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MLeake · September 26, 2009, 06:31 AM

He'd just flown into ATL, and was waiting to retrieve his checked bags. While waiting for his bags to pop up on the carousel, he decided to use the men's room adjacent to baggage claim.

He saw a couple of guys at the sinks as he walked in, but didn't think much of it, as it was an airport men's room. He set down his carry-on bag and laptop to either side of his feet while he used a urinal.

While he was still in midstream, he heard a voice tell him something on the lines of "don't turn around, don't look at me, just give me all your cash."

He thought it weird that the guy specifically asked for cash; meanwhile he was vividly recalling that the two guys he had seen were a lot younger than him, and both were over 6'5". He told the guy he had a money clip in his front pocket; the guy said to hand it over, but don't turn around.

My friend said he's standing there, with his fly open, and all he can think is how PO'd his wife will be if he gets killed in an airport men's room trying to play hero. So he pulls the money clip out of his pocket, and hands it back behind him. He hears a rustling of money, and then the clip is handed back to him.

The voice tells him not to turn away from the urinal until he hears the door close.

He waits, then zips up and hurries out to find a cop. There is one in the baggage claim, and he makes a report. The cop says there have been several cases that followed this MO recently, but they will check security video and try to identify any men matching the description of the two that my friend saw when he first entered the men's room.

Strangely, the muggers (my friend is pretty sure that large man 1 was the mugger and large man 2 was guarding the men's room door) didn't ask for or take his wallet, ID's, or credit cards; they didn't take his laptop or pilot bag (my buddy is somebody I know from work). Stranger, still, they took all his twenties, but left the ones in the money clip that was handed back to him.

He was pretty shaken up about it. He didn't know if his assailant(s) had any weapons, but wasn't about to turn around to find out. He was quite sure that at their respective sizes (he estimated 6'5" for one and 6'8" for the other) that either one could have beaten him senseless, let alone two of them, so whether they were armed was irrelevant to him.

I've given this a lot of thought, and can't fault him. I wouldn't have thought twice about the presence of people at a men's room sink - although I'd probably have paid more attention to movement toward me, I usually worry more about pick-pockets and bag-snatchers than muggers at airports. In his place, I'd definitely have just followed instructions. In mine, a dozen years younger and with a lot more H2H training, but unarmed (thanks, TSA) I probably would have, too - odds against two guys that size aren't great, especially if they could be armed (which they could have been, if they had come to the airport with intention to commit crimes, and no intention to penetrate TSA screening).

Thinking about it further, I wondered how I'd have reacted if I'd had a handgun on my belt, or my PM9 in my pocket. On the one hand, as it turned out for my friend, he wasn't harmed. On the other hand, there was no guarantee he would not be harmed even though he complied - although the odds do still favor a fairly safe, if cash poorer, outcome.

I'm still not sure if I'd have handed over cash, or told him I was grabbing a money clip but then drawn a weapon.

Thoughts?

September 26, 2009, 06:31 AM	#1
MLeake Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: Outside KC, MO Posts: 10,128	Friend got mugged Wednesday afternoon He'd just flown into ATL, and was waiting to retrieve his checked bags. While waiting for his bags to pop up on the carousel, he decided to use the men's room adjacent to baggage claim. He saw a couple of guys at the sinks as he walked in, but didn't think much of it, as it was an airport men's room. He set down his carry-on bag and laptop to either side of his feet while he used a urinal. While he was still in midstream, he heard a voice tell him something on the lines of "don't turn around, don't look at me, just give me all your cash." He thought it weird that the guy specifically asked for cash; meanwhile he was vividly recalling that the two guys he had seen were a lot younger than him, and both were over 6'5". He told the guy he had a money clip in his front pocket; the guy said to hand it over, but don't turn around. My friend said he's standing there, with his fly open, and all he can think is how PO'd his wife will be if he gets killed in an airport men's room trying to play hero. So he pulls the money clip out of his pocket, and hands it back behind him. He hears a rustling of money, and then the clip is handed back to him. The voice tells him not to turn away from the urinal until he hears the door close. He waits, then zips up and hurries out to find a cop. There is one in the baggage claim, and he makes a report. The cop says there have been several cases that followed this MO recently, but they will check security video and try to identify any men matching the description of the two that my friend saw when he first entered the men's room. Strangely, the muggers (my friend is pretty sure that large man 1 was the mugger and large man 2 was guarding the men's room door) didn't ask for or take his wallet, ID's, or credit cards; they didn't take his laptop or pilot bag (my buddy is somebody I know from work). Stranger, still, they took all his twenties, but left the ones in the money clip that was handed back to him. He was pretty shaken up about it. He didn't know if his assailant(s) had any weapons, but wasn't about to turn around to find out. He was quite sure that at their respective sizes (he estimated 6'5" for one and 6'8" for the other) that either one could have beaten him senseless, let alone two of them, so whether they were armed was irrelevant to him. I've given this a lot of thought, and can't fault him. I wouldn't have thought twice about the presence of people at a men's room sink - although I'd probably have paid more attention to movement toward me, I usually worry more about pick-pockets and bag-snatchers than muggers at airports. In his place, I'd definitely have just followed instructions. In mine, a dozen years younger and with a lot more H2H training, but unarmed (thanks, TSA) I probably would have, too - odds against two guys that size aren't great, especially if they could be armed (which they could have been, if they had come to the airport with intention to commit crimes, and no intention to penetrate TSA screening). Thinking about it further, I wondered how I'd have reacted if I'd had a handgun on my belt, or my PM9 in my pocket. On the one hand, as it turned out for my friend, he wasn't harmed. On the other hand, there was no guarantee he would not be harmed even though he complied - although the odds do still favor a fairly safe, if cash poorer, outcome. I'm still not sure if I'd have handed over cash, or told him I was grabbing a money clip but then drawn a weapon. Thoughts?