17 Year Old Save The Day

[MJS]

Came across this article. Apparently a 17yo and his mother were at a drive thru and someone attempted to carjack them. The 17yo grabbed the gun from the attacker and shot him.

METAIRIE, La. - A 17-year-old boy foiled an attempted carjacking, wrestling a gun from a would-be robber and shooting him after the man grabbed his mother, authorities said.
Carl Chestnut, wounded in the head and torso, will face armed robbery charges once he is released from East Jefferson General Hospital, Col. John Fortunato, a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman, said Monday.
The 53-year-old woman, whose name wasn’t released, and her son were in the drive-through line at an Arby’s Roast Beef Restaurant early Monday when Chestnut, 44, walked up and pointed a gun at her, demanding their money and the car, Fortunato said.

 

[crushing]

I'm glad the boy and his mother are ok.

Also from the article:

“Give them the money and give them the keys,” Sheriff Harry Lee said. “You make an insurance payment on your car, and nobody gets shot.”

 

[Kacey]

On the one hand, I'm very impressed... on the other hand, I'm horrified; that boy took an incredible risk.

 

[Yeti]

On the one hand, I'm very impressed... on the other hand, I'm horrified; that boy took an incredible risk.

Agreed. This is another one that could have turned terribly ugly.

 

[arnisador]

On the one hand, I'm very impressed... on the other hand, I'm horrified; that boy took an incredible risk.

Yeah, that's my thought too...nothing succeeds like success, so good for him; but the sheriff is absolutely right about the risk, and the best way to handle the situation (usually, of course).

 

[tellner]

Yes, he took a risk. But he was there. None of us Monday morning armchair quarterbacks was. He was the one who had to assess the situation in a split second and decide what the robber's intention was and whether the risks of doing nothing were greater than the risks of taking action.

The sheriff will always counsel giving up. Always. Any law enforcement bureau's legal staff will dictate that. Tell the sheep to fight back and you are exposed to liability if they do.

 

[jdinca]

On the one hand, I'm very impressed... on the other hand, I'm horrified; that boy took an incredible risk.

I agree. I do think that there is a slowly growing sentiment out there where people are getting tired of the "just play the victim role and everything will be okay" point of view. I'd say it started with Flight 93.

 

[MJS]

Folks,

I split off some of the off topic posts, giving them their own thread. For this thread, lets continue to discuss the article at hand.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[arnisador]

Yes, he took a risk. But he was there. None of us Monday morning armchair quarterbacks was. He was the one who had to assess the situation in a split second and decide what the robber's intention was and whether the risks of doing nothing were greater than the risks of taking action.

Agreed. Everyone has to make that call for themselves.

The sheriff will always counsel giving up. Always. Any law enforcement bureau's legal staff will dictate that. Tell the sheep to fight back and you are exposed to liability if they do.

While there's some truth to that, I think that's too simple. The common judgment was that fighting back increases the chance of injury. Whether that sentiment is right or wrong, or whether the events of 9/11 have or should have changed that, the point is that "Just give him your wallet/car keys/etc." is based more on an assessment of the odds of being hurt than anything else. It was considered the safest course of action.

This young man can never know what would have happened if he played out this scenario 100 times. How often would he be seriously injured? I'm glad he succeeded. In retrospect, it may well have been the right call to make. But giving "fight back" as advice would still be questionable. Saying "Use your judgment" at the least is better.