3 lessons from an Aloha mugging

Received this e-mail about a Wednesday night mugging from a Hill neighbor who forwarded it from a neighborhood safety group she is part of. For context, robbery on the Hill is down so far this year according to Seattle Police Department statistics, but we're seeing plenty of reports like these, often targeting electronics like iPhones.

Last night R and I were driving home from a show when a guy flagged us down in the street. He'd was out for a jog around Aloha and 11th when a group of about seven teenagers mugged him and ran off with his iPod. He needed someone to call 911 for him. So here are some thoughts for you:

* First: Don't go for a walk or a jog alone at night with your headphones on. Alas, you're an easy, easy, obvious target. On a related note: You should probably keep that iPhone of yours in your pocket when you're strolling around at night. Don't go texting and walking at the same time. You may as well hang a sign around your neck that says: Mug Me!

* Second: This guy said he saw the group of teenagers walking down the street and that his first instinct was to cross the street to steer clear of them. But then he decided against it. He figured everything would be OK. And then, before he knew it, he was getting punched in the face and shoved to the ground and they were telling him not to call the cops or they would kill him. So ... listen to your instincts and, yeah, avoid groups of teenagers at night. Most teens are great people. But if you're alone at night, you may as well give them some space just in case you've run across the few assholes looking for trouble ... and free iPods.

* Third: It's hard to know when to err on the side of caution and when tothrow caution to the wind. The thing is, R and I nearly didn't stop to help this guy. It was dark. It was late. There was a strange man flapping his arms wildly in the middle of the street for reasons that were not immediately apparent. We didn't want to get mugged at gunpoint. We had a kid we really wanted to get home alive to. Etc. Etc. When we pulled over, the poor guy said he couldn't get anyone to stop and help him. I'm not sure exactly what to take away from this except that, after our initial hesitation, our instincts told us we should stop. So, again, listen to your instincts. That is, unless your instincts are telling youthat you should go for a jog with your headphones on at 10:30 p.m. in the dark on Capitol Hill. Then you should chuck your instincts out the window because your instincts suck.

In the end, the guy was shaken up but OK. His face was swelling a bit and his knees were bloodied up from being pushed to the ground, but a whole lot of police officers showed up very quickly. So, things could have been worse, but they weren't.

CHS edited the mail to remove names