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From the AP today:

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.

When he leaned inside, trying to yank the mother out of the car, the 17-year-old grabbed the gun, Fortunato said. He said it went off once as they struggled, but did not hit anyone. Once the youth got the gun, he shot Chestnut several times, Fortunato said.

Sylena Rhodes, a corporate officer for Arby's, said, "He saved his mother's life. He's a hero. He's an absolute hero."

While acknowledging the gamble succeeded, authorities stressed that it's safer to cooperate in such a case.

"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."


(My own comment: Thank you, Sheriff Lee, for that clarification. I DO have insurance on my car, so I'll be sure to no longer have any misplaced idea that I might actually be in danger if someone is pointing a gun at me and demanding my money and my car.)

I do like happy endings

While acknowledging the gamble succeeded, authorities stressed that it's safer to cooperate in such a case.

"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."

Politicians

Dan

So ppl should leave themselves to the mercy of a thug that would point a weapon at them, grab them, and demand their possessions?
(I must be missing something here.)

Carl Chestnut, wounded in the head and torso, will face armed robbery charges once he is released from East Jefferson General Hospital

Once the youth got the gun, he shot Chestnut several times

Are handguns really this ineffective as a weapon? You shoot the guy "in the head and torso" "several times" and he survives? Does it happen to mention the caliber?

Mike from Texas wrote:

Carl Chestnut, wounded in the head and torso, will face armed robbery charges once he is released from East Jefferson General Hospital

Once the youth got the gun, he shot Chestnut several times

Are handguns really this ineffective as a weapon? You shoot the guy "in the head and torso" "several times" and he survives? Does it happen to mention the caliber?

The intended victims weren't killed b/c this kid fought back. No, handguns aren't magic wands. I think 80% of people survive handgun wounds, but I don't care to let someone put me in the statistics either way.

Mike from Texas wrote:

Carl Chestnut, wounded in the head and torso, will face armed robbery charges once he is released from East Jefferson General Hospital

Once the youth got the gun, he shot Chestnut several times

Are handguns really this ineffective as a weapon? You shoot the guy "in the head and torso" "several times" and he survives? Does it happen to mention the caliber?

I would venture to guess that the pistol in question was probably a small-caliber weapon, such as a .22 or .25. Even a .38 Special at close range can cause some pretty traumatic wounds to the head, but a .22 or .25 would tend to bounce off the skull, instead of breaking bones.

People have survived torso shots with much worse than .22 or .25, as well. I heard a story (admittedly anecdotal) of a thug who got shot with a .44 to the torso while in progress of committing a crime and survived.

---

Main point though: Goblin attempts hold up by threatening life and health. Teenager not only removes Goblin's weapon and stops Goblin's crime, but removes Goblin from local "thug pool," at least temporarily.

Good on him, and quick thinking.

Skiprr wrote: "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."

What gives the sheriff the idea that he can simply ASSUME that things will work out that way? Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't.

Now it might be all the same to him.. Regardless of what happens his department just does their best to find the perp and gather the evidence to convict him.

But just in case the sheriff overlooked it, if it's me involved, IT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE TO ME HOW IT TURNS OUT.

Is he willing to financially compensate my family if I take his "expert" advice and end up getting shot and killed anyway? If not, he might do better to keep his mouth shut.

Frankly, I expect that kind of arrogant know-it-all attitude from LEO's back up in Yankeeland where I came from - not down here.

While acknowledging the gamble succeeded, authorities stressed that it's safer to cooperate in such a case.

"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."

Oh give me a break! For those not in the know, Metairie is pretty much just another part of New Orleans, which is now full of thugs. I'm sure this kid has lived there long enough to know they don't usually just let you go after they get the money.

Thane wrote:

Mike from Texas wrote:

Carl Chestnut, wounded in the head and torso, will face armed robbery charges once he is released from East Jefferson General Hospital

Once the youth got the gun, he shot Chestnut several times

Are handguns really this ineffective as a weapon? You shoot the guy "in the head and torso" "several times" and he survives? Does it happen to mention the caliber?

I would venture to guess that the pistol in question was probably a small-caliber weapon, such as a .22 or .25. Even a .38 Special at close range can cause some pretty traumatic wounds to the head, but a .22 or .25 would tend to bounce off the skull, instead of breaking bones.

People have survived torso shots with much worse than .22 or .25, as well. I heard a story (admittedly anecdotal) of a thug who got shot with a .44 to the torso while in progress of committing a crime and survived.

---

Main point though: Goblin attempts hold up by threatening life and health. Teenager not only removes Goblin's weapon and stops Goblin's crime, but removes Goblin from local "thug pool," at least temporarily.

Good on him, and quick thinking.

A 44 Mag or .50 Cal can be deflected by the surface tension of water as well as the smaller calibers. The Human skull is rounded and and offers lots of oblique angled shots Sometimes the brain can survive some pretty ugly trauma. We only use about 10 percent of it anyway.

I bet the gun was loaded with cheap solid bullets instead of hollow expencive ones. I don't think thugs will normally spend the extra money, or even understand the difference.

Skiprr wrote:From the AP today:
While acknowledging the gamble succeeded, authorities stressed that it's safer to cooperate in such a case.

"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."

Gadzooks! Seems like for every one of these silly bits of advice I read, I then read about some innocent person getting shot in the back while laying on the ground following this advice.

Photoman wrote:

Skiprr wrote:From the AP today:
While acknowledging the gamble succeeded, authorities stressed that it's safer to cooperate in such a case.

"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."

Gadzooks! Seems like for every one of these silly bits of advice I read, I then read about some innocent person getting shot in the back while laying on the ground following this advice.

I remember an incident that happened here in El Paso a few years ago. A young woman found the need to visit an ATM at night, and was approached by an armed robber. She complied with his demands for cash; he responded by shooting her in the face with a .22, then kidnapping her. She survived that gunshot wound, and played the good, compliant victim.

It got her killed. The robber/kidnapper took her out to the desert and murdered her.

The young man in the above story took a chance when he attacked the goblin, but it was a chance worth taking. He may well have saved two lives - his and his mother's.

Good on him.

I remember an incident that happened here in El Paso a few years ago. A young woman found the need to visit an ATM at night, and was approached by an armed robber. She complied with his demands for cash; he responded by shooting her in the face with a .22, then kidnapping her. She survived that gunshot wound, and played the good, compliant victim.

It got her killed. The robber/kidnapper took her out to the desert and murdered her.

The only good thing I've ever heard come out of Oprah is her telling women to never let them take you to another location. Whether you have to kick, bite, scream...whatever. One statistic I've heard is that you have a better chance of surviving a gunshot wound to the head than going to the second location. I guess women just freeze up when they see a gun or knife. In this poor woman's case, she didn't survive either one.

I've got a whole lot of opinions on stuff like this, but I'll keep it to myself in order not to offend everyone. I do suggest if you have a family...make your woman or daughter carry mace a knife...anything. And teach them how to use it.

As I replied in another venue:

It would have been safer to hand over the keys and let the gunman
drive off, Sheriff Harry Lee said Monday.

Ummm, Harry... the evidence at hand in the current case points to the inescapable conclusion that the safest course of action is to SHOOT THE THUG IN THE HEAD!

While acknowledging the gamble succeeded, authorities stressed that it's safer to cooperate in such a case.

"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."

I wonder if Sheriff Lee would sit there and cooperate if a robber pulled a gun on him.

[quote="Skiprr"]
While acknowledging the gamble succeeded, authorities stressed that it's safer to cooperate in such a case.

"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."
quote]

Sounds like it's time for a new election in Jefferson Parish.