Yea but if you go to the police first and then the bike thief is not found, then you have made a report that only incriminates you.

There's a certain amount of hassle involved in making a report, and it's a good possibility that the thief will not come forward anyway. Even if they turn up at a hospital for treatment they may not tell the truth of where or why they got hurt.
~

depends on how big the person is..if they looked cracked out or could over power my 5'10 frame..i will probably say hey what are you doing? im calling the police..and get on your phone. If they are a bit my size i will probably come right up and grab the bike from them..and give thema mouth full of words..most people if they see you coming will walk away. Most thieves dont want any sort of conflict with anbody..but this isnt always the case. I carry mace or my CCW most of the time so im not to worried.

Are you kidding me? Disgusting. This is offensive!

Beat them until they are paralyzed.

I would assume the normal "stance" for a bike thief would be in sort of a kneel. If I saw him first, I'd walk up behind him and kick him in the ribs with every bit of strength I could muster. If he could see me first, I'd just walk on by like it wasn't mine... then I'd double back and do the same as above. I'm 6'4" about 275- I can be pretty threatening

With your "coming out of a store" scenario, unless they had an exposed firearm, or were physically bigger than me(maybe not even then), I would hurt them.....

LMFAO

"Outside of the United States, the Castle Doctrine is sometimes pejoratively referred to as a "Make My Day" law [1] [2], a reference to Dirty Harry."

I have a very good Teacher Voice that has cowed Marines in the past. Unfortunately I also have a very bad temper and I'm not totally sure which would win out.

If you have time...take out your mobile phone, pretty much all of them have cameras on them these days.
Just take a snap and then proceed with any other plan. That way even if they end up going to hospital you always have proof they actually were attempting to steal.

I must respectully disagree on this target for biomechanical cutting. I have seen this in print, on the errornet and even in magazine articles, but the tendons on the outside of the forearm do not control gripping. This is simple anatomy and kinesiology, so before this turns into a debate, please do look it up.

This assumes, of course, that the "outside" of the forearm is the part corresponding to the back of the hand; the hairy side. I am neither recommending nor condoning cutting a thief, nor advocating nor discouraging biomechanical cutting. (This whole idea of making little cuts to disable an opponent causes lively debates in martial arts and self defense forums!) I just don't want a cyclist to go into a fight against a thief, with the intent to use a technique which is likely to not work as planned.

I really get a buzz outta the fools who think a weapon (gun/knife)
is the best way to solve this issue. Better check with a cop to see
just how far on the wrong side of the law you'd be if you even
displayed any weapon. You're in for a suprize 'cause all of the
sudden YOU'RE the criminal!

The wild west really is dead.

I am rarely alone when I'm out riding; so if I caught a thief, there would almost certainly be several other cyclists with me. Guaranteed, the thief would not leave the scene under his own power.

We used to have a lot of robbery attempts at my house, but one day we happen to be in the house when the robber finally broke in and we shot his ass. The cops came in, wrote some notes, made sure our guns were legally possessed, and left. Went to court to testify, and that's about it.

Best thing about it is that we had zero robbery attempts made on our house after that!

Of course you cant necessary do the same thing when you see a robbery out on the streets.

Make Hulk Mad!!

Edit: Why did the website edit my all caps to not all caps?

It's to keep people from "yelling", although such typists tend to be techy/engineer types who can't help but type in all caps because that's also how they're supposed to type at work.

BUT IF THERE ARE LOWERCASE LETTERS IN THE POST, IT'S POSSIBLE TO TYPE THE REST ALL IN CAPITALS.

Shoot them before they have time to run and get in the back.

Every time something like this comes up, I'm amazed by the number of people who say that they would react violently, and indicate that they are prepared to do so, either because they usually carry a gun and/or a knife, or because they're trained in specialized hand-to-hand combat techniques. Some of those people probably are trained/armed/etc., and a few are probably just internet tough guys. Who knows.

Me, I don't carry or own a gun. Never have, never will. I do carry a knife, but it's one of those tiny little Swiss Army knives. Not exactly an intimidating weapon. It comes in handy for opening envelopes or cutting a story out of the newspaper, though.

I'm a middle-aged man with creaky joints (one of which is artificial at this point, and another that will probably be replaced in a year or so). I take various medications, including one for a heart condition. I'm pretty realistic about my chances of coming out of a violent encounter unscathed.

It's a bicycle, folks. If I really thought a thief would take off at the sound of my voice, sure, I'll yell at him. Otherwise, I can always get another bicycle.

Being that I have been well trained in several martial forms and after having worked with violent individuals (in a professional setting) I know what I am capable of and can make good situational assessments and although I look like a roadie, I don't fight like one.

Picking up that phone and calling 911 is the best option as it's just a bike and bikes can be replaced... they're just stuff.

If I was being physically threatened then the rules would change as I might not have the luxury of calling 911 until later and then I would probably be requesting an ambulance as well as the police.

My nephew caught a couple of guys trying to jack his brand new bike and he was just leaving the store with his new shackle in hand... they failed to heed his request to step away from his bike and then threated to kick his ass.

In the history of bad choices, this one ranks up there pretty highly.

I know another fellow who had three youths stop him and try to jack his ride while he was on it and not only threatened him but his son who was in the rear child seat.

He almost beat them to death.

I have never caught anyone messing with my bikes...they tend to be securely locked and the multiple shackles and cables are a good deterrent and I always park in well lit and fairly public places.

My friend and I once had three guys try to jack our rides while we were walking our bikes back from teaching a karate class that evening... it was a bad choice on an epic level.

That's the best one of your anecdotes.

Barrack - I have always been a very non violent person and the best weapon I have has always been my mind as this has saved my butt more than my physical skills ever have.

I have also always thought that when a non violent approach fails, you need to have a backup plan and the skills to carry it out... I hate fighting but if it comes down to having to open up that can of whupass... I pack a 2-4.

I have told this before... and have used it as a teaching example.

I was waiting on the train platform after seeing a concert and was approached by a rather drunk and very large, cowboy hat wearing, huge belt buckle sporting redneck.

A large group of young Asian youths started up the stairs to the platform and he gave me a nudge and said we should go kick their f-ing gook asses.

I ignored him and he gave me another nudge and spewed some more racist comments and threats.

I turned to him and signed and said (in my best deaf voice). "I'm sorry I can't hear you, do you know sign language ? "

He cursed and walked away to catch his train.

A couple on the platform were staring at me and I told them, "it's okay...I'm not deaf" and the fellow pretty much fell down laughing his ass off and on the ride home kept telling me that this was the coolest thing he ever saw".

This could have been a very ugly situation if he had started a fight or if he had actually known ISL...

^^^Absolutely awesome!!!

My bike is my baby. I'm attached. I bought her used after a long search, to ride 60 miles on a train to pick her up and another 60 miles to take her home. I've spent hours learning about chains and gears and bearings and lubricants and fasteners and how they all go together to make my baby mine. I've taken her through mountain passes, beach paths, countless commutes and group rides. Rather, she's taken me through them. I'm in the best shape of my life. I'm strong, lean, and just a little skilled in close quarters combat. Just enough to get me in trouble, I should say.

I don't have children. I don't have pets. Stay away from my bicycle. Stay away from my baby.

The OP's scenario doesn't fit the acceptable scenario for using your weapon.

Use the right tool for each job. In this case, taser, plastic bag over the head secured with zip ties, also
hands and feet secured with zip ties. Give him a good kick in the stomach before you leave to really get
him gasping.

I can't believe I read this whole thread all this way.