Threatened in the street.

[Ady]

A couple of days ago, I was walking home during my lunch break, happily minding my own business when a thuggish character hanging about outside a nearby cornershop crosses the street to where I am and gets in my face. The conversation goes something like this:

Thug: Have you been threatening my friend xxx?
Me: No.
Thug: Yes you have, you've been threatening xxx! Don't play games, I know what you've been doing!
Me: I don't know what you're talking about, mate. Seriously.
Thug: You DO know what I'm talking about. And you better not threaten him anymore, because if anything happens to him, I'm coming after you and I'm coming after your friends!
Me: What is this about? (I'm genuinely confused by this point because I haven't been threatening anyone!)
Thug: You KNOW what this is about, and I DARE you do to anything to xxx!
Me: Like I said, I don't know what you're talking about.
Thug: Alright... so you're going to play it like this? OK...

He then wanders back over to his side of the road and continues hanging around outside the shop with the owner, and I continue about my business. I actually needed to pop to the chip shop a few yards down the road before going home, so on the way back I thought I'd go and speak to the guy again where he was (outside the shop) to try and reason with him (and show that I wasn't going to let him intimidate me). The conversation was pretty much the same and ended up going round in circles, so I just left it and carried on home. And no, he didn't follow me, but the incident did happen on a road leading off mine.

Now, I'm a professional guy, I'm not involved in any kind of "street business" and neither have I ever threatened the guy who sent this character after me, so it was something of a shock to have someone like this approach me out of the blue. Thing is, the person he was referring to, who I'm supposed to have "threatened" is actually someone I know but haven't spoken to, or been on friendly terms with for years. This guy is something of a coward though (as this whole incident has proved) and would never confront me directly if he had a problem, hence him sending dodgy characters after me. This is pretty low down and despicable. Even for him.

What I really want to know before I take this further is whether I have enough "ammunition" to go the police. As I said, I know the guy who sent the thug after me, I know where he lives and where he works. I even know of the person who threatened me (he's certainly no friend of mine, but I know who he is...). Are the police likely to act on such information given that I was verbally threatened with violence in the street by somebody who was set up by another person, or will they require something a bit more concrete?

Either way, it's not a good situation to be in. I pass by the shop this thuggish character hangs around every day on my way to and from work and it's made me feel a little unsafe knowing this guy could jump out at me with a knife or something one evening all on the word of a cowardly, spiteful **** stirrer whose suddenly decided to start something with me for no reason.

Any advice?

[Darwock]

The way you have described it he doesn't sound very intimidating at all.. anyone who actually says something like "You KNOW what this is about, and I DARE you do to anything to xxx" is all mouth and no trousers IMO. Do you live in a well-to-do area?

I wouldn't be worried about it. Unless you were paraphrasing. Some examples of threats I received in Glasgow were "You a poof? [followed by unfolding a flick knife from his pocket]" and "Gimme your PSP or I'll slash ye [from a guy with a four inch scar down the side of his face]", my mate had a guy stick something in his back (turned out to be his fingers) at an ATM and demand he hand over all his cash... in all these cases the thugs in question were ****ebags just hoping to get a reaction out of the fear and when they see you're not a push over they just give up. So I really doubt a chap as educated as yours is ever going to do anything to worry about.

edit - if I have misread the situation then you should probably log it with the police just so if anything does happen down the road there's a record of it, I'm sure it would help in the long run.

[Jebus]

You should be reporting it to the police, with a description of the guy, not reporting it on an internet forum.

At least, imho.

[abigsmurf]

Threatening behaviour is an offence so you could report it to the police. Of course that could also cause things to escalate. It's entirely possible the guy's a twat and was making everything up

[kernow]

I had the same thing happen a couple of years back, some guy was standing at the end of my street as I was going to work at 6:30am in the morning. He had a bin liner or two full of stuff on the floor that was spilling out, so maybe he'd just been chucked out or something. I walked past him and:

'Are you going this way?' *points down road opposite way of where I'm going to the train station. (I think he wanted me to help carry his bags)

'Uh no sorry I'm going this way' *points towards railway station*

'Yes you are.'

'Uh no I'm going to work'

Then he kicks off massively threatening to smash my face in etc, I just ignore him for a bit, cross the road and then start beating my chest shouting back at how manly he is. When I came back from work there were a load of smashed up audio cassettes on the floor where he was standing.

You can't avoid these situations sometimes, some people are just absolute dicks, or cowards. Reminds me of another situation about 12yrs ago when I was in a club smoking a cigarette (when I smoked), and some guy I kinda saw around and semi knew came over and said he'd smash my face in if I didn't give him 'twos' on it. I turned around to one of my best friends much older brother who had a bit of a reputation and told him the exact same thing he said to me, one frosty look and the guy decided it was better if he just stood up and walked away.

I'm sorry about your situation, but honestly I don't think the Police would do anything about it, just chalk it up to it having to happen to everyone once in their lives which is terrible to say I know, and try to forget about it. Its very unlikely anything will come of it either way - bad or good. It does shake you up a bit when it happens though, and just goes through your mind afterwards with a lot of 'what ifs' etc.

Its never worth retorting though and you did the right thing, stay calm and just plead your obvious innocence.

[prinnysquad]

Then he kicks off massively threatening to smash my face in etc, I just ignore him for a bit, cross the road and then start beating my chest shouting back at how manly he is. When I came back from work there were a load of smashed up audio cassettes on the floor where he was standing.

That's very amusing, I did a lol. You could use that story as a creative writing exercise, inventing a back story for those tapes.

[FelixofMars]

This just sounds like a typical night in Borough. Plenty of Chav's where up for abuse when I was studying there. Thankfully most of the time it was hollow threats.

[kernow]

Seriously though, maybe you could have a word with the shopkeeper, or inform the police that he was talking to him as he's a permanent fixture there, and they can go and talk to him and see who it was he was outside nattering with.

[chopemon]

WHile walking through town the other evening about six o clock some smack fiend runs up to me and starts asking me if I've been giving his friend grief. Anyone that knows me will tell you that I am not only incapable of giving grief, I'm not like that at all.

He has a go at me, I tell him I don't know what he's talking about and walk off. As I walk away he shouts after me that he'd better not see me giving his friend grief.

Is this some new meme amongst crackheads (he was clearing under the influence)?

Is this something they do for kicks?

[spagmasterswift]

Ady, you should have kicked the **** out of him and his mate!

[toythatkills]

I just ignore him for a bit, cross the road and then start beating my chest shouting back at how manly he is.

...some people are just cowards.

...

[kernow]

[EDDIE M0NS00N]

Sorry to hear about this Ady. We've all been there at some time & its not very nice. As others have said maybe file a report with the Police, but I doubt anything will get done.

[Robster]

Dont worry mate, the guys who are really gonna people hurt never let on or tell you beforehand .

Sounds like he is just showing off to his store owner buddy!.

I would not hold much hope with police either imo.

[NW2013]

You should have tried reverse psychology on him, "I hear YOU'VE been threatening my friend, xxx. If you don't stop I'm coming after YOU and your family and firends."