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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!columbia!topaz!bentley!ran
From: ran@bentley.UUCP (RA Novo)
Newsgroups: net.auto,net.legal
Subject: Re: Protection of Car Stereos and crime
Message-ID: <538@bentley.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 22-Jul-85 10:58:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: bentley.538
Posted: Mon Jul 22 10:58:41 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 24-Jul-85 06:06:35 EDT
References: <3357@dartvax.UUCP> <994@ariel.UUCP>, <18982@mgweed.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Piscataway
Lines: 30
Xref: linus net.auto:6340 net.legal:1478

Suppose the following situation happens:

You approach your parked car, and you find a stranger trying to
break-in. When you approach him, he just ignores you and continues to 
cause damage to your car. As I see it, you have two possible alternatives 
being bad and worse:

1) Physically try to stop him. Now if he is larger than you or armed
you can be in a lot of trouble. But if he is smaller or if you are
armed, since he actually did not physically try to harm you,
you can be charged with assault, and sued for physical damages to the
theif. There can be many interesting variations of this scenario, and I 
am not completely sure of the outcomes depending on the circumstances. 
I heard of a similar case to this. As it turned the person entering the 
car had legal reason to (he was a cop or a reposessor or something similar) 
but he did not identify himself properly. I don't know what the case ended 
in though.

2) You can quickly run and try and find an officer of the law, but by the
time you find one, chances are the perpetrator has left with your property
and/or damage to your car.

What can you do in a case like this? 

-- 

Robert A. Novo				"Captain! They put creatures
AT&T Bell Labs				 in our ears! They made us say
Piscataway, NJ                           things that weren't true!"
...bentley!ran