5'5" female Federal Marshal takes down 6'4" male who grabbed her ass while she was jogging.

[Divernan]

This is a really sweet report. I mean it's SWEET! Did I say S-W-E-E-T ?

Yup - she ran him down and took him out.

http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/6728184-74/flynn-police-marshal#axzz3C4Ct71XR

A federal agent ran down the man she said yanked on her clothes and kicked him when he tried to charge her Tuesday in the North Side. Pittsburgh police charged Robert Flynn, 19, of Spring Garden with indecent assault, aggravated assault, escape and false identification to law enforcement. He is being held in the Allegheny County Jail in lieu of a $500,000 bond, online court records show.

The deputy U.S. marshal told police she was jogging along the river trail parallel to River Avenue near the 16th Street Bridge shortly after 5 p.m. and passed by a man, identified as Flynn. She said he ran up behind her and grabbed her running shorts, a criminal complaint said.

The marshal began to chase Flynn, telling pedestrians to call 911 and yelling for Flynn to stop, identifying herself as a federal marshal, the complaint said. The marshal, who police said is 5-feet, 5-inches tall and 150 pounds, cornered the 6-foot, 4-inch Flynn, who weighs 210 pounds.

Flynn tried to charge her and she kicked him, grabbed his shoulder and punched him in the face, the complaint said. The officer said in the complaint that Flynn “became somewhat compliant,” after that.

Based on the women's self-defense class I took while teaching night classes in Oakland, I can picture exactly where she kicked him, causing the 6'4" thug to bend over in acute pain, whereby this short woman could grab his shoulder and punch him in the face. Hint: it wasn't his shin.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. So...he "became somewhat compliant..."

I LOVE it!

Good for her!

[madokie]

30. Laughing my ass off on that one

Awesome woman that lady is

[malaise]

37. And then some

[7962]

41. I'm picturing something like this:

[Spitfire of ATJ]

44. “became somewhat compliant” AKA: Flacid

[Eleanors38]

78. Betcha he farted a stream.

[NightWatcher]

2. I worked with the USMS and you don't want to mess with those professionals

There were 2 female deputies in the district where I worked and they were nothing to mess with. I'd seen both of them drop guys much bigger than themselves. These deputies deal with dangerous fugitives on a daily basis. I'm sure a 19 year old perv was no problem for them.

[RKP5637]

3. K&R! n/t

[Xipe Totec]

4. The guy was nuts before. Now he'll be lucky if he has any left. nt

[3catwoman3]

6. DUzy???!!!

[magical thyme]

5. not to brag or anything, but back in my late 20s

On a hot Sunday morning I was walking home from the store with a Boston Globe rolled up under my arm. A boy aged about 10 ran by, reaching up my sun dress and grabbing my crotch as he passed.

I ran him down for a good mile, and cornered him inside a privacy fence around somebody's back yard. Proceeded to beat him over the head with my newspaper. He looked like a scared puppy.

[Arugula Latte]

14. Good for you. Maybe the little shit thought twice and thrice about trying that again.

[Skittles]

17. now, someone would film you and you'd be all over the internet pegged as a child beater

yup

[HubertHeaver]

39. The kid owes you.

You saved him from a lifetime of pervy behaviors.

[lululu]

65. I had that happen in a

department store, there were a bunch of boys of that age, so I couldn't have taken on all of them. I calmly asked a clerk to call security. Whether they got the gang of boys, I don't know, but now whenever I read about "kids" shouldn't be tried as adults and so on, I remember that "kids" can be sexual molesters.

[hifiguy]

7. Bravo for her!

He can sit in the slammer for a nice stretch and cool his ass down while mulling over the nature of karma.

[lpbk2713]

8. This made my day.

I hope they publish his photo prominently so others can come forward and press charges on this a-hole.
And if they don't care to come forward I hope they get a good laugh out of it anyway.

http://triblive.com/csp/mediapool/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?STREAMOID=QcP_BMjCVypVD8hwfFoM2c$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYsV_zDqOiKGq0fIE36TJAruWCsjLu883Ygn4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoMevcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_CryOsw6FTOdKL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg

[Divernan]

9. His photo is at the link in the OP

[bigdarryl]

10. Never underestimate a female

[treestar]

11. She could get arrested for punching him in the face

How as that part of a take-down?

Another odd thing is that this would normally be considered LEO brutality were not the characters as they are.

[Dreamer Tatum]

12. Was just thinking that too. And a half-million bond is outrageous. nt

[msanthrope]

84. Hit a federal LEO and the magistrate ain't gonna fuck around. nt

[Xithras]

16. You miss the bit about him charging her?

A police officer who is being assaulted can strike you anywhere on your body to stop the assault. The officer cannot punch you without cause, and cannot continue to punch you after you have ceased your assault, but it is NOT considered brutality for an officer to match physical force with similar force to subdue you.

Besides...she was off duty. An off duty cop is under no obligation to treat you any differently than anyone else in that situation.

[sunnystarr]

60. She identified herself as a US Marshal

wouldn't that negate the off duty cop thing? Just curious.

[treestar]

72. How does a punch in the face work into that?

ON TV it is routine, but is it a real life thing?

[Lee-Lee]

82. If you are struggling with a non-compliant suspect

Face punches are of course a possible response.

It's a fight. Fights are brutal, dirty, hands on affairs for all you folks who have had sheltered enough lives that you have never been in a true, high stakes fight as an adult.

It isn't some sort of game in a martial arts studio where both parties agree to abide by rules to avoid faces or genitals. It's a real life fight.

You want to escalate from one level of force to the next when possible, but when he charged her he escalated it beyond the "gentle hands" stage. At that point whatever force it took to subdue him and bring him into compliance is justified. If your best target at that moment is his face, you hit his face until a better opportunity or target arises or he complies.

Don't want to risk getting punched in the face? Don't charge a cop or Federal Marshall who is attempting to arrest you.

[treestar]

85. I'll take your word for it

It is true that I never got into a fight, but I don't think it's due to being "sheltered."

I took self defense years ago and we learned to use keys to punch someone in the eyes or throat.

And she is LEO so she would be trained.

And my real point was suppose that's what Wilson did to Michael Brown, I guess.

[RVN VET]

18. Not if it went down the way she described it.

The guy is huge and charging her. She kicks to put him pretty much out of commission, and punches to make sure he doesn't get up. Hell, she's tiny -- especially compared to the dude. If she jumped up and down on him, sure, that would be excessive. But i don't see it in this description.

I agree, though, $500,000 seems whacked -- unless this is someone they were tracking for other assaults, which is a possibility.

[napi21]

32. I suspect the high bail is because she was a Fed. Agt.

Assaulting a police officer is considered a big crime, and if the victim is Federal, it's worse.

[Eleanors38]

79. At first, I read that as "high ball."

[Nay]

83. Yep. His bail is high because she's a Fed. In fact, when I was a mail carrier,

we were, of course, Federal workers and the penalties/bail would have been the same for anyone who attacked me.

As far as punching him in the face as he charged her, he's goddamn lucky she didn't do a whole lot worse. As someone else said, street fights are dirty and if you are to get away from someone attacking you (esp someone nearly twice your size), you're going to hit them as hard as possible.

Hat's off to this excellent Federal Marshall.

[Divernan]

21. No. She can't.

As the report detailed, first, he assaulted her; second, she identified herself as a federal marshall; third, she yelled for him to stop; fourth, he turned and charged at her; fifth she defended herself with appropriate force. If you took a self-defense course (highly recommended for everyone, male or female), you would be taught to respond to an attack with appropriate force to immobilize your attacker. You don't just slap him in the face, or just kick him in the shins, and then stop to see if that was enough. There are a series of defensive moves you make, depending on your situation, i.e, if you were grabbed from behind, or from the front, or if someone is charging at you. A knee or a kick to the groin, accompanied by slamming the heel of your hand into the base of the attackers' nose is the recommended defense in the situation this federal marshall was in when he charged her.

And given that the perp knowingly attacked an officer of the law, and then lied about his identity, I wouldn't have let him post bail at all.

[pinboy3niner]

24. He also is suspected in another incident earlier the same day

Investigators also believe Flynn was involved in another incident on the North Side on Isabella Street earlier that same day.

A woman reported a young white male lifted up her skirt and ran off.

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/09/03/deputy-u-s-marshal-assaulted-on-local-trail/

[treestar]

73. If that's the "punch in the face" OK then eom

[MADem]

35. LEO brutality? He assaulted an LEO out on a jog. Good grief!

Didn't you read the article?

[treestar]

74. Yes.

Something about a punch in the face struck me. But as I said, it was only going to be labeled by others as LEO brutality had the characters been different.

[moriah]

52. I think federal marshals are in their jurisdiction to perform an arrest anywhere.

He resisted arrest.

[Rex]

57. What!?

Did I read the same article?

[cui bono]

89. I was thinking the same thing exactly.

Although it did say he charged her before she did that, so if that's the case then considering the size difference perhaps it is warranted.

[AuntPatsy]

13. This cannot be seen enough, recommended...

[LittleGirl]

15. Best thing I've read in 6 months

Hysterical and I can picture it too. She's bad ass.

My hero.

[lpbk2713]

19. This may have been his second assault of the day.

Per this article: http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/09/03/deputy-u-s-marshal-assaulted-on-local-trail/

I don't think he'll be doing this sort of thing again any time soon.

[Divernan]

23. Good additional info.

She caught up with Flynn a few blocks away, cornered him and kicked him in the crotch when he resisted.

Investigators also believe Flynn was involved in another incident on the North Side on Isabella Street earlier that same day. A woman reported a young white male lifted up her skirt and ran off.

KDKA-TV’s Brenda Waters talked to several people who frequent the trail, including Lois Thomson who walks to work there every morning.

Waters: What do you think about her fighting back?
Thomson: I think it’s wonderful, wish I had the capacity to do that, that’s terrific.

[jtuck004]

20. "... indecent assault, aggravated assault, escape and false identification to law enforcement....

Bet he didn't think that was about to happen as he committed an assault on a stranger.

Sometimes I don't mind paying for a short prison stay. There are some folks who just need to be in there, especially those who can't keep their stinking hands off other people without permission. Nothin' but but a sorry ass bully.

[KamaAina]

22. There is another weak spot in the human body

both male and female. It is the front of the larynx, where a tracheotomy goes. Not even an NFL defensive lineman has any muscle there. One good stiff finger punch and down he goes.

But based on the description, it probably was his, uh, shin.

[Divernan]

25. CBS reporter confirmed: she kicked him in the crotch!

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/09/03/deputy-u-s-marshal-assaulted-on-local-trail/

Another weak spot - stomping on someone's instep - particularly if you're wearing stiletto heels! Cripple that sucker. And of course, the whole idea of self-defense is to incapacitate your attacker enough so you have the opportunity to escape.

[KamaAina]

26. O nooooooooooo!

[GliderGuider]

64. "Kicked" & Recommended! nt

[riqster]

68. I see what you did there.

[magical thyme]

43. that spot was my favorite punch when I took karate

I can still do it. I look forward to using it someday on some unsuspecting wannabe evildoer.

[KamaAina]

53. I learned it in hapkido

the Korean equivalent. Yes, in Hawai'i, we got the afternoon off from work to take a hapkido class.

[sir pball]

55. That's not so much a "takedown" strike as a "kill" strike..

It's pretty easy to rupture the trachea or worse yet break the hyoid bone, completely closing off the airway. If they don't get a tracheotomy in about five minutes, it's curtains...not that I have moral objections to lethal force in self-defense, but I'd hate to see an unwitting victim accidentally kill somebody for purse-snatching or ass-grabbing..

[TorchTheWitch]

58. go for the knees

No one ever expects it, they're easily reachable, people always tend to protect their face/head, it's totally incapacitating not to mention excruciatingly painful, they've got two, but you only need one, it doesn't take much in the way of skill or force to even shatter a knee. Extra bonus is they hit the ground and can't get back up or do anything to retaliate or escape. Super extra bonus is that casting the eyes down to target a knee makes the perp think it's a gesture of submission or sometimes assume you're about to go for the niblets and move their arms in that direction to try to protect the family jewels... or even better, hip swivel to try to protecting making their knees that much more vulnerable by striking the side of one.

Stiff finger throws will likely have an amateur breaking all their fingers and taking themselves out. Knees are delicious targets. Splendidly placed just right as to make them exceptionally vulnerable since they don't naturally bend in the opposite direction nor sideways. Works just as nicely when grabbed from behind as a nice backward slam on a totally unprotected knee accomplishes the same thing. Even better, should they know you're going for their knees they CAN'T physically protect both of them without having at least one of them up close and personal and splendidly vulnerable... they either have to hit the ground, flee or be stupid enough to present one or both knees like huge bulls eyes for another shot. They can also hit the pavement if they try to turn and run by striking the back of their knee forcing the leg to fold and balance is instantly lost so they either face-plant or make themselves exceptionally vulnerable by becoming so unbalanced that they need to windmill their arms and try to recover... and when they're doing that they can't be doing anything else but trying to save themselves from falling making them entirely vulnerable.

Knees are ridiculously feeble and weak structures to begin with. People dislocate them all the time stepping off a curb awkwardly or something else equally benign. They make for extraordinarily perfect targets from any angle, and they CAN'T physically do anything to protect them both... the more they try to protect one the more the other is made more vulnerable since that's just how the human body is made to balance itself.

If you're going to stiff finger jab anyone better to go for something soft so to not bash up your own fingers taking yourself out like eyeballs. Eyeballs are nice and squishy but they're very small targets that are too easily protected and too hard to strike. Go for the knees.

[sheshe2]

27. I am loving this! eom

[madinmaryland]

28. Wow! I didn't know Skittles was a Federal Agent. Wonder if she know Agent Mike who is apparently

lurking around DU??

[L0oniX]

40. Yer bad!

[Brickbat]

29. Gosh, it's not like he raped her or anything. Guys can't even teasingly flip up a skirt anymore.

[Ilsa]

36. I think you forgot your smiley for sarcasm.

Or someone might alert on you.

[Brigid]

46. Ha ha.

Hilarious.

[Mnemosyne]

31. Yes! K&R! nt

[VA_Jill]

33. Just

takin' out the junk, ladies and gentlemen!

[Ilsa]

34. The perp is relatively young. No telling what he

could graduate to in a few years after butt touching got boring. I'm glad she took him down. Maybe he'll get some therapy, too, and learn that women aren't here for his enjoyment.

[bettyellen]

86. and that he "jogged" in the early AM and PM same day, makes you wonder if he was doing

it for exercise at all. Two jogs in the same day? I bet they'll find 5-6 more women who were attacked by him as well.

[tclambert]

38. Clearly, she got different training from the Ferguson police.

[Johnyawl]

48. That's what I was thinking.

that perv was lucky it wasn't some city cop.

[1StrongBlackMan]

54. Well ...

We can't say that ... the alleged perpetrator in this instance is white ... who knows what would have happened had he been Black.

[7962]

42. I'm hoping it was something like this:

I know I posted as a reply to an earlier post, but in case someone missed it I couldnt help but re-post!

[NewJeffCT]

45. That was a good episode

and great that the four guys turned to Penny as their enforcer.

[polly7]

47. Woot!!!! nt.

[TheVisitor]

49. Awesome

I'm impressed

On a side note, I get the impression that the same people screaming that it was "excessive force" are the same d-bags who stand behind the police officers who murder innocent people. It's whatever fits their discriminating mindset. In this case, it's a woman who defended herself. Of course that is going to upset any kind of woman basher or discriminating person and they will look for any excuse to blame her or point out wrong doing on her part.

She was assaulted, then charged/attacked
She responded with self defense and took control of the situation

Damn professional !


For perspectives sake:

I doubt the same argument would've ever been mentioned had this been a white, male, federal marshal responding the exact same way to a woman that pulled his pants down then charged him when she was confronted. Had he subdued her similarly: She would be described as "crazy and belligerent" no doubt, and put through psych evaluations and hung out to dry in a much worse fashion. No one would be complaining about the bail amount near as much, I'm sure, either. Instead, I can just imagine the "crazy bitch" response that would triumph his reaction.

To be noted: I've read through quite a few comments and have seen no comments about this man being "crazy" or "psychotic", which he obviously is. A person has to be sick in the head to do something like this, regardless of gender. So why does it seem like most people are passing him off as "just another guy who got a little out of line" and putting focus on the female federal marshal? Yes, she triumphed the situation, which is to be noted. However, let us not overlook the culprit in this situation who needs to undergo some serious psychological scrutiny. The big picture: This also happens to be a trending psychological disorder among males in America more so than females.

Just something to think about before jumping to conclusions or rattling off.

[Glassunion]

50. Wait! We like cops now?

I kid... I kid...

Man I love stories like this.

[dflprincess]

51. My cousin had a similar experience

She was newly graduated from the Air Force Academy and was going for an early jog (in a public park, not on a base). The jerk jumped her from behind and she did wind up with a dislocated jaw, but he was still on the ground when the police got there.

[mythology]

56. Good for her and hopefully he learns the correct lesson from this

[freshwest]

59. K&R

[TorchTheWitch]

61. "became somewhat compliant"

Hahahahahaha! That's just brilliant! Great job this woman did! I'd love to shake her hand or high five her. And not just for chasing that freak down and taking him out but for coming up with such a fabulous line like that afterward.

"became somewhat compliant". *snort giggle* That's just so perfect.

[Uncle Joe]

62. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Divernan.

[CelticWarrior1]

63. The height and weight:

...Upon reading this, I can't help but think to myself "where have I heard of these same same physical descriptions before?"....oh yea, Ferguson Missouri and this woman didn't need to fire a shot.

[toby jo]

75. Good eye.

And welcome to DU.

[taotzu]

66. How it should be done.

Since we now know that a 5'5" female agent can take down an unarmed assailant 6'4" by herself, why do male officers much larger and weighing much more and with more than one of them at the scene rely on their weapon rather than their supposed non-lethal abilities ??????????

[freebrew]

70. Easy, follow along...

this woman was a federal agent, jogging.

City cops sit in their cars most of their shift.

The only place city cops jog to is the coffee/donut shop.

Just a guess....

[treestar]

76. this is a good point, especially when they are so prone to having

their guns taken from them by unarmed assailants. Almost seems like the guns are a danger to them.

[Katashi_itto]

67. Shows what anyone with proper martial arts training can do. All women should get training.

[Ex Lurker]

69. It's good to know self defense, however, make no mistake, there's always luck involved

in the outcome, and with a big size differential, there's not much room for error. Getting in a fight is always a dicey situation, even if you're well trained-especially vs a much bigger opponent. Kudos to her, but I wanted to inject some realism into the discussion.

[KurtNYC]

71. If someone's life is threatened, and only if so, I recommend trying this guy's techniques

The situation with the jogging fed agent was different but anyone's first actions should be to demand assistance from anyone else in the area. Make specific demands of onlookers -- "You, red shirt, call 911 now!"

A parallel course of action, if available, is to flee the attacker, running to an area where others can see what is going on. In NYC if you are assaulted many people run into the street, stop traffic, demand that a cab driver call 911.

But if you can't flee and are not within ear shot of potential help I would give some of this guy's techiques one's best shot. Adrenaline can make you lightning fast and incredibly focused but you have to have a mental image of what to do. Punching can break your hand but this guy's cupped hand ear drum bust will put most people into so much pain they will passout or otherwise be unable to continue.

[catrose]

77. You mean she didn't need to put 6 bullets in him? *sarcasm* eom

[JohnnyRingo]

80. There's something I'd like to have been there for

I'm sure it's the last thing he expected too.

I have to say though, half a mil bond seems extremely high. Even some aggravated violent crimes seldom rank such a figure. Few people leave the country over an indecent assault charge, but maybe the judge thinks he'll skip out on embarrassment alone. hahaha

[Orrex]

81. Misandry!

[Hubert Flottz]

87. Grab Ass to Ass Bite...

Robert Flynn won't do it again. His ass will be under attack soon and he will know how that feels. Stupid people need to keep their stupidity to themselves. Bobby Flynn hadn't learned that lesson in life, in his nineteen years, but I'll bet he knows it now. It's the fight in the dog, that you have to watch out for big Bobby. I salute the good marshal for defending herself and any other victims that Bobby badass may have victimized, next time. Kind of reminds me of the Senator Larry Craig (R) Idaho, case.(unauthorized messing, with the personal refrigments of an Officer of the law)

[Scott6113]

88. Too much enjoyment here

At violence. I know that some women take pleasure in the idea that men, the usual perpetrators of violence for once, one of them is defeated by a woman with superior training and fitness.

Would you feel the same if the genders were reversed? If not, you are indulging in sexist hate.

Violence is not a thing to celebrate. If violence is permissible, most women will lose. Badly. Is that the kind of world you want to live in?

I'm glad the man was brought to justice. It doesn't seem advisable to chase him, however, unless she was very sure he was not armed. Altercations like this can result in death.

It is a shame he thought he could get away with the assault. Young men need to be taught better.

[Divernan]

90. Yes I'd feel the same if 6'4", 210 lb. woman sexually assaulted a 5'5",150 lb. man

who was peacefully jogging on a public trail AND/OR when learning that the target of her assault was a law officer, then attacked him again. But wait . . . wait. . . .that NEVER happens, does it?

And, no, I don't want to live in a world where violence is permissible and most women will lose "Badly". That was the whole point of this incident, you see. A really large man physically assaulted and then charged at a much smaller woman. This man is charged with previously assaulting another woman that day. Why we don't call that asshole the one indulging in "sexist hate", since he doesn't assault men, but only women.

Query: Is it fair to call what the federal marshal did "violence"?
Response: NO!
The legal definition of "violence" is the unlawful exercise of physical force or intimidation by the exhibition of such force.

https://www.google.com/search?q=violence+definition&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US fficial&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb

She offered him the chance to stop running and surrender to a law enforcement officer. He responded by charging at her. Her further self defense was absolutely legal and proportional . . . . and also effective. Only HIS actions would qualify as legally violent.


You want to throw "sexist hate" into this discussion. Oh, I absolutely agree that sexism is involved and hatred is involved, and it is all on the side of the male assailants. Here's just one recent example from a major American city:

The Los Angeles Police Department says women shouldn't be walking alone in two popular public parks.

Investigators say there have been five physical and sexual assaults in recent months.

All of them have happened during the day at Griffith Park and Debs Park in Montecito Heights.

Police say they're looking for two Latino men. One is between 20 and 25 years old with a slight build. The other guy is 5'7" and between 30 and 35 years old. Both were riding bikes at the time of the assaults.

Read more: http://www.kfiam640.com/onair/bill-handel-30603/los-angeles-park-sexual-assaults-12650914/#ixzz3CO1vDwR4
Golly gee! Do find me a report of men being assaulted by women in public parks.

So I'm not enjoying violence. I'm celebrating justice!