Plainfield police: Would-be good Samaritans inadvertently allow robbery suspect to escape
39 replies, posted
[quote]PLAINFIELD — Two people driving down West Front Street together on Monday morning apparently thought they were doing the right thing when they leaped out of their vehicle and rushed to the defense of what appeared to be a man assaulting a woman, authorities said.
There was just one problem: The woman actually had just robbed the man with whom she was tussling, and the would-be good Samaritans inadvertently allowed her to get away, according to city Public Safety Director Martin Hellwig.
The female suspect remained at large as of late Monday.
“The two (passing motorists) were not involved (in the robbery),” Hellwig said. “They were released and have not been charged.”
About 12:30 a.m. Monday, police responding to a report of a robbery in progress on the 500 block of West Front Street found the victim, a 26-year-old male who lives nearby, authorities explained. The victim reported that he was attacked by an unknown female as he was walking down the street, then robbed of about $400 in cash and a gold chain valued at about $500, according to Hellwig.
The victim said he tried to prevent his assailant from leaving the area, engaging her in a physical struggle, when the passing motorists apparently intervened, restraining him but not assaulting him, Hellwig said. The female suspect, spotting an opening, turned and ran, first trying unsuccessfully to hail a taxi before running down Plainfield Avenue, according to the investigation.
The victim attempted to pursue but soon lost sight of her, Hellwig added. After police arrived, the man provided a description of the motorists’ vehicle — a small, white Honda — and a vehicle matching that description was pulled over shortly thereafter.
The would-be good Samaritans, a 21-year-old city male and a 26-year-old city female, then relayed their story to investigators. Elements of the story were confirmed when video surveillance footage from a nearby gas station was located and reviewed, Hellwig said, adding that the entire situation was complicated by the fact that the victim was intoxicated and spoke limited English.
The footage included clear images of the female suspect and the robbery, Hellwig added, noting that investigators are making progress toward identifying and locating the suspect. The robbery victim was shaken but did not require hospitalization, authorities said.
Anyone with information about the robbery is being asked to call Plainfield Police Detective Inesha Nash-Brown at 908-753-3008.[/quote]
[url]http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20120820/NJNEWS/308200041/Plainfield-police-Would-good-Samaritans-inadvertently-allow-robbery-suspect-escape?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1[/url]
That sucks
these are the kinds of stories that forge cynics
It sucks when this happens to you. That sudden drop from feeling heroic to stupid is really a mood whiplash. But who can blame the guys, shit happens.
two guys should have grabbed both people, like most do when they're stopping a fight.
Damn this is one of my worst fears, trying to help and then finding out that you fucked everything up
yay gender stereotypes
[QUOTE=and;37385565]yay gender stereotypes[/QUOTE]
Or maybe it looked like the man assaulted the woman because he was trying to take back what she stole. I think that in today's society you would be getting the impression that the one being wrestled is the victim, regardless of gender.
Sexism strikes again.
But in all seriousness, I think most people would make the same mistake in that situation.
That would suck to be in the same situation as the guy who got robbed.
Why does this remind me of Space Station 13 so much?
Sexist much?
This reminds me of a [I]Malcolm in the Middle[/I] episode, where Malcolm tries to get to know his neighbors better by helping them clear out their garage. He finds out later that he had helped a bunch of robbers steal everything in his neighbor's house.
[QUOTE=Limed00d;37385612]Or maybe it looked like the man assaulted the woman because he was trying to take back what she stole. I think that in today's society you would be getting the impression that the one being wrestled is the victim, regardless of gender.[/QUOTE]
That is what he meant by "Gender Stereotypes"..
It looked like the man assaulted the woman, because 'men assault women' is how society is conditioned.
If a woman assaulted a man, it would be a laughing point at the weakness of the man, and the strength of the woman.
[QUOTE=Bradyns;37409649]That is what he meant by "Gender Stereotypes"..
It looked like the man assaulted the woman, because 'men assault women' is how society is conditioned.
If a woman assaulted a man, it would be a laughing point at the weakness of the man, and the strength of the woman.[/QUOTE]
This is why high-function mental sexual dimorphism shouldn't exist, at all.
I live in Plainfield IL, was surprised that my town was in the news, then saw it was a NJ news website :v:
The two should be charged. They should have been more responsible and been more aware of the situation before getting involved.
They also better prepare their asses for a lawsuit by the victim.
[QUOTE=HkSniper;37416748]The two should be charged. They should have been more responsible and been more aware of the situation before getting involved.
They also better prepare their asses for a lawsuit by the victim.[/QUOTE]
Most people who saw a man and women fighting over an object would assume the woman to be the victim. Charging them would be a completely shitty thing to do, they where just trying to help.
[QUOTE=BusterBluth;37416850]Most people who saw a man and women fighting over an object would assume the woman to be the victim. Charging them would be a completely shitty thing to do, they where just trying to help.[/QUOTE]
That's what happens when you assume. You may end up doing something stupid.
[QUOTE=HkSniper;37416901]That's what happens when you assume. You may end up doing something stupid.[/QUOTE]
There are logical things to assume. I'm willing to bet a vast majoritys of muggings are done by men.
[QUOTE=BusterBluth;37416933]There are logical things to assume. I'm willing to bet a vast majoritys of muggings are done by men.[/QUOTE]
Assumptions like this should be what end up getting people reprimanded, maybe then situations like this would happen less often. Unless it was like, some woman or a guy getting beaten to death, then I suppose any action would be necessary.
[QUOTE=U.S.S.R;37417942]Assumptions like this should be what end up getting people reprimanded, maybe then situations like this would happen less often. Unless it was like, some woman or a guy getting beaten to death, then I suppose any action would be necessary.[/QUOTE]
Happen less often? Situations like this hardly happen. It was a reasonable thing to assume because you generally never hear of a man being mugged by a women.
[QUOTE=HkSniper;37416748]The two should be charged. They should have been more responsible and been more aware of the situation before getting involved.
They also better prepare their asses for a lawsuit by the victim.[/QUOTE]
Would the good Samaritan law cover this? It says it only covers things like injury, not loss of property.
[QUOTE=BusterBluth;37418027]Happen less often? Situations like this hardly happen. It was a reasonable thing to assume because you generally never hear of a man being mugged by a women.[/QUOTE]
Still, people would think twice before automatically siding with a woman because of sexist assumptions in a struggle. It isn't as if it is a life or death situation where someone has a knife or a gun.
The more likely thing to happen is that nobody helps out anybody in trouble, aka Bystander/Genovese effect, except, instead because they fear of legal reprecussions for helping someone.
The real issue is what is a 26 year old guy doing walking the streets in the middle of the night with $400 in cash AND a $500 gold chain if he can't even stop a woman from taking it from him? If you got to go out at night, for some smokes or something, why are you going to take $400?
He was up to no good, probably buying drugs from her, and got robbed, that's my theory. Or he's an idiot who used to have $400 in cash and a $500 gold chain.
[QUOTE=RayvenQ;37421069]The more likely thing to happen is that nobody helps out anybody in trouble, aka Bystander/Genovese effect, except, instead because they fear of legal reprecussions for helping someone.[/QUOTE]
You could always separate and then forcibly detain the two while you wait for the police to arrive in stead of taking a side and possibly being reprimanded for that.
[editline]26th August 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=cecilbdemodded;37421280]The real issue is what is a 26 year old guy doing walking the streets in the middle of the night with $400 in cash AND a $500 gold chain if he can't even stop a woman from taking it from him? If you got to go out at night, for some smokes or something, why are you going to take $400?
He was up to no good, probably buying drugs from her, and got robbed, that's my theory. Or he's an idiot who used to have $400 in cash and a $500 gold chain.[/QUOTE]
It's people like you that make me think that polarization in these issues should be illegal.
[quote]You could always separate and then forcibly detain the two while you wait for the police to arrive in stead of taking a side and possibly being reprimanded for that/quote]
Even then you run the risk of unlawful detainment, false imprisonment and unlwaful arrest (You may go "Citizens Arrest" but even then thats not a get out of jail free card, you still can get in trouble for it)
[QUOTE=Goodthief;37385531]Damn this is one of my worst fears, trying to help and then finding out that you fucked everything up[/QUOTE]
This is why I don't help anybody.
[QUOTE=plokoon9619;37386691]Why does this remind me of Space Station 13 so much?[/QUOTE]
Would be civic-minded, dutiful crewmembers inadvertently allow traitor to escape
[QUOTE=RayvenQ;37421397][quote]You could always separate and then forcibly detain the two while you wait for the police to arrive in stead of taking a side and possibly being reprimanded for that/quote]
Even then you run the risk of unlawful detainment, false imprisonment and unlwaful arrest (You may go "Citizens Arrest" but even then thats not a get out of jail free card, you still can get in trouble for it)[/QUOTE]
Well, I was speaking in terms of 'should be' and not 'is this'. If there were a change for equality in such a fashion, certainly that law could be more loose.
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