I would have plucked his eyes out!!!

You did the right thing Shaun.

No matter who you are there is always someone badder who will kick your azz if you go around starting stuff.

I know many of you here are the "touch me and it is on" type of guys... different strokes, if that works for you fine.

I grew up in Los Angeles... if I jumped everyone who "dissed" me I would be stabbed/shot/dead via some crack head/gangster long before now.

Discretion is the better part of valor... at least for me.

I cannot imagine the urban, 'hood environment. I grew up in a small logging town in the middle of nowhere. There wasn't much to do, so we tended to have fistfights for fun. No guns, no knives. And yeah, it was kinda fun.

I can remember wishing, many times, that GW Bush had attended my high school. The world would have never seen that arrogant smirk.

Snipe.... you should try moving?

The hood don't let you move.

me too. Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. Red Neck logging town. there were some tuff buggers in that small town. The place I live now is about half the size.

lol

fixed it for you

This could be a candidate for the post of the decade.

I was just thinking the same thing.

Shaun,

Let's take the overdose of testosterone out of this discussion for a minute...you boys who wanna beat the **** out this douchebag can all come back later ;).

Yes, my initial reaction would have been to fight back and do it dirty - being female I have no reason to "fight like a man" and frankly it's not as effective as some of the moves I've had to use in the past :p. (Believe it or not my Daddy taught me well - he fought like a man but taught me how to fight like an enraged female). But why sink to the douchbag's level? That's what he wanted no doubt and Shaun WON just by not retaliating.

Look at the big picture. Shaun has a business to run and a collection to finish. He's under pressure to get the job done and dealing with the fallout of taking this guy down would put him in a lose-lose situation. I think he did the right thing given the circumstances.

Shaun; what are your obligations to this temp? Does she ordinarily do a good/great job or is she dispensable? Is this the first time she hasn't performed as she should in the workplace and can you just fire her without warning given she's a temp or do you have to go through the 3 written warnings garbage we have to down here? Do you really need her with her baggage slowing you down? If you can dispense with her easily I would suggest you do it.

HOW DARE her boyfriend demand you account to HIM about her hours (that would have incensed me). A harsh as it is, you are not her guardian, mother etc and her problems outside the workplace can't come to work with her. She has to deal with that, not you. Although maybe you could at least suggest she seek some help with her situation - but for God's sake don't get involved in it as her problems will then become yours by default.

FWIW I think you handled this whole situation like a MAN. You got the better of this idiot in a lot of ways. Just make sure your premises are secured when you're not there and call that cop and ask him to have the patrols drive by to check everything is OK overnight etc. I wouldn't put it past this guy to take his revenge on you in other ways...so be aware.

I agree with the police report for the record.

Anyone touches me or my family and they get the "full treatment" right away. They don't get a second chance to learn.

I would carry for awhile or have access to Shawn.

You back in town?

You're so sure it's 'clear cut' self defense?

So what happens when the only witness is the girlfriend, who seems to be terrified of him? Now the guy and his girl both say Shaun started it. Oops. Not so clear cut anymore.

Even if she doesn't lie... if you push somebody down some stairs and accidently cause more harm than intended, you could find yourself in a world of hurt legally. A soft touching of the head isn't likely to justify you paralyzing somebody. Being self defense isn't good enough. You have to be able to convince a jury it's self defense.

If nothing else, a physical altercation would have led to Shaun spending the rest of his day talking to the cops instead of working to meet his deadline. Then his business suffers just so he can feel good knowing he didn't take any crap.

Or, maybe he decides to take a swing and this unstable individual pulls a knife. Now Shauns guts are on the floor, but at least he stood up for himself, right?

The guy deserved to get beat up, but that doesn't make beating him up the right thing to do.

Meekness... having power but chosing not to use it.

See, we can't do that down here - "carry" I mean. Our gun laws are so, so tight. You get caught with a weapon in a situation like this; even if you hold a longarm or handgun licence and the weapon is registered; even if it's not loaded - you are GONE!!! Can't even have your weapons out of their approved safe unless you are about to use them for their registered intent. We just don't have this option unfortunately...although my District Firearms Officer (yes you get one of those when you hold a licence and have registered guns) once said to me that if I had recurring problems with asshat customers that maybe I should just keep my guns out on my desk for constant cleaning lol! He was a good dude - great cop who was/is a sporting shooter and gave me a whole lot of good advice and help when I still had all my rifles etc.

Shaun did the right thing. The temp & bf have nothing to loose and lots to gain if Shaun took the bait and started to fight. He called the cops and documented the assault (no battery took place). This way, if the bf comes back he can use what ever force he feels necessary to defend himself and the law will be on his side (to some extent).

Scenario one: Shaun kicks the bf down the stairs. Feels ten feet tall and bullet proof. Bf is laying at a heap at bottom of the stairs, moaning. Temp is crying and screaming. Someone calls the cops. They show up and ask what happened. Shaun says "they came in demanding money and he put is head close to mine, so I kicked his ass". Temp says "he owes me money and my bf came with me because I'm afraid of him".

Bf is now being loaded on a stretcher being taken hospital. Shaun is now arrested for assault and battery (maybe more depending on the bf's injury's) as he hasn't a mark on him from the bf and the only witness is the temp.

Now Shaun is late getting his spring line ready and might miss some appointments/shows because he is posting bail, hiring a lawyer to defend himself, now under a lot of stress because of this. So he looses out on some sales. His sales managers are now not happy with him and he looses some product lines. (that is, I'm assuming he's a independent sales rep instead of a factory rep where he would just get fired).

Meanwhile Bf is in hospital with a sobbing temp is at his side.

Fast forward: 6-9 months later...Shaun is now is court sitting with his lawyer (who he had to pay by selling his 911 cause he's been trying to find other work) and the Bf (wearing a big white foam collar around his neck) is being represented by a member of the firm Dewey, Scrum and Howe who is suing Shaun for a Billion $'s for lost wages he was going to be getting by doing computer design work and emotional stress.

Being ten feet tall and bullet proof is nice until you get a little older and realize there are people out there who are 11' tall. Then it's time to protect your ass(ets) and that's what the law is about.

+1 gwn7...

hehe Lisa. We can take a class here and get a CWP and it is good in many states around here. I also see some guys wearing their piece where you can see it. Many businesses and all government building don't allow weapons at all.

I lived in So. Cal. for 25 years and grew up with guns but California didn't seem to be in line with the NRA....haha

GWN7 you have the name of the legal firm wrong. It's Dewey Cheatum & How.

other than that your post is +100

The other guy assaulted him unprovoked. At that point it is legal self defense.

You are DISproving your own point!

This is not the UK. In the US you have the legal right to answer force with force.
Even cowards are allowed to fight back...

And seriously, what are they going to get from him if they do sue? T-shirts? LOL...

The other guy assaulted him unprovoked. At that point it is legal self defense.

Man, some of you are as inattentive as you are cowardly...

All acting like a biitch is going to do is encourage the other guy. This thread is amazing. Any thug could basically torment any of you and you wouldn't do anything for fear of getting sued or locked up over night.

Sheep.