was it really worth it?

Yes, it was. Too bad the @#$% jerk wasn't more seriously hurt. Good work.

Well I think you did the right thing. I mean let's face it, someone might have actually killed the guy for stealing those 10 dollars. Sure it probably wouldn't happen, but the chance is always there that he runs into a nutcase and gets himself killed. Better a beating from you than getting killed for what he does.

The thing is, you're a martial artist. Beat the guy up if you think he needs the beating, and teach him a lesson. That way he may learn and give up mugging people on the street, because one day that guy might get killed for mugging someone way more dangerous or crazy than yourself - of course I am not saying you are crazy, but other people might be.

My point being, the beating you gave the guy might have just saved his neck, and made him think about the risks of what he's doing.

And for the record, I would have done the same as you. Not to beat the guy up, or for fun, or even for money. But simply to teach him that it's dangerous to mug random people on the street. I would even let the guy keep the 10 dollars. I'd hurt him as little as possible (or try at least), then after the beating, I would help him up, let him rest, buy him a drink, and nicely explain to him that he could have encountered someone far more dangerous than me, and that he could have gotten seriously hurt, and that what he's doing could have been a big mistake.

Of curse if the guy has a gun or something like that, I'd just let him have the 10 dollars, in a situation like that it's not worth it. However...if I had a girlfriend and he pointed that thing at her, I'd do my best to break his arm. Better a broken arm than a dead woman if you ask me, and you can't risk stuff if he's got a gun.

Of course this is just my opinion. I think that, if you really wanna beat someone up, do it to teach them something, not because he stole 10 dollars or whatever.

Was it worth $10? Not at all and you were lucky that you didn't end up in jail or the hospital. I totally understand though...if someone had done that to my wife I prolly woulda done the same thing.

Really there are rules that one should be guide by on he street, several others have defined them.

I will only add sometimes women & the uninformed, are trusting and want to help others but your counsel if they will listen should help. Usually the common non connecting responce if you don't know the person is, "Is no I don't have change, and keep walking." But if you know the guy or not let him present his funds to you first, let him be the trusting person. You hold his $10 bucks as you search for his change.

The incident with your lady there probably was unavoidable after he tricked her and ran with the money. She would never let you live that down if you would have just said come on its not worth it, let it go. She would have said with all that training you let that happen to me (in reality she let it happen). So base on the principle you had to defend her honor especially after she took his hat and issued the ultimatum. I know alot of MAs are going to say you always have the option to turn the other cheek, maybe if you girls a MAs too, other then that you have live with that or dump the girl. And really it wasn't her fault for trusting and trying to help a stranger. But thats the world we live in.

In almost every street scuffle I've seen or experienced there are always some briuses, nicks & torn flesh, there is always some regret or hindsight or was it worth it. But thats spilled milk its good that your training came through and you pretty much whipped his a$$, at a slight size disadvantage. The only thing left to do really is to reap the benifits of your labour, laid back and eat those grapes she'll be feeding you as she strokes your browe, my Man, she's thinking.

Thats a lot better then listening to you weakling you let that happen to me or you laid up in the hospital bc you couldn't handle yourself (or the mess she got you in), its just all part of having a non-MA babe. Pluses and minuses, checks and balances. It was a Principle worth fighting for if that means anything to ya, as your scuffs on your knees and elbos heal, eat those grapes Man.

Thats life in the concret jungle. Sorry no wise enlightening jargons or mottos.

whatever happed to humillity? IMO the fight would have been over putting his hands on my gf... not the money. however stopping him would have given you a very good chance to get your money back

...it never happened, that's why.

basis of law
do to others as you would have them do to you If your were in their position and they were in yours, abarring necessity.
To judge this, we need to know why he stole the money.
was he just trying to get a pack of smokes? was he out of money on a poker night?
Or was it something more serious, Maybe he had to feed his family by whatever means, unable to get a job, or recently lost his. Upon confrontation he may have become extremely defensive over everything he considered 'his.'

Considering human evolution is based violently on what can survive, your reactions were not out of ordinary. Albiet, you have hurt another human, a crime sure as robbery. Reasons aside, you were not critically damaged by the loss, neither of you were hurt, except by your own overly vicious violence. Also you left the scene of a crime which is illegal in it's own.
As opposed to turn to the authorities who have much to deal with on their own,
You should take it upon yourself to not only make peace with your assailant (having done easily $10 worth of damage)
but also ask him for his reasons behind the robbery. If he has an alchohol problem or the like, direct him to the nearest rehabilitation center. If he has a family to feed, the nearest soup kitchen, or even help him if you can.
You as many humans, (I myself am not innocent) have chosen a violent and wrong path. The people here are attacking your story looking for equillibrium and exchange in your words. They Will gravitate to the conflicts, and slowly pick them apart until it makes perfect sense and they have their opinion formed and proven to themselves.
Always work toward nonviolent peace. Defend yourself now if you must, but remember, We are creatures of law. Equillibrium MUST be observed.

and why did you get a cab after getting off the bus?

Vennifcus - Thats all well and good decomposing asking why something happened to you on the street is for your memoirs or diary or case studies not for realworld during a conflict. 1st hand I've had to defend myself for no reason except being in the wrong place at the wrong time, theres no reason for it really except they think they can get away with it. I guess law transcripts would help, but its hindsight.

I also find trying replay the scenario so that it makes sense or fit reasoning unless its your job or you were a eyewitness is futile. Though its nothing wrong with forming a personal opinion, its just that.

In a conflict like that facts and reasoning will be blurred and objective. Trying to say that a 5' person can't take a cap off a 6'+ man is a assumption, we don't know if he was bend over panting or at that her raised arm can't reach 1+ foot the average girls arm is longer then 18" long. So even if he was standing she could reach some part of it. And even white girls can jump.

It's not up to us decided did it happen, but to aid in his question of was it worth it. Somethings come to us and force us to handle them. It was worth it because he survived, he was victorious imho and his pretty lady was un-injuried, except for being minus $10.

Butterflypalm those were assumptious inquires that could bring questioned. But it wasn't a obvious lie, like he fought the law and he won.

Of course those were assumptions, but assumptiuons based on the totality of the whole incident and not just on the hat snatching part alone. There appears to be something wrong in every turn of the "facts" as given.

All I am saying is that I am not convinced it actually happened. Too many unanswered questions. In any case, if the poster merely wanted to put the question whether was it worth it to fight and risk injury to himself, and more importantly to his 5 ft. tall girlfriend, for $10 then just the bare facts would have sufficed; there was really no need to go into all the gory "fighting" detail, especially the part where NOT ONE hit landed on him even while he was taking his shirt off (meaning the thief presumably attempted, but failed) and his hand was so seriously injured (leaving scars mind you) from hitting just the thief's jaw and sides. If the injuries were so serious to his hands, can you imagine what happened to the thief?

And the getting into the taxi (with a bloodied hand) immediately after the "fight" in an intersection, leaving those other motorists who got out of their vehicles with the thief clinched it for me.

NO, it never happened.

Maybe you could be right, but in a fight details can be scattered for the witness and the people involved. Detailed facts are often mixed up. I know people who have described the same incident that I saw and we saw nearly totally different things, when it came to details. Things like that takes some training most times to distinguish the small detail of what,how many,who and where.

As for his hands being bruised or bloodied this quite possible just by strikes to the hard corners and back of the head or teeth, it does take much to bruise or bloody soft hands that are use to being gloved.

I see your point that it did leave some details outs and reason out like getting off the bus and getting into a taxis. But what I gathered from that was a bus you have to wait on and a taxis can be held right away. In some places. Traffic and parking is so congested that a Mass Tran system and taxis are the main source of travel. In places like NYC taxis are used to escape bar incidents and get aways from such violence, them want to be paid they are not concern with why you want to go. Now they are concern with their cab not being blooided but direct pressure will stop most minor bleeding of the hand.

So his short take on his incident was not that far fecthed as far as I'm concern. Why do people tell about their incidents, it is one of the purpose of this forum.
But he should know there will be PIs like Butterflypalm that don't believe bc everything doesn't match up.

Which is what makes this forum so interesting. Believe it or not.

I'd rather hear that then I got my a$$ whipped by a young punk after 10 years of training in my own style, I don't know why; Can anybody give some suggestions. I've read all of Bruce Lee's books....

It isnt my business to tell anybody what to do or give advise. But here is some. Be carefull of who you deal with.
Drugs and mental illness or just being pure bad are some of the reasons that a person shouldnt approach another person.

Have a look at some of the reported crimes. Might give a better idea.

Jude

I really don't think it was worth it.

I can see the principle in teaching him a lesson, and I can understand that things can just get out of hand very quickly and end violently.

But no, in the end, I think you should have just let it go. Still, kudos for defending your woman like that.

Not worth it in the slightest. I agree with the people who said you two shouldn't have given him change in the first place. what could he need with change for a 10 in the middle of the night anyway? some would argue that it would then turn into a robbery. in that case you should give him the money. avoiding that fight is worth more than 10 bucks. i would say it is worth more than a thousand. you need more than ten bucks to pay your medical bills when you are breathing through a tube in the hospital.

wow havent been on the forum in ages
whoever thinks that this is BS is a retard, my gf had no problem getting the hat off the guys head and i'm pretty sure he was on drugs or something. its the only rational reason i can think of that he would come back again. as for the taxi driver, i dont think he really gave a s**t, he just wanted to take my fare and have my money. as for him not landing any blows, he was a terriable fighter all he did was grab my shirt

oh yeah and as for why i got off the bus and into a taxi was because where i lived at the time was not on any bus route and was actually about a half hour walk to any bus stop