Drunken hat grabbing minors...

[matei]

Last night I was strolling down Upper Street in Islington with some friends, having just left Bierodrome after a few pints, when some drunken kid (14 - 16 years tops) tried to snatch me hat.

There were about 4 of them, and when I heard the word "hat" slurred by one of 'em it tipped me off that something was about to go down. One of them made a grab for my lid (a grey Akubra Fed) and I just managed to move my head to the side. The little *$&*(# didn't get the hat, but he nearly took out me eye.

I didn't realise that second that they were kids, so I turned around and hurled abuse at them. Amazingly enough, they were stunned and actually apologised.

I was shocked. I've dealt with chav-lets before, and they can be ferocious. However, I don't think that they're used to anyone standing up and putting them in their place. People have gotten so mamby-pamby and PC nowadays that it is considered a cardinal sin to discipline kids (even verbally).

When I was a kid and engaged in under-aged drinking, the last thing I would've done was to go out in public and try to steal something from an older, bigger person than me! What a bold bunch...

So - if you're in London - watch out for the underaged pissed hat-snatchers!

 

[Steve]

Man, that punk would have gotten a heckuva lot more than verbal abuse from me if he had tried to steal my Adventurebilt. I'm amazed that they actually apologized.

 

[matei]

I didn't know that they were kids, so I let 'em rip. When I did see that they were minors, I didn't stop. I was really, really angry - not only that someone tried to nick my lid, but also that they nearly poked me eyeball out and scratched me with their grubby fingers...

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Feral yoof. Ye can't avoid 'em. They need a bit of verbal now and again, independent of age.

bk

 

[jake_fink]

What's the world coming to!?!?

Drunken youth commiting random acts of silliness, and then... say it isn't so.... actually apologizing!?!

Youth today is all wasted on the young. Why, in my day, if I'd tried to nick your lid and failed I wouldn't apologize, I'd 'ave you, mate, I'd just plain bloody 'ave you.

:cheers1: :cheers1:

 

[Feraud]

Nice job Matei! Drunk & stupid go together hand-in-hand. I am glad you responded how you did. For their own sake, I hope they took a lesson from this experience.
Grab a man's hat and you are first in line for an a##whippin'.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Sounds like a scene right out of, "A Clockwork Orange"

Luckily it didn't turn out too badly for you. Most all drunkies are cowards that will slink away when rebuked, alcohol being the source of their "courage". No excuse for that kind of behaviour! :rage:

 

[Senator Jack]

Didn't Steve Jones nick one of Pete Townshend's guitars? I guess that's better than his hat. Some things never change.

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Magus]

Wellllll....Interestingly enough, I had this nearly exact thing happen just last Wed. However, as he made a grabbed the front brim of my hat , I caught his hand and wrist, rotated is so that he was looking at his own palm...then pinky...as I did so I stepped in a small circle away from him.

We ended up with him on his back yelping a bit and wondering if his wrist would snap (which it was a long way from doing...but I didn't tell him that) and me standing over him explaining that it was a very risky thing to try and take another man's hat. After he made vows of repentance I helped him up, dusted off his back and asked him if he was alright. He said, "Yeah, but I sure didn't expect that." I told him to enjoy his evening and he darted off.

Hopefully he will give it a second thought next time the urge comes upon him.

M

 

[matei]

Smooth! I liked that solution...

The problem is I always think of snappy things like that after the dust settles and I'm far away and removed from the situation.

My dad is in law enforcement, and he knows all sorts of cool moves like that. He's had quite a few altercations and he has never had to trade blows or tackle a bad guy, just the wrist/arm twisting saves the day.

I'll have to ask him to teach me a few things - they might come in handy!

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Bunch of yobs!


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[geo]

Makes you regret the days when real gentlemen not only wore a hat, but also carried a sword.

 

[Steve]

Makes you regret the days when real gentlemen not only wore a hat, but also carried a sword.

Wow, then the victim of an attempted hat snatching could do a full on Liam Neeson routine from Batman Begins.

 

[matei]

Makes you regret the days when real gentlemen not only wore a hat, but also carried a sword.

Ah, that'd be cool. A sword... but I'd have to find a vintage one that goes with my '30s/'40s fixation!

Methinks the wife (and the police) would say "no"...

 

[mysterygal]

Matei, I'm glad you still have your hat...and your eye!

 

[geo]

Nobody in his right mind would have thaught of stealing these guys' hats:

I have a theory: if you look at different periods in history, the bigger hats coincide with the bigger swords. The dissapearance of the sword has led to the dissapearance of the hat.

 

[BigDuke634]

Ah, that'd be cool. A sword... but I'd have to find a vintage one that goes with my '30s/'40s fixation!

Methinks the wife (and the police) would say "no"... Wives and cops....... the killjoys of life

 

[Feraud]

Nobody in his right mind would have thaught of stealing these guys' hats:

The problem then was not someone grabbing your hat but misunderstanding your words. Imagine someone feeling "slighted" by your words and challenging you to a duel. If you decline, you are a coward. If you accept, you are fighting someone to the death (potentially) over a verbal misunderstanding.

Imagine our Moderators trying to sort out that mess! lol lol

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Once, many moons ago I was in NYC with my family and a kid stole my Stetson right off my head from behind! Zip and it was gone. I started chasing him down the sidewalk, but I didn't realize it at the time but he had a partner waiting at the corner, and they timed it so he could dart in front of the traffic as the light turned as his buddy shoved me from the side. But this story has a happy ending, a pretzel vender saw the whole thing and grabbed the kid with the hat, he dropped the lid and squirmed out of the jacket leaving the vender standing there with an empty wind breaker. He then yelled at the teens and asked me if I was ok. After it hit me that it was pretty stupid to chase the kid anyway, we thanked him and all had a nice, warm pretzel. I had forgotten about this story until now.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

At least they didn't take his hat!


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