TN: 67 year old woman CHL approached by strange man in Walmart parking lot

[EEllis]

True but as one reports said, she notified him not to get any closer and he kept approaching - that establishes intent/motive in my mind.

I never saw that and seems to go against other reports. Of course I have a dim view of what passes for journalism now so..........

And even with that dim view your proposed scenario basically has crashed and burned. She got scared of a black man.

[EEllis]

Oh, she pulled a gun because a black man approached her. In daylight, With lots of people around her. When he never within 10 feet of her.


The security video showed Crutchfield walking past McLain, then turning toward her. But he did not approach her more make any threatening gestures, the police report stated.

Once McClain pulled the gun, it said, Crutchfield can be seen walking backwards, away from her, with his hands in the air, until he sees Miller and her child. The police report states the video shows McClain lowering her gun until Crutchfield reaches Miller and yells at her, then she again points the gun in his direction, while he was standing next to the woman and child.

So even if by some bizarre stretch you could excuse her initial response, that she again pointed her gun at a man, who basically ran away yelling "She's got a gun!", as he stood next to a bystander with a child is enough in my mind to show she broke the law.

[MONGOOSE]

I don't smoke. However , I can't recall a person in front of me that has bought smokes, not being offered a book of paper matches.

Not since the 80's.

Every time they sell smokes at my country store....today.

Well they certainly don't at walmart even ifyour country store happens to be the last one that does.

Im not sure that they even sell tobacco at the Wal Mart I go to..,. You may be correct

[EEllis]

Im not sure that they even sell tobacco at the Wal Mart I go to..,. You may be correct

They only have tobacco in one lane now.

[Oldgringo]

[bmwrdr]

Oh, she pulled a gun because a black man approached her. In daylight, With lots of people around her. When he never within 10 feet of her.


The security video showed Crutchfield walking past McLain, then turning toward her. But he did not approach her more make any threatening gestures, the police report stated.

Once McClain pulled the gun, it said, Crutchfield can be seen walking backwards, away from her, with his hands in the air, until he sees Miller and her child. The police report states the video shows McClain lowering her gun until Crutchfield reaches Miller and yells at her, then she again points the gun in his direction, while he was standing next to the woman and child.

So even if by some bizarre stretch you could excuse her initial response, that she again pointed her gun at a man, who basically ran away yelling "She's got a gun!", as he stood next to a bystander with a child is enough in my mind to show she broke the law.

The issue at hand is the fact he approached her in a question able manner. What happened after the initial event got out of control in my opinion.

[Charles L. Cotton]

So even if by some bizarre stretch . . .

Really? Again? You just can't type without being confrontational. Don't post or PM an excuse, just stop.

Chas.

[VMI77]

The ignorance of people about how criminals operate is astounding. Approaching someone and asking for "a light" is a common interview technique proceeding an assault. And while most may disappear after being confronted by someone with a gun sometimes the bolder and more sociopathic ones try to flip a situation and play the victim.

Maybe the guy had no ill intent and the woman overreacted. Maybe she saved herself and others from something bad. There isn't enough information to determine that from the article. The video doesn't prove anything about the guy's intent, nor can it convey how threatening he may or may not have been to a person standing 10 feet away from him. We he searched? Did he have a knife or other weapon? Does he have a criminal record?

This isn't 1940. The "smoking culture" is vastly different now than it was 75 years ago. Asking someone for a light was probably pretty common back then when a lot of people smoked, though I'd think a strange man asking a much older woman in a parking lot for a light would have been a little "off" even in that era. We're living in an "anti-smoking culture" now. It seems a little odd for anyone to approach a stranger and ask for "a light" these days, especially since there is no realistic expectation of a positive response. That's aside from the fact that anyone who can afford to smoke can afford to secure themselves a lighter or a pack of matches.

It's also a little odd for a strange man to approach a woman in a parking lot for any reason. I sure wouldn't do it for something trivial and if I felt it necessary for some reason I'd do it very cautiously and stay well back to be as nonthreatening as possible. Any man that approaches a woman he doesn't know in a parking lot should expect her to be suspicious and on guard and any woman that isn't is naive. Men with any degree of self and social awareness should understand this fact and behave accordingly. This guy would have to be extremely ignorant not to know this so I find both his approach and reaction to be highly suspicious. At minimum it was selfish and inconsiderate.

[mojo84]

Interesting how in this case the video is given great weight in deciding the lady was in the wrong and in other cases when a video shows a cop doing something obviously out of line, video is dismissed.

We do not know what was actually said or the tone. Maybe the lady could tell the guy was tense by observing his body movement or maybe she was alerted because he initially walked past her then turned around and engaged her. Between not seeing the video, not know exactly what was said and how, not knowing how credible the witness is and considering how sloppy the reporting is, I haven't seen enough to convict or exonerate her even in the internet forum courts.

Just think how easy it would be to attack a 67 year old woman when she is focused on digging in her purse with both hands full looking for a lighter. Doesn't situational awareness lead one to believe this was a setup? On the other hand, the guy may have forgotten he didn't have a lighter until he was in the parking lot.

[MONGOOSE]

I thought it was arragont of the Police to determine that there was no danger .....10 ft....."Danger Will Robinson"

[dlh]

The ignorance of people about how criminals operate is astounding. Approaching someone and asking for "a light" is a common interview technique proceeding an assault. And while most may disappear after being confronted by someone with a gun sometimes the bolder and more sociopathic ones try to flip a situation and play the victim.

Maybe the guy had no ill intent and the woman overreacted. Maybe she saved herself and others from something bad. There isn't enough information to determine that from the article. The video doesn't prove anything about the guy's intent, nor can it convey how threatening he may or may not have been to a person standing 10 feet away from him. We he searched? Did he have a knife or other weapon? Does he have a criminal record?

This isn't 1940. The "smoking culture" is vastly different now than it was 75 years ago. Asking someone for a light was probably pretty common back then when a lot of people smoked, though I'd think a strange man asking a much older woman in a parking lot for a light would have been a little "off" even in that era. We're living in an "anti-smoking culture" now. It seems a little odd for anyone to approach a stranger and ask for "a light" these days, especially since there is no realistic expectation of a positive response. That's aside from the fact that anyone who can afford to smoke can afford to secure themselves a lighter or a pack of matches.

It's also a little odd for a strange man to approach a woman in a parking lot for any reason. I sure wouldn't do it for something trivial and if I felt it necessary for some reason I'd do it very cautiously and stay well back to be as nonthreatening as possible. Any man that approaches a woman he doesn't know in a parking lot should expect her to be suspicious and on guard and any woman that isn't is naive. Men with any degree of self and social awareness should understand this fact and behave accordingly. This guy would have to be extremely ignorant not to know this so I find both his approach and reaction to be highly suspicious. At minimum it was selfish and inconsiderate.

[VMI77]

On the other hand, the guy may have forgotten he didn't have a lighter until he was in the parking lot.

I don't smoke so I don't have any insight into the mind of a smoker. But if I'd just bought smokes and discovered I didn't have a light while still in the parking lot I'd go back inside the store for one, not try to bum something off strangers. If I forgot to buy a pen and needed something to write with I'd go back into the store to buy one and not start asking strangers in the parking lot to borrow one. Seems to me the act of soliciting a favor from a stranger says something about his character even if he had no ill intent in approaching the woman --he was either too lazy or too cheap to take care of his own problem.

Also, I don't see all that much pedestrian traffic to and from any Walmarts I've ever visited. It's possible of course but seems like it would be a pretty long walk for cigs, especially when there are probably any number of closer locations to residential areas. If the guy had a car why not wait until he got in the car and use the lighter? Yeah, could have been busted or lost....but we're just looking at the odds here. If he didn't have someone waiting for him with a car (which we don't know one way or the other) then it seems unlikely that he was intending to rob her. OTOH, a guy wandering around the Walmart parking lot asking for a light seems to be odds on for a guy looking to bum money. That may not justify pulling a gun on the guy but it doesn't make him some innocent victim either.

[mojo84]

On the other hand, the guy may have forgotten he didn't have a lighter until he was in the parking lot.

I don't smoke so I don't have any insight into the mind of a smoker. But if I'd just bought smokes and discovered I didn't have a light while still in the parking lot I'd go back inside the store for one, not try to bum something off strangers. If I forgot to buy a pen and needed something to write with I'd go back into the store to buy one and not start asking strangers in the parking lot to borrow one.

That is you and not everyone is like you. I threw that part of my comment in just to acknowledge the possibility he may have just wanted to bum a light. I think the rest of my post makes it clear which way I lean in forming my opinion on this. Neither of us know enough to make a conclusive determination about whether she acted appropriately or inappropriately.

Forming an opinion is one thing. Out and out deciding it one way or the other based on what little we know, is not prudent. Internet forum court is not always the best.

[mojo84]

VMI77, here's a question for you. If you got out to your car and your battery was dead, would you bum a jump from a stranger or just go back in to buy a new battery?

Not being confrontational, just thought it would be interesting to explore how committed you are to your conviction of not bumming something from a stranger.

My point is, not everyone is as hardcore independent as some. Look at the video of the college girl you posted demading free college.

[SewTexas]

VMI77, here's a question for you. If you got out to your car and your battery was dead, would you bum a jump from a stranger or just go back in to buy a new battery?

Not being confrontational, just thought it would be interesting to explore how committed you are to your conviction of not bumming something from a stranger.

My point is, not everyone is as hardcore independent as some. Look at the video of the college girl you posted demading free college.

not VM, but still answering....

my husband would hope the person parked near us would be a gentleman and ask him, he would never ask a woman, he would feel it would intimidate her. He would probably wait about 10 -15 mins then call a friend.