Should I feel Guilty?
 

Posted this in other forum but thought I'd repost here and get your perspective.

Someone got hit with a cup of Ice.
My Post:
"I must admit when I hear folks shouting something at me I scream REAL LOUD "HEY" or sometimes "AAIIIEEEEEE"!
In town the other day a car of 3 teen boys hollered something and I did this. Well -a cop on a street perpendicular to us, heard me and pulled them over, 3 teenage boys. (I'm 59). I said I thought I saw something went past my head but wasn't sure. Cop looked and found empty cig lighter on side of road. Asked if that was what I saw. I said I don't know if they did or if so what it may have been , "I was just very startled". Cop called drivers father. Also asked me if I wanted to press charges - I said No. (hey - I can't lie right?) Father was PO'ed at son, gave him H***. Told other boys he was going to tell their fathers. I thanked the cop and went on with my ride. Not feeling guilty on this one. "

So - did I do wrong? BTW- kid who hollered was in the shotgun seat. (do they still call it that?)

Sounds good to me. BTW its usually the shotgun seat that causes most of the non-lethal trouble.

I've been hit with eggs, fast food garbage and have had kids scream in my ear as they drove by...and I could have sworn some have swerved a little closer to me than is safe. Rather than feel guilt, you should feel confident you performed a civic service and were a healthy wake-up to parents who may or may not be in denial about the potential their kids have for being pain in the a** jerks. Some of those jerks will go on to seriously endanger themselves and others. A few will seriously break the law.

"Kids will be kids" sometimes leads to pain for others. Children only learn acceptable norms by being held accountable. If you'd pressed charges it would have come to little in juvenile court but would have dragged their parents out of the house and that would have been good for all.

Naaaaahh... Learning that yelling out of a car window is dumb is part of life's journey for some people.

Who knows, you may have saved one or more of those kids from winding up on YouTube in 6 months.

I had sailed for years and on the water the powerboats would try to run us down. I rode motorcycle a long time as well and cars would try and run us down. Now i'm riding bikes and people throw garbage at us. I tried to call some of them back when I was younger and of course they wouldn't. All they are,are a bunch of cowards. Get them out of there weapons and see how they would act. I had the pleasure a few times years ago to get some bullies and I really felt good.I wish there was a cop around more offen to catch more of these guys. Such is life,if they know they can get away with it they'll just keep doing it.Then when they get caught they run to mom. Boy I feel better now,thanks George

I had a real goody the other day. This guy goes past our group and does this "Brown eye" at us.
A "brown eye" is pulling your trousers down and sticking your butt out the window of the car.
Just as this guy goes past us, it is him that lets out the scream and his butt disappeared inside the car, which comes to a screaming halt just in front of us.
I was ready to "sort them out" when the driver starts yelling for someone to call an ambulance.
it seems the guy was allergic to BEE stings and had got a good one right on his bum!
We luckily had two nurses in our bunch, but boy are they MEAN, made him drop his pants on the side of the road and "administered" the anti-histamine stuff all over everywherewhile the guy is straddeling the car bonnet (hood) Hilarious! Never seen a redder face in all my life.
I really was funny as all get out. They got a lot more than they bargained for.
It really made that ride worth while, so many Bee on bum jokes.
Made my day actually, hope it makes yours.
Cheers
Cycler.

I was bought up in a small village and we had a local policeman that lived in the village. Any problems in the village and he knew about it. If he had to have a word with you about your behaviour- then you were in trouble. Not just from him as he used to tell your father and then you were in trouble.
Unfortunately there is a strong element of youth today that do not have any parental control. If you confront the youths then you get a load of verbal. If you confront the parents you understand where the problem came from. If you tell the police then it must be you at fault for such a minor problem. There is a problem family in my area and no-one has managed to get anything done about them. The only thing is that they are a bit calmer now as some one has had enough and various membrs of the family arrive home in a sorry state occasionally. Almost as if someone has been upset by them and belted the daylights out of them.

I think you did exactly the right thing. Let him explain his actions to his father, not to a court or pay a fine. No one was physically hurt, but the kid needs to dial it down a notch or choose new freinds before a fun ride turns into a life-time nightmare.

I agree that you did the right thing by not pressing charges and letting the parent handle the situation.
Although you might like to make an example out of this dope for all of the other incidents that occur when no cop is within miles, that would have been wrong, and a legitimate reason to feel guilty.
You handled it just fine.

One Saturday I'm fifteen miles out of town and two pickups come zig-zagging down the road, one on the other's tail, doing 80+ mph, on a deserted blacktop which, thankfully, had a shoulder. Someone in one of the trucks yelled at me, but it really didn't matter. The color, size, and markings on both trucks were unmistakable.

All of them were my son's friends, the driver of the tailgater is in the Sunday School class I teach, and lives just down the strett.

The day after this incident I gave my little Sunday School charge (driving the second pickup) a lecture in how to kill his best friend (let the car in front tap his brakes for an errant rabbit or raccoon) and he immediately understood. Over the next week or so, as various kids came and went from the house I gave each of them a dose of humble pie. I didn't tell the parents.

Small town, I knew the kids, and I think this worked out pretty good.

>>> . . .brown eye. . .guy was allergic to BEE stings and had got a good one right on his bum . . allergy. . .

Well Cycler, as a dyed-in-the-wool Anglican I'm supposed to have deep sympathy for the poor unfortunate victim of his own idiocy. But God help me I damn near peed my briefs and am pretty sure God did, too! [Theologial Question to All Anglo-Catholics: Can God pee his briefs? I'll send a message to the Archbishop of Canterbury and get back to you. 'Couse it may have to wait until they settle the Gays-in-the Prieshood bit.]

Sometimes I like to smile, wave and blow them a kiss when people scream, swerve or whatever. Freaks 'em out.

Yes, you should feel guilty. The poor boys were just out riding and doing what many drivers do, trying to keep the road free of the two-wheeled trash. :) No, your actions were completely within what I would call good sense.

Yeah, I think you should have pressed charges. The next time they may move up to a brick and hit someone....... or if they did it agoin and a cyclist called police, there would have been a record. I'm certain the kids are glad you didn't press charges, only time will tell you how they "thank" you for the favor....