Be aware of pranksters

[JERRYS.]

if you don't act to the "prank" and its the real thing you or somebody else could die.

prima facie reaction is normal.

[Spats McGee]

Originally Posted by dayman

I used to watch scare tactics, and often thought the same thing.
I assume the marks must be pretty thoroughly vetted.

I would hope so.

I don't think I've ever watched a complete episode of Scare Tactics, but I can recall seeing a couple of previews that led me to believe that if the mark had smoked one of the pranksters ... well, I honestly believe that the words "the Defendant reasonably feared death or serious bodily injury" might have provided a valid defense.

[Jim567]

This post made me remember-
Some years ago I lived in South Florida
Well after midnight there was rustling and noises coming from out side my bedroom window.
I yelled out " get the )$&)(& away."
Then heard running.
It was drunken relatives.
They told me the next morning they ran like hell because, they knew and remembered I was armed lol

[dakota.potts]

This immediately came to my head

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW7YSWGeFQg (Language)

Dude dresses up in a "Scream" Costume with a fake gun (vaguely shaped like a shotgun or rifle, couldn't see it) and walks out of dark areas pointing it at unsuspecting people. In one case, he hides in a van and jumps out as a couple walks by.

The last person in the video drops the phone he's talking on and pulls a gun back at the guy, leaving the prankster just enough time to say "it's a prank" before the victim splits and runs the other direction. Pretty good tactics, in my opinion. React and get away from the scene. Don't know if I can say I wouldn't have shot, though, considering this person is already aiming at me.

[zxcvbob]

I alluded to this earlier, but had trouble finding a link to it:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/02...na-university/

[SIGSHR]

Sort of a modern version of Candid Camera. I recall watching one of the variety programs on TV in the late 50s, they had some French Apache dancers, but the host was not let in on the gag, he thought the man actually was beating up the girl.

[skoro]

Seems to me that pranksters are the ones who need an awareness that their "jokes" can go very wrong. For them.

[Deaf Smith]

Be aware of pranksters

No, pranksters beware of me.

You fake a assault or robbery with me and I won't fake my response.

Deaf

[SHE3PDOG]

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

All of this. The last thing on my mind when faced with something that legitimately scares me is, "This might be a prank." I don't think that should be anywhere in my natural response logic, as when it is real, and I don't react, I don't particularly like thinking about what might happen. My response will be very real and the pranksters will have to deal with the consequences of their actions.

Act like a kidnapper, robber, gunman, or assailant, get treated like one.

[Lost Sheep]

Originally Posted by Venom1956, post 17

There was the one that used his loud system in his suv to play gun noises for pretend drive bys. Last clip was 2 of the pedestrians running while the 3rd draws and fires as he speeds off.

And THAT (not drawing, but shooting at a "speeding off" vehicle) is, in most circumstances, not a good tactic either from a combat or a legal defense point of view.

Lost Sheep

[leadcounsel]

No, pranksters beware of me.

You fake a assault or robbery with me and I won't fake my response.

Sadly we here often suffer from 'group think' as pro-gun, pro-self defense mentality types.

A solid 10-30% of the population, however, are pacifists and/or pranksters and go through life not 'getting' self defense or being armed.

Those people are often in powerful positions, or have large podiums to speak from and can ruin your life, if you happened to react to something like this in self defense. "They were just 'kids' having 'fun' blah blah blah...

Anyway, let's not forget the world doesn't see things as cut and dry as we'd all like and your actions during these pranks would almost certainly be scrutinized from the likely videos recording it... and EVERY MOMENT of your candid response played in slow motion, and arm-chair-quarterbacked...

Even if you weren't 'guilty' it could certainly ruin your life.

The point of this thread was to heighten situational awareness to these pranks, hopefully to avoid a needless shooting in 'self defense'... as a result of one of these ill-conceived pranks.

[full case load]

I've read most of this and been thinking on it some. I'm 64 and have never had a stranger pull a "prank" on me. If a stranger was pulling one on me I would react to the perceived and believed level of threat.

[HankB]

Prank gone wrong:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enBLNVOBVKE

Alleged prank from Russia gone very wrong:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfVmqhuMWP4

[Skans]

Pranksters that want to "fake" armed robbery or "fake" beating someone to a pulp simply need to confine their pranks to places like New York City where Mr. Bloomberg made it safe for things like this.

[leadcounsel]

Here's a new one I saw today.

In sum, a scary clown costume donning idiot murders a fake person laying prone on the ground when unsuspecting witnesses walk past. Comes after people with a hammer. In another part he is acting like he's pouring fuel around someones parked car at the gas station (the car owner appears to reach into his car for a weapon...).

In other videos, a stunt involves a staged brutal murder in front of witnesses to get a reaction. Or a man violently assaulting and taking a woman hostage in a park.

When will these idiots learn?? It's easily foreseeable that a concealed carry individual would shoot this idiot.

http://www.dailydot.com/lol/killer-clown-prank-video/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?annota...&v=MkOGb5_ML_8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?annota...&v=zNOTWjIJ58E

[Deaf Smith]

Even if you weren't 'guilty' it could certainly ruin your life.

What makes you think it would ruin my life?

I'm peaceably minding my own business and some idiot fakes a robbery.

Well to bad for him/her. I won't feel bad cause it won't be my fault.

Deaf

[leadcounsel]

What makes you think it would ruin my life?

I'm peaceably minding my own business and some idiot fakes a robbery.

Well to bad for him/her. I won't feel bad cause it won't be my fault.

Deaf

Everybody handles stress differently. Kudos for you if you don't think you'd be effected even if you were totally in the right by ending someones' life for their folly and pranking. I think most people, even shooting in self defense, struggle with it for a period of time. I've known countless Soldiers that killed real bad guys and were justified, but struggle every day with the memories.

And it's worse for anyone charged with the crime even if they beat the charges.

[Sabrewolfe]

Frankly, I would question the humanity of anyone that is NOT emotionally impacted to some degree by killing another human being, even in a perfectly justified self-defense scenario, let alone a ill-conceived prank gone horribly, horribly wrong. I pray to God I never have cause to use any of my weapons (cane, knife, gun, knitting needles, hands and feet) to kill an attacker, but if I do, I fully expect to need some counseling in the aftermath.

[Evan Thomas]

I'm not a fan of "pranks," no matter whether they're the pernicious ones we're discussing here, or the common-or-garden variety, such as having a new shooter (often a woman) try out a .44 mag revolver. I think there's always an element of cruelty and aggression in them; at the very least, they're an unattractive form of dominance behavior. I'd make a small exception for pranks carried out within groups of equals, when they're truly harmless and reciprocity is fully expected.

The emotional effects of shooting someone in self-defense are another subject entirely, and as such are off-topic in this thread.

[geetarman]

What Vanya said!

[Deaf Smith]

Everybody handles stress differently. Kudos for you if you don't think you'd be effected even if you were totally in the right by ending someones' life for their folly and pranking. I think most people, even shooting in self defense, struggle with it for a period of time. I've known countless Soldiers that killed real bad guys and were justified, but struggle every day with the memories.

And it's worse for anyone charged with the crime even if they beat the charges.

I didn't end his life for his 'folly'. HE ended his life for his folly.

I cannot control what stupid people do.

Now if it was just a cell phone or a pen and I THOUGHT it was a gun and no robbery attempt was even being done, fake or not, well that is part my responsibility. And yes, I would feel badly about it and it would affect my life.

But to come up to me with a fake gun or knife, well that is THEIR responsibility.

Fortunately we have the STG law here in Texas. That may explain why we don't have to many jokers who fake robberies.

Deaf

[arizonaopa]

Some of the pranks that are being pulled are so ludicrous that you know it's a prank. However, many of the pranks are realistic and can cause someone to get hurt. There is a video of some punks cruising a neighborhood and coming near groups of people and booming out the sounds of gunshots. The video shows that people were truly frightened. The prank ended when they did this to someone and that person pulled a gun and returned fire at what they percieved to be someone shooting at them.

If you dance with the devil, you will have to pay the piper. Pranksters need to be aware that in this day and time, more people are taking responsibility for their own defense and the jokes might cause them serious injury or death.

[Theohazard]

^^^ I think that's the same prank that Venom1956 mentioned in post #17.

[Bezoar]

the law doesnt care anymore. as long as one of them is recording it on a camera, they can claim "creative documentary work" and get off with a fine.

[Mello2u]

I wonder if any victims of these mean spirited actions (some people call pranks) have filed civil suits.

Intentional infliction of emotional distress is a tort. The emotional distress suffered by the plaintiffs must be "severe."

Thinking of the video with the scary clown who smashed a prone body to a bloody pulp, then advanced menacingly on the innocent victim.

I wonder if a jury could be persuaded that people pretending to be murderers who threatened a plaintiff with acts which the plaintiff reasonably believed to be a real threat to their life committed intentional infliction of emotional distress.