Petite Beautician Foils Robbery

The title link is to a story in a which a 4' 9" female hair stylist thwarts a robbery attempt from a 6' tall masked man. Below are some quotes from the Telegraph.co.uk story:

the robber, carrying an imitation gun, burst in and demanded cash from the terrified owner Joanna Holmes.Miss Lowell, then 26, wrestled with him until concerned staff dragged her away

Think about this quote for a minute. A robber attacks and the only person with the guts to fight back is "dragged away" by "concerned staff". What was the "concerned staff" thinking?!? Why didn't they help Miss Lowell beat the hell out of the robber rather than start fighting the one woman with the guts to do the right thing? They should have immediately started hurling things at him, stabbed him with scissors and otherwise made this intruder flee for his life. If I was Miss Lowell, I would find a different job rather than continue to work with such pathetic and cowardly colleagues.

But as the raider ran out she took off her stiletto heels and chased him 300 yards down the street brandishing one of the shoes before he eventually got into a waiting car.She managed to note the registration number...

This woman really has guts! It's too bad that the police couldn't or wouldn't prosecute the case.

Miss Lowell said: "I looked in the mirror at his gun to see if it was real and I was convinced it wasn't. That's when I turned round and went for him.

A perfect example of how a basic knowledge of weapons can help out ordinary people. Being able to tell if a weapon is real, or being able to glance at a revolver and see if there are bullets in the cylinder can save your life and/or help you decide how/when/if to fight back.

"I think he was a bit shocked that the smallest person in the shop was having a go.

I bet the robber was shocked when she stood up for herself and didn't cower. I've long believed that robbers will often be stunned d by a person who tells them "no". Someone once tried to rob me at knife point and you should have seen the dumbfounded look on his face when I told him "no" and dropped into a fighting stance and put up my hands. He just stood there for a moment with his jaw hanging open and a stupid confused look on his face and then became scared and took a couple of hasty steps back from me. (He eventually went to prison because of this crime).

Most thieves don't expect serious resistance. They think their weapon will magically compel obedience and submission from their victims and they don't know what to do when their "victim" tells them to bugger off. That moment of shock might be all you need to disable them, disarm them or escape from them. I realize that in some cases resisting may get you hurt or killed, but I firmly believe that if most people resisted, there would be a lot less crime and the world would be a safer place.