Okay, so yesterday I was running through the National Mall, and I was about 16 into a 20 miler.
I am about to head back to Rock Creek Pkwy to run back towards Chevy Chase, and I get stopped at a traffic light.
Out of nowhere, a group of like 8 teenagers get out of a Chevy Tahoe, walk over to me with a small camera and start to ask me a question about the Marine Corps Marathon (I am not running it). They asked if I was training for it.
Before I could say no, one of them punched me right in the face, and they all ran away and drove off.
I was stunned, and didn't really go after any of them.
No one else seemed to notice.
I finished my run and called the cops. they took a report and told me it was a problem they have been having called "Happy Slapping". They said I should look out for it on YouTube and report it if I see it.
WTF?
Ever heard of "Happy Slapping?"
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_slapping
man this is the first time i heard about this. bizarre. -
I have heard of this... Damn.
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i think CBS or the BBC did a featurette on it a while back, guess it's beena pretty big problem over in the UK
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That is really messed up. I hope your ok.
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Old Man by the Sea wrote:
That is really messed up. I hope your ok.
Thanks man, I am fine. He didn't really connect, so it was a little sore on the way home, but it just sucks to get socked towards the end of a freaking long run, you know?
They just looked so young.
What is wrong with kids? Maybe I am just getting old. -
Knowing the area you are talking about pretty well, I really hope this happens to me on a run. I will absolutely destroy those kids. But aside from that, what the hell? I mean I'm probably about their age, and that really doesn't sound all that entertaining to me. I love violence and all, but a single punch to some random dude? Why would that be entertaining. These kids sound like huge losers that will go back home to a circle jerk, and all brag to each other about the look on that guys face or how they are so tough. They are tooo cool for driving a Chevy Tahoe as well, because its pretty obvious if they are in the Chevy Chase area their parents bought it for them. Losers. I don't think they would pick on someone of my build, or someone as young as me, but oh man, I hope so.
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i dont know whats wrong with kids these days either. im 20 years old so dont feel too old about saying that. i feel like kids my age are just going insane with shit they try to pull.
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I've never openly invited confrontation, but I would love to be standing at a red light and have some punk-ass teenagers come up and try some shit. If there is a single demographic I simply loathe, it's the 14-17 year old spoiled white kid. No other group could be more in need of a huge beat down.
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Man that is so messed up it isn't even funny. I can imagine being a bit stunned (shocked) as you were too so that you couldn't do anything about it. Would have been nice to get their license plate number, but even nicer if a big old rock were close that you could have broken one of their car windows with.
I've been blessed with the ability to throw a baseball quite hard (used to pitch and play center field back in the day), and man if something to throw would have been around, they would have been lucky if I threw it at their car instead of at them. Next time, start looking immediately for something to bean them with. Make sure they are on their way away from you, and make sure you can run away afterwards if there are 8 of them. -
Me and flagpole could be quite the pitching duo, and damn I would love to put a rock through the windshield or smack into one of these kids faces. Used to throw low 90's, probably couldnt top the low 80s right now, but hard enough to do some good damage.
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Yeah yeah ya bunch a tough guys. Big men talking crap on the internet.
I feel bad for the guy it happened to but I get a kick out of the rest of you telling the world what YOU would do if some kid dared approach you. You know you'd stand there and take it and probably piss down your leg. -
I looked up happy slapping on youtube because I never heard of it either.
What a bunch of WWF watching, white trash, morons.
Sometimes I feel the productive members of society are the overwhelming minority and carry the rest of the idiots in this world on their shoulders. -
You have more to lose than they do. I had a similar incident happen to me. I was nice and didn't just blast the little f*cker, but rather just restrained him and I got slapped with a Disorderly Conduct ticket.
Last I heard, the little shit bird flunked out of school. -
brawn wrote:
Me and flagpole could be quite the pitching duo, and damn I would love to put a rock through the windshield or smack into one of these kids faces. Used to throw low 90's, probably couldnt top the low 80s right now, but hard enough to do some good damage.
You got me beat. I hit 90 MPH one time, and it about killed my arm. Mostly I was an upper 80s guy, but this was at a pretty young age. I've always found it odd how most people can't throw a frisbee or a baseball really far. Seems so easy to me. Most people throw "like a girl -- (like a girl who can't throw)". -
I had never heard of this, but here is some nice revenge:
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Fay Vincent wrote:
Yeah yeah ya bunch a tough guys. Big men talking crap on the internet.
I feel bad for the guy it happened to but I get a kick out of the rest of you telling the world what YOU would do if some kid dared approach you. You know you'd stand there and take it and probably piss down your leg.
Um...I said to make sure you could run away. Not tough talk to say make sure they are back in their car and then pelt it with a rock or two. Then, run the hell away. Can't face down 8 of them. -
Man that sucks, sorry you had to go through that. I guess I'm one of those guys who would like to think he could whoop a crew of punks. But maybe I can't. I don't know if you could or you just restrained yourself but that's just a crap situation to go through. Hopefully karma will bite them in the arse for that.
Next time though, if a bunch of dudes jump out on you anywhere(especially with a camera phone) you gotta know something's about to go down. Always be aware of your surroundings. And it'd be hilarious if you could actually scrap and took em all out, took their phone and posted their own beatdown on youtube. Call it "When Happy Slapping Goes Wrong". -
Wow, a lot of responses...
To be honest, I was tired as hell, and I don't think I could take a group a teenagers in any fight, regardless.
By the time I even realized what had happened, they were half way to the car, and they peeled off pretty quickly, and the strange thing was that no one else even noticed.
There were people around.
I am not much of a fighter, but I have been hit before, and much harder than this guy hit me.
I guess it just makes me feel kind of sick, like why should that crap go on? Who are these kids. I read some of those articles on Wikipedia and apparently in the UK, they prey on older women.
That is really funny, hitting an old woman and posting it on YouTube. -
brawn wrote:
Me and flagpole could be quite the pitching duo, and damn I would love to put a rock through the windshield or smack into one of these kids faces. Used to throw low 90's, probably couldnt top the low 80s right now, but hard enough to do some good damage.
Thought you and flagpole were the ultimate pitching and catching duo?