
probably cooler when it had the big sailfish, tho.
--
david reuteler
[email hidden]

In article said:

Dan Cosley <[email hidden]> wrote:

nordeast! that very stretch of marshall is where the [censored] lifted my
cannondale road bike back in '96 ..

Bummer.

Quoted message said:

U of M. i was busy drinking at the time. that's not a particuliarly bad
neighborhood by any stretch .. college student and working class, at least

Nah, the people parts seem fine, but the business and empty lot area
is a little creepier.

I don't think of any really "bad" neighborhoods in Mpls, although I
don't have extensive knowledge.

-- Dan

--
Dan Cosley ([email hidden] * http://www.cs.umn.edu/~cosley/)
GroupLens Research Lab, Univ of MN (http://movielens.umn.edu/ * 612.624.8372)
*** Just a foot soldier in the Army of Truth ***

Dan Cosley said:

Quoted message said:

I've had people try to grab me as I rode by, both in the US and
Australia, but fortunately I was able to keep going.

Quoted message said:

Did you do anything besides ride off? Did you file report(s)?

No, but I should have. It was a long time ago. I've learned a lot since.

Matt O.

It's getting mean out there. This was on a human-powered vehicle
mailing list lately...

Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 17:35:12 -0600
From: <a guy I don't wish spam on>
Subject: Warning: Assault on bicyclist

A regular customer at the ______ Bike Depot came in yesterday with a
huge bloody wound on his head, the conspicuous absence of his bike,
and
a sorry tale

Wednesday evening at ~9:00 p.m. he paused on E. River Road to enjoy
the
Mississippi panorama from a spot near the intersection of Emerald St.
.. Three youth (approximately 14 y/o ; white (not to bring race into
it)) passed him on foot - then clubbed him from behind him with a
sizable stick and stole his trusty Schwinn World Sport. He required
hospitalization; the twerps have not been apprehended; the bike has
been
replaced.

So, if you (like I) cherish urban evening vista: keep your eyes open,
your wits about you, and a hand on your best defense (whether conceal
and carry or simply a stout U lock). And heck- having a helmet on
couldn't hurt when the blows start to fly.

Gravely,

Badger_South wrote in part:

<< I'm surprized, though, that nobody's played the Kryptonite Lock card, heh,
or at least suggested wild brandish of a sturdy hand pump. >>

Pulling out a Krypto on a dude is a provocative act, to say the least, and I
wouldn't do it unless you're absolutely sure that the situation has gone that
far south. The u-lock is a deadly weapon. You shouldn't threaten another person
with a u-lock unless you're prepared to face the cosequences (i.e. going to
jail or getting beaten with your own u-lock or both).

Best non-bike lock use of a bike lock I ever heard was many years ago, a group
of messengers tracked down a bike thief and u-locked him by his neck to a
signpost and tormented him in unspeakable ways until police rescued him.

Robert

"David Reuteler" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
<snip>

Quoted message said:

nordeast! that very stretch of marshall is where the [censored] lifted my
cannondale road bike back in '96 .. my pride and joy while i went to the
U of M. i was busy drinking at the time.

Please don't tell me it was a Black Lightning ...

C.Q.C.

PS Not that I took it or anything mind you, I just always wanted one but
what happened sucks regardless.

In article said:

If you refuse the request of a bum on the street when he asks you
for a dollar and nothing further comes of it, is that an attempted
robbery? Under Illinois law anyway there was no crime committed when
the guy told Dan to "Give me your bike" unless that guy used or
threatened to use force simply because there's no crime called
"almost attempted robbery". Regards, Bob Hunt

Cool, thanks for the legal perspective. Hopefully I never have to
figure out just where it stops being an aggressive request and
becomes a crime. I guess it's somewhere between walking directly
into a rider's path and trying to knock a rider off the bike?

-- Dan

--
Dan Cosley ([email hidden] * http://www.cs.umn.edu/~cosley/)
GroupLens Research Lab, Univ of MN (http://movielens.umn.edu/ * 612.624.8372)
*** Just a foot soldier in the Army of Truth ***

(R15757) said:

Badger_South wrote in part:

<< I'm surprized, though, that nobody's played the Kryptonite Lock card, heh,
or at least suggested wild brandish of a sturdy hand pump. >>

Pulling out a Krypto on a dude is a provocative act, to say the least, and I
wouldn't do it unless you're absolutely sure that the situation has gone that
far south. The u-lock is a deadly weapon. You shouldn't threaten another person

Provocative act? I hope so, as in provoke the low-life to dive for the
curb. ;-) By the time you've contemplated, the guy has your handlebars.
What about then?

Quoted message said:

with a u-lock unless you're prepared to face the cosequences (i.e. going to
jail or getting beaten with your own u-lock or both).

One should be prepared to face the consequences of defending themselves,
for sure.

Quoted message said:

Best non-bike lock use of a bike lock I ever heard was many years ago, a group
of messengers tracked down a bike thief and u-locked him by his neck to a
signpost and tormented him in unspeakable ways until police rescued him.

Locking someone to a post is a felony, i.e. unlawful restraint, though as I
understand not often prosecuted. Might be better to go for the accidental
'tooth extraction by U-lock', eh?

http://www.ussc.gov/2001guid/2a4_1.htm

-B

Quoted message said:

Robert

Quoted message said:

Dan Cosley [email hidden]

wrote in part:

Quoted message said:

Hopefully I never have to
figure out just where it stops being an aggressive request and
becomes a crime. I guess it's somewhere between walking directly
into a rider's path and trying to knock a rider off the bike?

-- Dan

In a word, yes. Encounters such as you describe or the aggressive panhandler
situation are unpleasant and can be a little frightening but if neither the
knothead blocking your progress nor the bum asking for a dollar does any more
than described neither would be arrested for attempted robbery. Disorderly
conduct? Maybe. But even that would be a stretch. It kinda makes you wish for a
"stupid in a no stupid zone" law, doesn't it? <g>

Regards,
Bob Hunt

"Your honor- the defendant stands before you charged with performing acts not
normally considered illegal." (Apologies to Monty Python for the paraphrase.)

In article said:

conduct? Maybe. But even that would be a stretch. It kinda makes you
wish for a "stupid in a no stupid zone" law, doesn't it? <g>

Not really -- I'd commit a crime a month at _least_ under that law. 🙂

-- Dan

--
Dan Cosley ([email hidden] * http://www.cs.umn.edu/~cosley/)
GroupLens Research Lab, Univ of MN (http://movielens.umn.edu/ * 612.624.8372)
*** Just a foot soldier in the Army of Truth ***

Hunrobe wrote:
<snip>

Quoted message said:

It kinda makes you wish for a
"stupid in a no stupid zone" law, doesn't it? <g>

So would there be designated "stupid zones" for those of us (100% of the
population) that occasionally pulls an unexplained bonehead move?

Austin (I uh, I dunno, uh, musta' been a mistake or somethin'😉

In article <[email hidden]>,

loki said:

"Hunrobe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
[...]

Quoted message said:

If you refuse the request of a bum on the street when he asks you
for a dollar and nothing further comes of it, is that an attempted
robbery? Under Illinois law anyway there was no crime committed
when the guy told Dan to "Give me your bike" unless that guy used
or threatened to use force simply because there's no crime called
"almost attempted robbery".

But there can be an implied threat? No?

Let's say 5 very large muscular men surround me and 'ask' me for my bike.
They even say please - pointing out that cycling is dangerous and I might
hurt myself.

I suppose if you take the panhandler analogy they [or those in the original
incident] might be breaking 'aggressive panhandling' stautes if they exist
in the jurisdiction.

Or five very large muscular men walk into your china shop and 'ask' for
a donation to help protect your shop from vandals and thugs. After all,
you might get hurt and you don't want anything bad to happen, would you?

Van
--
Van Bagnol / v b a g n o l at earthlink dot net / c r l at bagnol dot com
....enjoys - Theatre / Windsurfing / Skydiving / Mountain Biking
....feels - "Parang lumalakad ako sa loob ng paniginip"
....thinks - "An Error is Not a Mistake ... Unless You Refuse to Correct It"