In this video, “Bad Guy Quickly Regrets Stealing Purse,” where a man snatches a woman’s purse but quickly finds out and feels why that was a terrible decision.
I am unsure if he thought the woman was alone or that no one would pursue him. Still, he pays heavily for his attempted robbery when the man, who I believe might be her boyfriend or husband, has zero hesitancy in chasing him down, delivering a couple of glancing blows, but multiple successful knees to the man’s face.
There are a few things we can address here. Typically, we suggest one not fight for their valuables, but I never say never. If one feels comfortable taking that risk, that is their right, and he is “successful,” depending on your definition of success. He does halt his attack on the thief once he gains control of the purse and the man is not resisting.
I suspect he would not receive any penalty in the eyes of the law, but happy to hear any opposing thoughts.
In addition, our Women’s Self-defence Courses and certification discuss how one might hold their purse. For example, it could be carried over one shoulder as she does, crossways over the shoulders, or in one’s hand.
In our violence prevention and self-defence courses, we look at the pros and cons of all methods.
- Over One Shoulder – generally, this is safer physically because if one attempts to grab the purse, it is more likely to come off the Shoulder with less chance of the person being thrown to the ground. Still, the negative is the person may be a more attractive target to the thief if it appears to be easier to grab.
- Crossways Over Shoulders – this method can be more dangerous if the thief has chosen the person as their victim. If the purse is crossways, the is a higher probability of the person being thrown or dragged to the ground. The positive is that the person is less likely to be chosen for robbery if the purse appears more difficult to snatch.
So, the lesson here is it depends. Crossways may be a better option when multiple people are around due to the challenging nature of grabbing the purse. But, each scenario is unique with many variables.
Of interesting note is how successful the man’s knee strikes to the face were. If you follow any of my posts on social media, I am often making fun of how often people think a Knee to The Groin is the be-all and end-all of strikes.
Some will see this and say, “See, Chris, knees are highly effective.” I have never said they can’t be effective, BUT they are generally most effective if delivered from a dominant position like this man. When one attempts these knee strikes to the groin or face when they are moving backwards, or in a non-dominant position, they have a much lesser chance of success due to the compromise of balance and telegraph.
Keep SAFE!
Chris Roberts
Founder, SAFE Violence Prevention & Self Defence