Wait! Don’t watch the video yet. What’s wrong with this sentence: “Being trained in martial arts, Edri tried to disarm the robber.” I mean, if that’s all you knew about the story, would you approve or disapprove of Alethea Edri’s decision to take on an armed robber at Denver’s Colefax Avenue Video One store? Let’s add some details, you make up your mind, and THEN watch the video. Starting with this: the robber entered the store, pointed a gun at Ms Edri at nearasdammit point blank range and told her to get on the floor . . .
That’s not good. Why would he tell he to get on the floor instead of the usual “Gimme the money”? But judging from the video [which you’ll watch in a minute], Edri was standing in front of a plate glass window when the robber gave her the command. Not herded into a back room or standing behind the counter.
OK, so Edri is a trained martial artist. She doesn’t look like one, or move like one, or talk like one, but let’s assume she is one. A really good one. If you have mad martial arts skills and the assailant was within spitting distance, would you, at that point, attack with your hands?
It’s a good time to do so, right? Fight early and fight viscously.
“I threw the bag down and grabbed the gun and stepped up to hit him in the jugular,” said Edri, manager of Video One.
The problem is she missed because she says the gunman is left-handed.
“I’m used to disarming a right-handed person,” said Edri.
So I guess we could say that didn’t work out so well for Edri. The assailant “stepped back” and shot her.
Or maybe Edri did the right thing. The bullet was a through-and-though, in one side of her arm and out the other. She lived to tell the tale. Isn’t that all that matters?
The again, maybe it was stupid. Maybe she should have just hit the deck and let the robbery play out. Most vide store robberies are not assassinations.
Judgment call? You tell me. While I tell you [who hasn’t watched the vide yet] this: post-incident, she insults the robber. Calls him stupid. A man who owns a gun, isn’t afraid to use it, remains at liberty and, presumably, owns a TV. And/or knows people who do.
Edri says she’s now afraid of being shot. Be afraid Ms. Edri, be very afraid. And now would be a good time to get a CCW permit. Perhaps. What good would a gun have done in this situation? Enquiring minds want to know.
Not enough practice of martial arts.
You should have been taught to disarm from ANY position. Why the heck were your training partners so limited?
Once you get yourself off of his line of attack, you should be able to draw to engage.
I agree with AntiCitizenOne. A ‘Bare Hands to Handguns’ or similar class can train you to adapt to any assault at any angle or any range (even a nose-to-nose home invasion). Even if you have a side arm, you have to be able to get it out under extreme pressure with hand-to-hand.
If she’d lain on the floor, she might be dead right now. Or, he might have left without shooting her. She was lucky in any case and very brave.
I think this is a perfect example of how most practitioners of self defense think, both armed and unarmed. She watches a lot of movies and loves the action section. Everybody wants to be a cowboy/cowgirl. Regardless, if I lived in that city I’d waste no time asking her for a date. You go cowgirl. I say train harder AND carry a gun.
While this may not have been my first line of defense (martial arts), I applaud the fact that she decided that rather than be a victim, she stood up and did not accept the social contract being forced upon her by the assailant. Too many people are willing to accept an attack as part of the business (video/gas/convenience store clerk). Good effort, glad you aren’t seriously injured – now get some more training, and include a host of other weapons that are available including a gun.
“What good would a gun have done in this situation?”
Not much, probably. He completely had position on her. Alternate theories require the lady to be a) a martial arts expert and b) a trained combat shooter and c) damn lucky. Not realistic.
But far more importantly, she won the encounter. She’s still a winner and the criminal is still a loser. She is not going to let this (or anything else, I’m betting) get in the way of living her life. I like this girl a lot.
She’s alive.
If she lays down on the floor, she’s probably dead.
Not only is she still alive, she seems to have a good attitude about the experience, and some context to put it in.
Good outcome.
“lay down on the floor ” + I don’t want blood on my clothes and I’ll get the money at my leisure. she did good to fight and survive.
I think she’s the stupid one, but I couldn’t say why until after I saw the video.
I think she should have tried to verbally de-fuse the situation before she took him on – used that mouth before the news camera was running.
I sure hope she doesn’t have any children the gunman can go after…
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