It always makes for good reading when a good guy thwarts a bad guy.
But only if that’s how the story ends. When a citizen takes the law into his or her hands, he or she is taking a huge risk, the outcome of which is as likely to be tragic as heroic.
A 21-year-old espresso-stand barista last week made news when she trapped a would-be tip-jar thief inside the coffee stand by planting her foot against a screen door to keep the man in.
The barista is lucky. The man did not try to get past the screen door, even after she called 911.
Surveillance cameras at the business showed that the man took money from tip jars, then put it back once he realized he had been seen. The man also used another employee’s cell phone and ate the barista’s licorice while she and the other employee stepped out of the stand to change the reader-board sign.
The barista is lucky the man was an opportunist rather than an armed robber. Locking up money, valuables and snacks before leaving the espresso stand would be a good practice and may prevent such thievery. This is not to criticize the spunky barista. It’s just hard to erase the image of a different outcome, where a hyped-up, methed-out robber flattens the screen door, and the barista, in an instant.
Another recent example involved an Arlington man who left a Marysville credit union with his wife, and was approached by a man who asked if he had a car and then was told to hand over the keys or be killed. The man told the would-be robber to “give it a shot.” The suspect swung at the man and missed. The man then beat the suspect up.
Later, the man said he wouldn’t advise anyone to do what he had done. He said he would’ve handed over the keys if the suspect had a weapon.
But the problem is not knowing whether someone has a weapon. It’s probably best to assume the bad guys do have a weapon.
No car or tip jar is worth getting hurt or killed over. Keep in mind there are people willing to shoot you because they don’t like the way you drive. There are people willing to run you over in order to steal your car. There are people willing to kill you for even a few dollars.
Nobody wants to be a victim, it’s understood.
But better to be a victim than a tragic, thwarted hero.
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