So...home invasions.

[Yuuki]

In Millburn, NJ a brutal home invasion was recently caught on tape by a nanny-cam and become a pretty big piece of news.
Note: If mods don't want this discussed since it could spiral way out of control, feel free to lock.

Spoiler: Warning: This shit is not for the faint of heart. Not technically NSFW but highly disturbing nonetheless.

Sadly, but predictably, discussions across pretty much all the Youtube videos of that incident/news have gone openly full-blown racist (hardly surprising)...or at least sparking off similar debates like whether having a gun handy would've helped.

I personally am speechless because of the sheer randomness of the situation and the woman's utter helplessness, but at the same time I can't help but admire her mental strength.

What do people think can be done to reduce incidents like these? What would you have done if you were in her shoes? How would you have reacted? Have you implemented any anti-invasion measures in your home?

UPDATE: Great news! The offender has been arrested and named: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/caught_arrest_in_violent_home_invasion_mPMRjMFUSE2a1PGjYdVzgP
Shawn Custis faces charges of attempted murder, robbery, burglary and child endangerment. Glad to see the law is going all-out on his ass. Even in prison he's going to be hated lol, not many inmates tolerate people who attack women like that.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

This is one of those situations where people tend to really wake up to how vulnerable they are to attack right in their own home.

In this case the guy just kicked the door down and got into the house before anyone could have had a chance to do anything. With something like this there's no chance to call the cops, or to grab a gun or any other weapon to defend yourself unless it's already within arm's reach.

So what's the solution? Are you really going to carry a gun with you all over the house all day every day? I'm a proponent of guns, but even I would say that's just not feasible or comfortable. Having a gun in every room? Not economically possible for a lot of people, and is probably a bad idea for households with children. Basically the only solution I can think of to completely avoid something like this is to just turn your house into a fortress. Heavy doors, big locks, bars on the windows, alarms, the whole 9 yards, but while that would keep you safe, would someone really want to live in a prison of their own creation like that? And again, turning your house into a virtual fortress really isn't possible for a lot of people, especially those who don't own their homes, or who don't have the money to get those kind of upgrades.

As far as what I would have done? Well, I have a large dog, a couple of guns, and carry a pocket knife on me at all times (not specifically for self defense, I just find that a pocket knife is really useful to have), so if a guy like this ever gets into my house and he tries to attack me with his bare hands he'll get the shit stabbed out of him. Even if he does take me down with his superior size, I'll make sure to make it hurt for him.

 

[Yuuki]

Thanks for the reply, you're right in the fact that having a gun around wouldn't have really helped. Especially in her case, she's an active mother with her hands full of two precious (very small) kids and the level of mental alertness required to arm yourself the moment an intruder appears is plain unrealistic...if anything, once the intruder was done with her and he found the weapon then the shit would really hit the fan because now he's armed :S

You make a really good point of having a large dog or two. Doesn't matter how strong the man is, the moment he hears the bark of an Alsatian (or similar) it's going to put him on his toes and at least stop further harming the victim. It could possibly even get him scared enough to leave, especially if the big dog charges in looking to attack. Alsatians and Rottweilers look FEROCIOUS at full-size when they get angry, I know this first hand.

 

[ShiningAmber]

I am thankful that I am a registered and licensed concealed carry. After various, violent incidents in my past, I promised I would do everything I could to make sure it would never happen again. I would have no trouble taking the life of someone who invaded my home. You violate my home and threaten me, you had better expect to pay the price. I'm not taking chances.

To hit and batter an unarmed woman. Pathetic.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'm actually glad this is news for you. Home invasions are our daily bread in Argentina. The people inside are usually killed and the culprits never found/imprisoned. My old man alone got invaded three times in a single week :/ A truly fucking violent society, and noone to do anything about it.

 

[Shadowstar38]

I have four dogs in my house. Three of which are complete assholes that bite people when I don't want them to. Get past those, and you deal with the stockpile of weapons in the house. I'm not too concerned.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I'm actually glad this is news for you. Home invasions are our daily bread in Argentina. The people inside are usually killed and the culprits never found/imprisoned. My old man alone got invaded three times in a single week :/ A truly fucking violent society, and noone to do anything about it.

It's not so much that this is new to us. We all know that home invasions happen all the time, but there's a difference between knowing about it on an academic level, and actually seeing extremely brutal footage of it happening.

 

[Atrocious Joystick]

The only thing that can really help in cases like this are alert neighbours, avoiding leaving women and children home alone and the usual crime prevention measures. A big dog or two is a good idea. Although it is not a guarantee. I've had a big mean looking german shephard that was a total pussy. A gun might help if you are aware of the invasion before it happens but if the perpetrator gets the jump on you there isn't much you can do. Believe it or not you aren't Rambo and she definately isn't.

 

[Zhukov]

*shrug*

It's extremely unlikely, at least where I'm from. Being scared of home invasion is like being scared of walking down the street because you might get mugged. True, but kind of pointless.

Bottom line is that if someone randomly decides to fuck up your day without warning then there's really not much you can do. Learn kung-fu, carry a gun, go to the gym, whatever, chances are it will all mean jack shit if a large dude with a club step up behind you.

Personally I'd be about as screwed as the average person. I usually carry a pocket knife (for general use, not self defense) and I have some training in the use of a short blade, plus I keep a club beside my bed. However it's mostly just for comfort, I'm under no illusions of suddenly becoming a home-defending Rambo, repelling wave after wave of shaven-headed, swastika-emblazoned thugs.

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Well I live in Britain, so if someone invaded my home, even if I had a weapon near me (knife, bat, club) I wouldn't be able to do anything. I'd pretty much have to let them in, make them a cup of tea and watch happily as they steal my most valued possessions, because anything else is assault and "unnecessary".

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

Meh. If this happened to me, I guess the first thing I'd do is get face-first on the ground, never look at the attacker and tell him/her to take whatever they want, as I'd assume the motive would be robbery. If they simply wanted to beat me up, well, not really much I can do about that besides take it and hope they don't kill me or permanently damage me. That's what I'd plan for, anyway. Any outcome that leaves me uninjured/able to walk away, and the offender alive is a small victory as far as I'm concerned. I'd only resort to fighting back if I had absolutely no choice. Fighting back would only endanger me more.

 

[Angie7F]

I would never expect this to happen in japan.
It just seems so pointless to risk being arrested for a few pieces of jewelry.

Also it just akes me confirm my decision that I do not want to live in the U.S.

 

[Nouw]

I live in New Zealand, in Auckland, in a neighbourhood full of seniors next to two schools and a dementia care centre. I feel pretty safe. If I was in her shoes my first thoughts would be with my grandparents and family, then grabbing the nearest throw-able object and hoping for the best.

 

[MagunBFP]

Shawn Custis faces charges of attempted murder, robbery, burglary and child endangerment. I would've thrown attempted rape in there too (if there is such a charge)...

I get it he's a bad guy and deserves to have the book thrown at him for the vicious attack, but why attempted rape? From the footage there's no evidence that there was any form of sexual assault. Or do you think that because rape is so despised we should pretend that he tried to rape her so he's punished even further?

As for having a gun to make her safe, that's just laughable he tosses her around like a rag doll and she didn't invite him in, so she was surprised by the attack which means that unless she's just carrying her gun around while she's as home she'd have to go get the gun which isn't going to happen.

The best idea is getting a big dog, but that only works if the dog's allowed inside. Prevention is always better then cure, so lock your doors while you're home as well as while you're and hope that today is not the day some thug decides to take what's yours.

 

[Karhukonna]

Well I live in Britain, so if someone invaded my home, even if I had a weapon near me (knife, bat, club) I wouldn't be able to do anything. I'd pretty much have to let them in, make them a cup of tea and watch happily as they steal my most valued possessions, because anything else is assault and "unnecessary".

This is true in Finland as well. Self-defense has been made almost entirely illegal. We get news all the time where rape victims and people who resist mugging are given fines or even imprisoned.

Me, I don't care. If a person enters my home, I will ask them to leave. If that fails, I will remove them from my home. If they decide to make it difficult for me, it only means I have to use more force. Maybe the situation will be hectic and I'll accidentally use too much force, but that is their problem, not mine.

I'm big and strong, and I'm a good enough slugger to take on most thugs, I reckon. I don't really keep weapons in my home. Got plenty of tools for pain, but nothing I could really justify using against unarmed assailants. Armed robbers will get the kitchen knife. "Was scared for me life, officer. I felt threatened."

Thing is, the missus ain't a juggernaut. I just don't know what to do about her safety. The lady on the vid got tossed around pretty bad. Mace, maybe? Needs a permit if ya wanna buy it legally, I think.

 

[Lionsfan]

Shawn Custis faces charges of attempted murder, robbery, burglary and child endangerment. I would've thrown attempted rape in there too (if there is such a charge) but glad to see the law is going all-out on his ass. Even in prison he's going to be hated lol, not many inmates tolerate people who attack women like that.

1 - Why would you throw in attempted rape? There's no clear sexual assault, and exaggerating the law so the bad guys "get theirs" only happens in movies

2 - You've got a very distorted view of what prison is like. You're probably thinking of child molesters (and even that popular view is really exaggerated too), but most prisoners don't care what you've done. Half the prisoners probably have beaten a women or something like that

 

[shootthebandit]

UPDATE: Great news! The offender has been arrested and named: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/caught_arrest_in_violent_home_invasion_mPMRjMFUSE2a1PGjYdVzgP
Shawn Custis faces charges of attempted murder, robbery, burglary and child endangerment. I would've thrown attempted rape in there too (if there is such a charge) but glad to see the law is going all-out on his ass. Even in prison he's going to be hated lol, not many inmates tolerate people who attack women like that.

Im assuming those charges will result in a big sentence in the USA. Over here in the UK he'd probably get 1-2 years good behaviour

Really the only situation is to give valuable stuff to the burgular. Its saves any conflict they are going to take it anyway and at the end of the day its only material goods and theybare replaceable a life isnt. Assuming you have home insurance you will get it back too

Fire arms should never be an option. I honestly hope this doesnt spiral into one of those incidents that the rightwing idiots use to defend guns

I know we'd all like to say we were a hero and defended our homes but its stupid and irresponsible. That guy was a big guy even an average fully grown man would struggle against him. You could always grab a knife from the kitchen but do you know how to use a knife in combat? Chances are you dont. You could get a gun but what if he has one too that he was only going to use as a last resort he would be more inclined to shoot first than you would. Also what if he got a hold of your gun then you have armed him

Edit: is it just me or did we used to have a better class of criminals a few years ago (honour amongst theives and all that). Hitting women and children was always seen as a no go for most criminals. Not thatbim saying crime was ever a good thing but it just seems those involved had a little more respect than they do now

 

[shootthebandit]

I am thankful that I am a registered and licensed concealed carry. After various, violent incidents in my past, I promised I would do everything I could to make sure it would never happen again. I would have no trouble taking the life of someone who invaded my home. You violate my home and threaten me, you had better expect to pay the price. I'm not taking chances.

To hit and batter an unarmed woman. Pathetic.

Seriously?

Im my opinion if you end someones life it makes you just as bad as they are if not worse. After all murder is a greater crime than robbery and what youve done is essentially murder someone. I know these people are far from innocent but do you really want to lower yourself to their level

Perhaps im not cold hearted and a bit of a pussy but i say let them have what they want. Your life (or someone elses) isnt worth the material things you have in your house

 

[Toy Master Typhus]

UPDATE: Great news! The offender has been arrested and named: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/caught_arrest_in_violent_home_invasion_mPMRjMFUSE2a1PGjYdVzgP
Shawn Custis faces charges of attempted murder, robbery, burglary and child endangerment. I would've thrown attempted rape in there too (if there is such a charge) but glad to see the law is going all-out on his ass. Even in prison he's going to be hated lol, not many inmates tolerate people who attack women like that.

Im assuming those charges will result in a big sentence in the USA. Over here in the UK he'd probably get 1-2 years good behaviour

Really the only situation is to give valuable stuff to the burgular. Its saves any conflict they are going to take it anyway and at the end of the day its only material goods and theybare replaceable a life isnt. Assuming you have home insurance you will get it back too

Fire arms should never be an option. I honestly hope this doesnt spiral into one of those incidents that the rightwing idiots use to defend guns

I know we'd all like to say we were a hero and defended our homes but its stupid and irresponsible. That guy was a big guy even an average fully grown man would struggle against him. You could always grab a knife from the kitchen but do you know how to use a knife in combat? Chances are you dont. You could get a gun but what if he has one too that he was only going to use as a last resort he would be more inclined to shoot first than you would. Also what if he got a hold of your gun then you have armed him

Edit: is it just me or did we used to have a better class of criminals a few years ago (honour amongst theives and all that). Hitting women and children was always seen as a no go for most criminals. Not thatbim saying crime was ever a good thing but it just seems those involved had a little more respect than they do now

Except when the criminal wants your life.

I don't know what part of the world you can live pleasurably with your head in your ass but criminals have never been like this. The only reason you seem to think there was ever an "Honor" in thieves is because they are usually young teens who do it for kicks, to be cool, or cause mommy didn't love them enough. That is what burglary usually is.

In legitimate cases of home invasion, or at least of cases in my state of Arizona, You are better off killing yourself before they beat, rape, then murder you. Their soul reason is to cause pain, to your wallet, to your family, and to you.