August 22, 2015

"The two American service members who tackled a suspected terrorist on a high-speed train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris rushed him even though he was fully armed..."

"... then grabbed him by the neck and beat him over the head with his own automatic rifle until he was unconscious, one of them said in television interviews here on Saturday."
The suspect entered the train car carrying an AK-47 and a handgun, and “I looked over at Spencer and said, ‘Let’s go,’” said Alek Skarlatos, identified as an Oregon National Guardsman returning from Afghanistan. “And he jumped, I followed behind him by about three seconds. Spencer got the guy first, grabbed the guy by the neck, I grabbed the handgun,” said Mr. Skarlatos, referring to Spencer Stone, a friend and member of the Air Force.
The link goes to the NYT. Highest-rated comment:
500 people were on that train...and two unarmed heroes prevented a bloodbath without thought to their own safety. True courage.
Second highest:
It's ironic that what could have been a really nasty attack was stopped in a country that has very restrictive gun laws by people without guns. Seems that maybe there are better ways of safety than everyone runnng around with guns. The idea of a whole bunch of armed people on a packed train would be a nightmare as bad as the one that just happend. Here in the U.S. the gun crowd would be pushing more guns to keep the evil shooters away.

125 comments:

MadisonMan said...

God bless the heroes.

Anonymous said...

Given a choice of running down an aisle with my bare hands or pulling out my trusty M1911A1, I'd rather be armed...

As for the three Yanks and the Brit, heroes run toward shooting, others run away...

stlcdr said...

Irony in the ironic comment. Focus on the evil things (sic) in a place where evil things are not allowed to exist, and we're not present, and not the courageous individuals, acting against another person intent on doing harm to others.

Etienne said...

Very sad, because that train is the pride of Europe, and all the families on it are so happy to be vacationing.

People in the USA don't follow this, but August is the month when France shuts down and everyone goes on vacation.

I don't think 'vacation' is a Muslim concept.

Bobber Fleck said...

"It's ironic that what could have been a really nasty attack was stopped in a country that has very restrictive gun laws by people without guns. Seems that maybe there are better ways of safety than everyone running around with guns."

Sure, let's fill the European trains and buses with active duty American service men with unusually high levels of fortitude and combat training.

If you asked the service men who stopped the terrorist if they would have preferred to be armed in this situation, the answer would clearly be "yes".

Misinforminimalism said...

I don't share the "see? being unarmed is a blessing" sentiment of comment #2. Servicemembers have received extensive training in the use of firearms. Even unarmed, their simple familiarity with weapons puts them at an enormous advantage in responding to a situation like this vis a vis your average "Moms Demand" idiot, who cowers in fear at the presence of an empty holster.

iowan2 said...

Dont these ego maniacs know the policing must be left to the police. It is better that 10 people die, than the common people get the misconception that the have the power to protect themselves and others. It is very dangerous to the ruling class if people start acting independent of the govt. //sarc-off//

Pete said...

The shooter might be less inclined to shoot if he knew everyone else on the train were armed and would shoot back.

Bay Area Guy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Etienne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Curious George said...

"It's ironic that what could have been a really nasty attack was stopped in a country that has very restrictive gun laws by people without guns. Seems that maybe there are better ways of safety than everyone runnng around with guns. The idea of a whole bunch of armed people on a packed train would be a nightmare as bad as the one that just happend. Here in the U.S. the gun crowd would be pushing more guns to keep the evil shooters away."

Ask the people at Charlie Hebdo. Well, the few that survived that is.

Lefties are fucking morons.

deepelemblues said...

It's ironic that a country with very restrictive gun laws could not stop yet another radical Muslim from getting his hands on an AK-47.

jacksonjay said...

Betcha them Obama Generals are busy this morning tryin to find some regulation violation to charge our heroes with. Prolly outta uniform or something pissy like that. Taking down a non-religious extremist like that? They couldn't be sure he was gonna use them weapons to harm them innocent people.

Tank said...

Meanwhile Regal Cinemas has announced to the bad guys that they will be establishing gun free movie zones where they can kill large numbers of people unimpeded by any armed adversaries.

Fandor said...

Let's keep in mind that although the Americans were not armed with guns they are trained killers who were just coming off duty from Afghanistan. Their training and experience gave them the edge needed to take down an armed man. A wired soldier is a dangerous person to mess with.

Michael K said...

Interesting that the initial reports described them as "Marines" and they were an National Guardsman and an Air Force guy.

Anonymous said...

"There are no dangerous weapons; there are only dangerous men."
- Sergeant Charles Zim

Michael K said...

"Unlike the Eurostar train between Paris and London, however, luggage does not pass through X-ray machines or other forms of screening."

Glad to see this as I will be on the Eurostar in two weeks.

Bay Area Guy said...

Great, courageous young men. Very touching to see a little dose of the American spirit in action.

Martha said...

Daily Mail reports the train crew barricaded themselves in the staff car leaving the passengers to fend for themselves. Thank God for the American servicemen.

jacksonjay said...


Quick, find out if they are gay or trans. That will make it even better.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Fandor said...
Let's keep in mind that although the Americans were not armed with guns they are trained killers who were just coming off duty from Afghanistan.


You may likely be trying to complement the 3 guys, but as a VN Vet who came back to college at UCD from the war to the sounds of "trained killer", I'm uncomfortable.

PS
1. One apparently had no military training
2. one was in the USAF, which those of us with more martial experiences are not convinced is a military service :)
3. One was in the NG and back from A-Stan where he may or may not have seen shots fired.

How about we agree that they reacted well and are a credit to America...

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

The terrorist should offer praise to Allah that he had an AK-47 because anything lighter would have just meant it would have taken longer to bash in his skull.

AllenS said...

Good points, Drill SGT, and thank you for them.

Tank said...

Michael K said...

"Unlike the Eurostar train between Paris and London, however, luggage does not pass through X-ray machines or other forms of screening."

Glad to see this as I will be on the Eurostar in two weeks.


Michael, a few years ago we took the TGV train from Paris to Avignon and were amazed that you just walk on with your own luggage with no screening of any kind. You don't even need a ticket (they check for tickets about an hour into the trip).

jeff said...

Lafayette, we are here.

Sebastian said...

"The idea of a whole bunch of armed people on a packed train would be a nightmare as bad as the one that just happened"

Sure. Better one "crazed gunman" who-just-happens-to-be-Muslim on a killing spree than a "whole bunch" of people capable of defending themselves.

Gordon Scott said...

Drill Sgt, there's a lot of Navy and Air Force guys who got some significant experience in the last 13 years. Folks from those services were used to fill non-front line slots in Army units. Not all of those positions were sitting in air-conditioned bunkers.

kcom said...

"Interesting that the initial reports described them as "Marines" and they were an National Guardsman and an Air Force guy."

Initial reports were all over the map. It's beyond parody, sometimes. I was reading a long Daily Mail article (I love them but they're not perfecdt) that contradicted itself from one part to the next on several key points. In one part of the story it said he had 9 magazines with 200 bullets, another part said it was 6 magazines with 200 bullets and somewhere else it said he had 300 bullets. One part said there were two American servicemen and one part said there were three. One mentioned one being injured but the rest of the story said nothing. The headline said a Briton was injured and the story said the British embassy said no Britons were injured.

Don't believe a word of anything from the media until is quadruple confirmed.

traditionalguy said...

Does this mean that a man with a gun is justified to shoot a man rushing him bare handed planning to take away his gun?

Officer Wilson in St Louis said that about Brown.

kcom said...

Sure. Better one "crazed gunman" who-just-happens-to-be-Muslim on a killing spree than a "whole bunch" of people capable of defending themselves.

Yes, if you're only going to have one gunman on a train it's preferable that the self-selected gunman be the one guy intent on murdering as many people as possible. See, that will put those nightmare fears to rest.

Trashhauler said...

Servicemen or no, they were lucky to surprise the gunman. If he had been battle-trained, he would have used gunfire to clear his way.

Wince said...

It was not immediately clear how the Americans had concluded from the noise that the assailant had been loading a weapon, suggesting that they may have observed him acting suspiciously before he entered the bathroom.

Luckily they were able to achieve close quarters before he started shooting or at least one of them would have likely been taken down by gunfire if they attempted to rush him from a distance.

traditional guy... yes, if the guy with gun is not perpetrating a crime in progress and the man rushing him presents an objective threat of death or severe bodily harm.

Vet66 said...

I always find it bizarre that the gun control crowd never mention the fact that armed citizens spend time on the range to keep their marksmanship up-to-date, clean their weapons and rotate their supply of ammunition to keep it fresh. I envision the anti-gun crowd spending more time learning new texting techniques while driving a vehicle or texting and walking into a fountain or off the station platform onto "hot tracks" and then being saved by a passerby who saves them from their own self-involvement. La La Land is not free of terrorists whose stated goal is to kill the infidel, apostate, non-believer. Hard to believe....and self-destructive.

Anonymous said...

Luckily they were able to achieve close quarters before he started shooting or at least one of them would have likely been taken down by gunfire if they attempted to rush him from a distance.

That was the initial story.

The later ones I saw said that the train ticket taker was running away from the gunman and the 3 Ami and a Brit ran toward him...

Mr Sadler gave a graffic description of what happened
Quote
We heard a gunshot, and we heard glass breaking behind us, and saw a train employee sprint past us down the aisle.
They then saw the gunman entering the carriage with an automatic rifle.
Quote
As he was cocking it to shoot it, Alek just yells, 'Spencer, go!' And Spencer runs down the aisle, Spencer makes first contact, he tackles the guy, Alek wrestles the gun away from him, and the gunman pulls out a box cutter and slices Spencer a few times. And the three of us beat him until he was unconscious.


Anonymous said...

One of the American soldiers who restrained the attacker on the train said that it appeared his weapon was faulty.
Alek Skarlatos, 22, said: "If that guy's weapon would have been functioning properly I don't even want to think about how it would have went."
He also said that the attacker did not seem to know how to handle the gun properly.
Mr Skarlatos told Sky News: "I grabbed the handgun, got the handgun away from the guy and threw it. Then I grabbed the AK which was at his feet and started muzzle-thumping him in he head with it.
"Everybody just started beating on the guy while Spencer held the choke hold, until he went unconscious at that point. People started to restrain him."
Mr Skarlatos - who said that everyone was just reacting on "adrenaline" - picked up the AK-47 and checked the other cars to ensure there was not another gunman.
Mr Skarlatos returned to car 12, where it all started, cleared the weapons and put them in a pile.
He told Sky News: "I noticed when I removed the round in the chamber of the AK that the primer had been struck, which means he pulled the trigger on the AK.
"The primer was just faulty, so the gun did not go off, luckily, and he did not know how to fix it, which was also very lucky.
"When I cleared the handgun I also noticed that there was no magazine in it - so he had either dropped it accidentally or did not load it properly. He was only able to get what appeared to be one shot off with the handgun."

James Pawlak said...

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French Army Rifle For Sale: Never fired; Dropped Once.

bleh said...

I don't understand the second NYT comment. How many trains are going to have heroic US servicemen on board?

joeknows said...

Drill Sgt, there seems like a lot of anger on your part that people are calling these men heroes. Are you the arbiter on who gets the hero designation? It doesn’t matter what military experience these men had, they risked their lives, one taking a bullet in the neck, to stop an act of terrorism. In my opinion they more than “reacted well” they reacted heroically in the face of mortal danger.

Big Mike said...

I agree with deepelemblues -- what good are restrictive gun laws if they don't stop bad guys from laying hands on a fully automatic assault rifle? Certainly it's the case that restrictive gun laws haven't stopped gangbangers in New York or Chicago or Washington, DC, from getting their hands on AK-47s.

And if one of those American servicemen had as little as .32 ACP pocket pistol, the episode would have been over quicker, and with fewer injuries to everyone (other than the terrorist, or course).

Matt Sablan said...

BECAUSE he was fully armed. There'd have been no need for them to act this way if he wasn't armed.

Big Mike said...

Rereading the Times article, two things jump out at me:

"France, on high alert after deadly terrorist attacks this year ..."

Seems to me that there must be a difference between politicians announcing that the nation is on a high alert, and those same politicians taking the necessary steps to actually place their nation on a high alert. Reminds me of the kabuki theater that is the Obama administration.

"It was not immediately clear how the Americans had concluded from the noise that the assailant had been loading a weapon ..."

The sound of a magazine being locked into place is distinctive, as is the sound of an AK charging handle being pulled and released.

Big Mike said...

@Drill SGT, can you give us a link?

Jason said...

Marine PAOs be like, "SSSHHHHHH."

Anonymous said...


joeknows said...
Drill Sgt, there seems like a lot of anger on your part that people are calling these men heroes.


Cite me an example?

I object personally to being called a "Trained killer" and I am uncomfortable when others call these guys "trained killers"

As for my noting their military involvement, it was just an observation.

As for not thinking them heroes? Of course they are heroes. Running toward gunfire instead of away is the mark of a hero...

Chris N said...

Thank you, gentleman, for being there and doing what you do, said everyone on the train and everyone else but some deluded, dangerous angry Muslims and some willfully blind Western ideologues, bureaucrats and fools.

Anonymous said...

Big Mike said...
@Drill SGT, can you give us a link?


Front page of the Daily Telegraph. The Brits do news better

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11817490/France-train-attack-US-soldiers-foil-massacre-live.html

jeff said...

Ok, thanks for helping us out in the American Revolution, but Jesus Christ, how many times are we going to have to save their sorry asses?

Anonymous said...

Jason said...
Marine PAOs be like, "SSSHHHHHH."


The errors weren't driven by any USMC PAO guy, but around bars on bases, there will be more jokes about Marine publicity. Ever since Iwo, every Marine has carried a flag in his pack and every rifle squad includes a combat photo guy :)

stan said...

NY TIMES Commenters prove logic remains elusive

That 2d rated comment is beyond stupid. It takes a special kind of idiot to embrace stupidity in the cause of political religion.

Fandor said...

Drill Sgt...No doubt about it, the men on the train are heroes. They acted when others might have flinched.
My question to you is this...what are soldiers trained to do in defense of their country, in the thick of combat with their comrades?

Anonymous said...

The best, most emotionally satisfying, part of this story? The Americans repeatedly beat the perp's head in with his own weapon, until he was unconscious.

Those who support the limp-wristed, limp-dicked "2nd highest" Commenter will likely tut-tut about the unnecessary violent response to the terrorist.

Myself, I hope the perp's facial injuries cause him to go through the rest of his miserable life looking like The Elephant Man.

Rough Justice, man: Rough Justice.

Laslo Spatula said...

I once had sex on a European train.

It was a transcendent experience: outside the window of our cabin the beautiful landscape passed by: centuries-old trees casting shadows from the fading sun, rich gray clouds, clusters of lush field rows, rough stone walls snaking past as we made our way from Vienna to, eventually, Paris.

As we had sex I would describe these scenes to the girl I was with, because her face was pushed hard into a seat cushion and couldn't see much as I banged her from behind..

Of course, words could not convey the beauty of what I saw, but she did not speak much English, so it probably didn't matter much.

Only later did I learn that "Non posso respirare" means "I can't breathe" in Italian.


I am Laslo.

Original Mike said...

"As for the three Yanks and the Brit, heroes run toward shooting, others run away..."

Saving French ass since 1917.

Michael K said...

"Michael, a few years ago we took the TGV train from Paris to Avignon "

I've taken it to Bordeaux and noticed no security. The Eurostar is having trouble with rioting African Muslims in Calais where it exits the Chunnel and we are going to Belgium on the car ferry with friends to avoid it. Coming back, we will probably take the Eurostar as we will be leaving our friends and there car in Belgium.

We will spend some at the Waterloo Battlefield in Belgium. 200 years this summer. One of the friends had an ancestor in the battle and who even attended the Duchess of Richmond's ball the night before the battle.

Anonymous said...

Fandor said...
My question to you is this...what are soldiers trained to do in defense of their country, in the thick of combat with their comrades?


In combat, you do what needs doing. Sure, I've killed people. But I'm a trained soldier, not a trained killer. I am sure AllenS feels the same way.

If you don't comprehend the difference, well...

http://original.antiwar.com/vlahos/2013/03/18/trained-killers-from-the-americas-to-afghanistan/

Anonymous said...

Mr Skarlatos told Sky News: "I grabbed the handgun, got the handgun away from the guy and threw it. Then I grabbed the AK which was at his feet and started muzzle-thumping him in he head with it.

OpenID jelink said...
The best, most emotionally satisfying, part of this story? The Americans repeatedly beat the perp's head in with his own weapon, until he was unconscious.


I'd send the lad back to the pit for more training. Unfortunately the Army doesn't teach Bayonet training any more, devoting the time to "unarmed combatives". If he'd had bayonet training he would have used the butt, not the muzzle :)

Fandor said...

Drill Sgt, I respect your feelings and your view.
I know you are an honorable man.

Anonymous said...

OpenID jelink said...
The best, most emotionally satisfying, part of this story? The Americans repeatedly beat the perp's head in with his own weapon, until he was unconscious.


one of those rules for gunfights come to mind :)

"Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty."

Anonymous said...

We will spend some at the Waterloo Battlefield in Belgium. 200 years this summer. One of the friends had an ancestor in the battle and who even attended the Duchess of Richmond's ball the night before the battle.

read at least one of Bernard Cornwell's books.

http://www.amazon.com/Waterloo-History-Three-Armies-Battles/dp/0062312057/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440256429&sr=8-1&keywords=waterloo

http://www.amazon.com/Waterloo-Sharpes-Adventures-No-11/dp/0140294392/ref=la_B000APAB68_1_24?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440256539&sr=1-24&refinements=p_82%3AB000APAB68





Anonymous said...

Now, now, 2 against 1? Racist Americans should be charged with beating a black passenger with a deadly weapon.

Mary Beth said...

When I was reading the different news reports on this yesterday I noticed how different news agencies handled the headlines. FOX said, "French Train Attack: US soldiers overpowered gunman who injured 3". I guess they think all military are soldiers.

CNN said, "American Prevent Massacre". I didn't know they were this excitable over anything other than missing airlines.

Al Jeezera had, "Man opens fire on Amsterdam-Paris train".

Gahrie said...

It's ironic that what could have been a really nasty attack was stopped in a country that has very restrictive gun laws by people without guns

I bet those two American servicemen would have preferred to have guns.

Gahrie said...

Does this mean that a man with a gun is justified to shoot a man rushing him bare handed planning to take away his gun?

Officer Wilson in St Louis said that about Brown


This has got to be the most assholish comment I've read in years.

Are you comparing officer Wilson, who was risking his life to protect lives and property to a terrorist?

Or are you comparing brave American servicemen who defeated a terrorist to street thugs who bully shopkeepers, steal and attack policemen?

Bill Peschel said...

jelink wrote: "Those who support the limp-wristed, limp-dicked "2nd highest" Commenter will likely tut-tut about the unnecessary violent response to the terrorist."

In that wonderful book, "The Professor in the Cage," the author warned that if you have to be in a street-fight, you don't let your opponent "tap out." You put him down for good. He recounted an incident in which that happened to a MMA fighter, and the the guy got up and sucker-punched him.

There's no honor in street fighting.

Skeptical Voter said...

The problem here is muzzle thumping rather than butt stroking. A good rifle butt stroke can kill a man. Course maybe the Muslim had sawed the stock off. You use what you have.

William said...

This is definitely the feel good story of the year. These guys are legitimately heroes, and they're legitimately integrated. Both black and white Americans can cheer for them. How often does that happen? Savor the moment.

kcom said...

As to muzzle versus butt I wouldn't trust the specifics of any news article at this point. Everything seems contradictory.

William said...

I saw the Brit's news conference. He is bilingual, married to a French national, and has a son serving in the French Navy. He works to finance projects in Africa. Another hero sent from central casting.

Anonymous said...

kcom said...
As to muzzle versus butt I wouldn't trust the specifics of any news article at this point. Everything seems contradictory.


It's a direct quote.

Mr Skarlatos told Sky News: "I grabbed the handgun, got the handgun away from the guy and threw it. Then I grabbed the AK which was at his feet and started muzzle-thumping him in he head with it.

and cuz if 1 or 2 butt strokes had been applied, he would be dripping blood and spinal fluid from various spots on his head... :)

Carter Wood said...

Being a DC commuter, I've commented among friends about the murder of Kevin Sutherland on the Metro. No one came to his defense as some whacked-out kid stabbed him to death over his i-Phone.

If only we had more former military men on the train.

I hope I would have responded, but I KNOW the Marines would have stopped that killing.

Fandor said...

Just a thought on stepping up...Todd Beamer..."Let's roll!"

We all need to fly in the face of our fears.

Let's roll!

Lyle said...

That second highest comment is "omg" stupid.

Michael K said...

"read at least one of Bernard Cornwell's books. "

Read most of 'em. Just finished the Waterloo book. Am reading another which tells me even more than I want to know. It's called "1815: The Waterloo Campaign" and goes into all the Prussian units and in great detail.

We were going to go to Greece but lost enthusiasm with all that's going on.

Bruce Hayden said...

People in the USA don't follow this, but August is the month when France shuts down and everyone goes on vacation.

Maybe 15 years ago, I was employed by an American subsidiary of a French company. What was weird was that every August, there would be email sent to all of the attorneys (including the handful in the U.S. working for the American subsidiary) wishing everyone well on their Holiday (or whatever they called it). And, weirder, it was usually in English. I asked once if that meant that we were included. Well, no, and I only got 2 weeks of annual leave. It was almost as if the French lawyers were clueless that things didn't operate that way in the U.S.

Anonymous said...











For all our general abuse of the French, I'll note that even the French Socialist (with a big S) President is happier with the 3 Ami, than our White House...








Jason said...

In related news, France surrenders to Germany.

Carnifex said...

Even after the rising crime rates, the terrorist attacks, the general squallor of living the Socialist Dream in DeBlahblahs NYC, even after all that, NY liberals want MORE. More gun laws, more taxes, more welfare. I'd rather the illegals and their anchor babies. At least they want to be here.

Jason said...

Haven't seen the actual weapon in question, but I bet this particular AK had a folding stock, not a wooden shoulder stock. There are a ton of those folding stock AKs and related rifles floating around (I don't know the nomenclature of all of the little AK variants) but if you're going to go after a train, the folding stock is a lot easier to conceal under a coat or inside a bag or suitcase. If I were a terrorist, that's what I'd go for.

Jason said...

Is EVERY male Frenchman on that train car a pussy?

Michael K said...

The French are divided into two groups. The pussies, which are about 75% and the hard asses like DGSE and First Regiment de Parachute marine, also known as "Ripem."

Robert Cook said...

"...the general squallor (sic) of living the Socialist Dream in DeBlahblahs NYC...."

It's a city of millionaires and billionaires, pal...and only becoming more so all the time. Maybe you should read some articles about NYC written later then 1988.

Big Mike said...

@Jason, I'm sure you're right. An AK-47 with a folding stock is about 25 inches long (per Wikipedia) and thus fits neatly into a small suitcase.

Scott M said...

It's ironic that what could have been a really nasty attack was stopped in a country that has very restrictive gun laws by people without guns. Seems that maybe there are better ways of safety than everyone runnng around with guns.

Of course, completely missed by this second-highest-rated-comment is that 1) the men involved were TRAINED ON GUNS. There's a mindset involved there. And, 2) that in a society were gun carry was common, idiots like this would be less likely to try mass murder. This guy probably wanted to try and flee. Otherwise, why not just wire up and blow the train rather than smuggle on a AK-47?

Roughcoat said...


Combat veterans don't talk about their kills in a public forum. Bad form.

Informed people don't belittle the French military and French soldiers. Ignorant.

Michael K said...

" Maybe you should read some articles about NYC written later then 1988."

Maybe you should, Cookie.

At this rate, the city’s murder rate could jump 75 % in 2014.

Just five days into the New Year, the city already has seen eight murders. There were eight homicides as of Sunday night since Jan. 1 in comparison to six during the same five-day span in 2013, cops said.

The number of homicides in 2013 dropped to 334 — the lowest number since the NYPD started keeping track in the 1960s.

At the current pace, the city would reach 584 homicides this year.

Michael K said...

Here's more, Cookie.

Late last year outside Pomander Walk, the historic Tudor-style residence on West 95th Street, a custodian sweeping the street was attacked by 29-year-old Jairo DeLeon, who, without provocation, proceeded to stab him with a knife. The handyman sustained severe lacerations to his arm, which he had held up to protect himself as he bled out onto the sidewalk. He was saved by neighbors who staunched the blood with a tourniquet. After police apprehended DeLeon, they learned that he was known as “Little Owl” in a gang called Dominicans Don’t Play and had 29 prior arrests.

In June, on what was, until recently, a leafy stretch of West 94th Street, a 28-year-old man named Jack Kester, deranged and apparently high on drugs, damaged and destroyed several trees with a saw while riding around on a child’s scooter, declaring “I’m king of the world.” When a neighbor confronted him, Kester threatened him with his gardening supplies while exclaiming “You’re a punk-ass bitch,” before fleeing into nearby Riverside Park.


There's plenty more where that came from.

AllenS said...

The Drill SGT said...
I am sure AllenS feels the same way.

And, you would be correct.

Larry J said...

"Blogger Jason said...
Haven't seen the actual weapon in question, but I bet this particular AK had a folding stock, not a wooden shoulder stock. There are a ton of those folding stock AKs and related rifles floating around (I don't know the nomenclature of all of the little AK variants) but if you're going to go after a train, the folding stock is a lot easier to conceal under a coat or inside a bag or suitcase. If I were a terrorist, that's what I'd go for."

The photo i saw was of an AK-47 with a folding (paratrooper) stock. That likely was a factor in using the muzzle to beat the man.

cubanbob said...

Robert Cook said...
"...the general squallor (sic) of living the Socialist Dream in DeBlahblahs NYC...."

It's a city of millionaires and billionaires, pal...and only becoming more so all the time. Maybe you should read some articles about NYC written later then 1988.

8/22/15, 2:03 PM

Why that would be when the City had Republican mayors. You may have noticed.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

I struggle to understand the mindset that it's better to be unarmend-that it's better to be helpless.
If you don't want gay marriage, don't have one; if you don't want to carry a weapon, don't. But why make it illegal for me, right? Are people so afraid to confront the truth that they're responsible for providing for their own safety that they're willing to make it illegal for others to actually do so? It's a sickness.

Etienne said...

HoodlumDoodlum said...But why make it illegal for me, right?

Right. See, it's the concept of the tribe that you are missing. It's not about what you want, it is what the tribe wants. The elders decide, not the bottom feeders.

Just because you want to drive 100 MPH on the freeway, doesn't mean that our wanting to live in safety is in any way affecting your freedom.

It means only, that the tribe wants safety and security. It has nothing to do with the individual.

Nichevo said...

The tribe, in your shall we call it a scenario, would be putting blacks on ice floes. WHAT tribe? Are you in the wrong country?

Dr.D said...

Once again, it is Americans who save the French. This just seems to be a routine scenario. I'm really proud of those young Americans!

kcom said...

Call me cynical, but I don't even trust direct quotes from the media until the hubbub dies down. The conflicting details from this story have been terrible.

Etienne said...

May people think that a gunfight is the most honorable way to die. They don't want to be slaughtered by raiding savages (whether by Americans doing a Pearl Harbor on Iraq, or Austrians wiping out the subhumans in Europe). They all think that having a gun will be more manly and virtuous.

In fact, hundreds of millions of men with guns died in WW1 and WW2, and the gun would have been traded for a warm coat or BBQ chicken if offered.

No, the truth is, that no one gets off the planet alive. Dead is dead. We only don't know the when, well unless we choke ourselves to death like Robin did.

cubanbob said...

Its too bad the terrorist wasn't killed. When are the French going to revert to their old ways of dealing with this type of scum by having a large number of them found floating in the Seine like in the old days? That worked in the past.

Etienne said...

cubanbob Said...When are the French going to revert to their old ways of dealing with this type of scum

One of the worst things to happen to Europe, was the European Union. The worst thing that happened in America was the Union of the States.

It all goes downhill after that.

Migrants take over and dilute the country, and the tribes all become a gene-pool of the damned.

Some rich guy then waves his anti-migrant flag and all the losers chant songs as the migrants fuck their women (well, the real women, not the shemales, although shemales can be a bit of fun)...

eddie willers said...

Muzzling the Muzzie seems poetic.

walter said...

I wonder if these trains have security cams. And one report mentions it was unclear if the perp was under active surveillance.

There has been mention of a bullet wounded passenger. I wonder how that shot didn't turn into a killing spray.

French actor mildly hurt on train said "we were in the wrong place with the right people."

That sounds familiar..like a long, long echo.

Jupiter said...

If the Americans had been armed, the POS would probably be dead. Case closed, problem solved.

Instead, there are French policemen running around the station in white hazmat suits gathering "evidence", so the POS can have a nice little trial, and then a brief but pleasant all-expenses-paid stay in a French prison where he and his fellow muzzies can exchange tips on welfare fraud and jihad before he is released into the EU. Hell, Obama is probably already offering him asylum in the US.

AllenS said...

Coupe, let me tell you something right to your face:

You don't know jack fucking shit.

Jupiter said...

And by the way, those guys now have targets on their backs. They had better get back to the USA, and get armed, just as fast as they can. Of course, they still won't be safe here, where the muzzies are targeting military personnel and their families. And the libs think we need more muzzies. Lots more.

Nichevo said...

I was thinking about reprisals too.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Etienne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
AllenS said...

You are dumber than shit. Reaching shit status would be something for you to celebrate. As I see you have.

Anonymous said...

Though the second commenter almost certainly doesn't realize it, the upshot of his comment is that whether people have guns doesn't matter one way or the other. So why not let people do what they want?

Etienne said...

Paul Zrimsek said......whether people have guns doesn't matter one way or the other. So why not let people do what they want?

Accidental discharge. Even Armies don't let their soldiers run around the forts in the rear with their weapons.

Etienne said...

AllenS said...You are dumber than shit.

Get back on your med's grandpa. You're acting out again.

Etienne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
walter said...

Hmm.."Coupe" doing his usual embarrassing himself and then deleting his posts.

Robert Cook said...

"' Maybe you should read some articles about NYC written later then 1988.'

"Maybe you should, Cookie."


I don't need to read no steenkeen articles...I live in NYC.

Nichevo said...

I live in New York, Cook. What were you trying to say again?

Nichevo said...

And Coupe, when you say something that isn't dizzyingly stupid, I'll let you know so you can try to do it again.

Paul said...

Whomever opined that 500 armed people on the train would all open fire and cause a bloodbath is just PLAIN STUPID.


And the fool that thinks most people are going to jump a gunman is just fucking nuts.

Get real NYT people... you seem to be stuck on stupid.

Big Mike said...

@walter, his AK jammed due to a weak primer strike and he apparently didn't know how to clear it.

David said...

These guys were decisive and brave and from the looks of them Strong Like Bull as well. They also had some military training, which teaches them to seize the initiative even when in a position of weakness. They were also young but there was a pretty old guy with them (also looked Strong Like Bull) who acted just as they did. It was lucky that these men were in reasonable proximity to the shooter, and it is lucky that they were men not women, to be blunt about it. There are some women who might do this but few and far between. As with men, by the way, but military men learn a different approach.

The gun comment in the NYT is stupid, but NYT readers seem to like stupid. And they love their preconceptions. They are so comforting.

chickelit said...

Coupe is like a mobius strip: two sides seamlessly one.

Etienne said...

chickelit said...Coupe is like a mobius strip: two sides seamlessly one.

As the sun moves across the sky, yin and yang gradually trade places with each other, revealing what was obscured and obscuring what was revealed.

The trick is to find that point when the transition occurs and truth will be revealed; everything else will be obscured.

For example, there is greater and greater weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, then at some point there are no weapons of destruction in Iraq.

It is that transition point when you need to do the Pearl Harbor on the Muslim fucks, before the peasants slobs can do anything except send their men to die in the desert for the Clinton/Bush families.

Rusty said...

Haliburton!
right coupe?

jeff said...

I think its great that the second highest comment is depending on someone else to put their body between them and the assailant, rather than have other people with icky guns which might have discouraged the attack in the first place, and once again brings up the mythical free for all shootout from all directions, which has never actually happened but has been the boogie man for the past 40 years whenever someone mentions liberalizing gun laws. Well done.

zefal said...

I didn't know an unarmed person could take out an armed man. You learn something old every day. #MichaelBrown

Nichevo said...

Y'know, Coupe, I would say that if you yourself would not spaz out if you carried a gun in public and were faced with an active shooter, then there's no reason to assume that anyone else would.