From: barry@citr.uq.oz.au (Barry Kitson)
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: Re: Car jacking
Date: 20 Dec 92 23:44:35 GMT
Organization: Prentice Centre, University of Queensland

dkm@cci632.cci.com (Don Morrill) writes:

>Well, as the Rochester news likes to put it, I was the victim of the
>first reported attempted car-jacking in the Rochester area.
.....
>I was sitting at a red light late at night with no other cars in view.
>I saw a youth (what's a yout?) cross the street in front of me from left
>to right and though nothing of it at the time. As he crossed in front of my
>car, I saw him produce a claw hammer and run around to the passenger side
>of my car. My first instinct was to reach for the door lock and just as he
>reached the passenger side door, I was able to lock the doors (thank God
>for power door locks, they probably saved my life!) He proceeded to lift the
>hammer in an apparent display of force. I quickly looked both ways at the
>red light and like any good MA, stepped on the gas and ran like hell.
>I looked in my rear view mirror to see the kid get into the car behind me.
.....
>Questions:
>If the kid had gotten into my car with the claw hammer, what actions could
>I have taken. 

	If you're sharing the car with him, you are at a distinct
disadvantage, so do everying possible to keep him out.  That includes
driving over him if necessary.

	If he gets in, consider (in no particular order):

	a) getting out (if you have somewhere safer you can reach
		in a hurry and before his friends catch you).
	b) doing what you're told
	c) crashing the car if he's not wearing a seatbelt.  Just a panic
		stop might be enough to get rid of his weapon for a
		fraction of a second.  Have a plan of attack if you get
		hold of the hammer or if neither of you have it when you
		come to a halt.  Don't crash if his friends are
		behind you and are likely to be displeased.
	d) drive him to a police station or (very) public place, but
		be prepared to stop one or two blows from the hammer.

>I have a very small car with a low roof so an overhand attack
>from the punk with the hammer is ruled out. 

	A straight thrust can still hurt, and he could swing it
horizonatlly if there is room.  If you expect some pain, it might help
you overcome the shock.

>With my limited MA training, the
>best I could come up with is either a fist to the groin as he entered the car
>or perhaps a palm-heel strike to the nose with a hito(sp?) to the side of
>the neck (brachial plexis???).

	While he's getting in, keep shifting the car :^)  I'd wait for an
attack (I think) and try to get hold of the hammer, but until then I'd be
doing fast work with the gears, peddals and wheel.  Once he's in, if you
decide to struggle, short techniques (with your hands) are probably all
that can be managed.  You could try pushing the hammer out of the way\
(e.g. towards the windscreen) with your right hand and then slam back into
his face with the base of your closed (right) fist.  Or push towards the back 
of the car, and then come back into his face with a palm heel.  These sort
of block-hit combinations don't need much room (but they do need practice
if you want them to be strikes and not just pushes).  Try to hurt him (break
his nose or a few teeth) and then when his guard drops smash his face into
the dash or push him out the door or something.  (Use the hammer if you
can get hold of it and he's still unfriendly.)  But all the while remember
his friends, and look to get away from them.

>If the kid did strike me with the hammer and make me drive off with his
>friends following, what then. Jump from the car and let it drive off
>uncontrollably, possibly hitting a bystander? 

	Try to keep as much control as possible for as long as possible.
A handbreak spin in an open space will probably not be as dangerous for
you as it will for him (but watch that flying hammer :^) if you have your
belt on.  But bear in mind that you might lose your windscreen in the
process, and driving without a view is pretty difficult.

>Ride it out for a while and
>hope for the best? 

	Might be your best choice.  If you can keep your head, you might
be able to judge how dangerous this is.

>Any thoughts would be greatly helpful.

	In the situation you described, I think you did almost everything 
right.  You could also try keeping your doors locked, and wind your 
windows up whenever you need to stop in places that make you nervous.  
And keep some manoeuvring distance between your car and any car you stop
behind at lights.

	Any other suggestions?

		Barry.
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts