Self-defence in the News - No. 87

Liquor store worker fights off machete wielding robber

NANCY EL-GAMEL

December 24 2015

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/75433184/liquor-store-worker-fights-off-machete-wielding-robber 

A liquor store worker risked his own life to protect his colleague from a masked man with a machete.

When a would-be robber threatened Arwinder Singh he grabbed the blade of the knife with his bare hands and held on. Blood was dripping down his arms.

"I knew if I held the machete and not let go, he can't touch me," Singh recalled on Christmas Eve. "I was injured but I will not leave the machete."

The offender, whose face was covered, walked into the store on Arapuni St in Putaruru shortly before 10pm on Wednesday night.

He put the blade on Singh's shoulder and demanded money from his colleague, Harsh Gupter, who was standing behind the till.

"He came in with a big machete, as big as my arm. He touched the machete on my shoulder and said to put the money in the bag, or he will cut me. Three times he pushed me onto the counter and scared me, but we were not giving money.

"When I got the opportunity, I suddenly grabbed the machete and would not let go of the machete."

Singh had a stand-off with the offender and refused to let go of the blade.

"He wanted to fight with me but I didn't let go because I didn't know what would happen next."

The offender then gave up and fled the store, leaving the weapon in Singh's hands.

"I had cuts on my thumb, hands, but he ran out of the store. We then called the police."

Police said the offender walked into the store with a machete and demanded money before one of the staff members intervened, grabbing the blade of the weapon.

That prompted the would-be robber to run-off. He was last seen running right onto Glenshea St.

Police are now appealing for witnesses.

The staff member was left with a minor injury to his hand and was treated by St John Ambulance staff.

The offender is believed to be in his teens or early 20s and is described as short and stocky, approximately 165 cms tall.

He was wearing a black jacket with no sleeves, black cap and white shoes.

Police want to hear from anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious.

They should contact Putaruru Police on 07 883 8199 or leave information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

  

Self-defence in the News - No. 86

Harvey Whaitiri, age 79, fends off three assailants with a baseball bat

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/74863043/harvey-whaitiri-79-fends-off-three-assailants-with-a-baseball-bat

Harvey Whaitiri, 79, of Hastings fought off three would-be intruders.

Photo: MARTY SHARPE

by MARTY SHARPE 

December 8 2015

 A 79-year-old Hastings man has struck back against three teens trying to break into his house by hitting one of them across the head with a baseball bat.

Harvey Whaitiri was attacked in his council flat in the suburb of Camberley at about 9pm on Monday.

Whaitiri, who lives alone, was watching television when he heard a knock at his ranchslider door. He pulled back curtains of an adjacent window to find three males aged between 18 and 20 wearing bandanas across their faces.

One was carrying a baseball bat and another was carrying a knife.

"These bloody dickheads they walk around with these red scarves thinking they're tough. One of them said 'Give us whatever you've got. Money or alcohol.' I told them to piss off," Whaitiri said.

"Then [one of them] started swearing and came rushing at the window to climb in. So I whacked him across the head," he said.

Whaitiri said he gave the man a decent hit with his baseball bat.

"He didn't like that."

"Then they all started shouting and swearing at me. They threw something through the [ranchslider] window, then they smashed the two kitchen windows," he said

The former despatch manager and rubbish collector, who has lived in the flat for nine years, lifts weights every day in the living room of the small flat.

"There's a lot of young ones around here that I get on with. But not these dickheads with the scarves on their faces. I'm not scared of them. I just can't be bothered with them," he said.

A witness reported that around that time they saw a Blue Honda Civic parked outside the Takapu Rd address with about five males inside.

Detective Glen Yule said Whaitiri, who turned 79 in July, hit the assailant quite hard "so we would like to hear from anyone who might know of a young man who came home with a large bump, or bleeding on his head".

Yule praised Whaitiri for doing the right thing by looking out the window rather than opening the door, and said if he had opened the door he would have been seriously assaulted.

Any information regarding such activities can be reported to police on 06 831 0700, or information can be left anonymously on Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.

Pugilists

Left to right: Brent, Woody, Pete, and Brendan.

(click on pic to enlarge)

Photographer: Anthony

school holidays

Hey kung-fu people,

I will be away for these classes:

Monday 28/9/15
Wednesday 30/9/15
Monday 5/10/15
Wednesday 7/10/15

On these dates Hadrian is in charge, along with Brent and Pete.

You're in good hands.......................

Anthony

Self-defence in the News - No. 85

Dairy owner takes on armed robber

 Wednesday Aug 26, 2015

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11502949 (Video through link.)

by Nikki Papatsoumas

Nikki Papatsoumas is an NZME. News Service reporter based in Wellington. 

 

 

A Hamilton dairy owner is nursing bruises this morning, two days after wrestling a rifle from a man who demanded money from his till.

Rupan Patel is this morning meeting with police again after grabbing the gun off the offender causing him to flee the scene at about 7.15pm on Monday.

"I did get a bit of bruising," he told the New Zealand Herald.

He did not yet know if the man had been caught by police.

When the man walked into the dairy with his face covered, Mr Patel said he thought it was some kind of joke.

"This area I've been told is really safe -- nothing ever really happens.

"He walks in ... he puts the gun up and I thought 'this is for real'."

Mr Patel said the offender passed him a shopping bag and ordered him to fill it with money from the till, while continuing to point a gun at him.

"He said 'no mucking around'. He used the f-word and stuff like that," he said.

Mr Patel said when he tried to open the till it wouldn't open.

"He came to the front of the counter and he tried to make a jump across the counter - that's when I took the chance.

"His hands were free and he wasn't pointing the gun at me.

"He was quite close to me and I tried to push him down on to the ground.

"He was holding on to me, I'm holding on to him, we're on the ground. We have a bit of a wrestle, but my main intention is to get the gun off him."

During the confrontation, Mr Patel managed to grab the gun. He said the offender's balaclava came off, revealing some of his face, but he quickly fled, jumping into his getaway car and speeding off.

"Then he makes a run out the door, I want to hit him with the gun, and tell him 'don't come back'."

"Scary thoughts" ran through Mr Patel's head as the gun was pointing at him, he said.

"He could shoot if it was loaded, if I didn't do anything, or what he wanted, then he would have shot me," Mr Patel said.

"I was trying to follow what he was saying but I couldn't open the till.

"Everything happened so quickly, my mind was pretty much blank."

Mr Patel said he took over the business three months ago, and the incident was like nothing he had experienced before.

Despite Monday night's ordeal, he has remained calm, and was back at work yesterday evening.

"I've got my family now at night time. I'm not by myself any more, just to be on the safe side."

- Additional reporting: Susan Strongman of the New Zealand Herald

- NZME.

Winter training on a snowy Saturday...

Left to right: Pete, Brent, Sohail, Hadrian.

Photographer: Anthony

Self-defence in the News - No. 84

Schoolgirl knees attacker in the genitals

12:03 PM Thursday Jul 30, 2015

 

Police are looking for the man after the attack on Mackay St 

in Thames about 2pm on Tuesday.

A schoolgirl kneed a man in the genitals and fled after he indecently assaulted her.

Police are looking for the man after the attack on Mackay St in Thames about 2pm on Tuesday.

"Our victim, a 16-year-old girl, was walking on the eastern side of Mackay St, towards Sealy St, when a man walking towards her suddenly stopped her and subjected her to an indecent assault," Detective Sergeant Martyn Hughes said.

"Keeping her wits about her, our victim has kneed her attacker in the genitals before fleeing and raising the alarm."

The offender was described as a clean-shaven man in his late 20s with olive skin who was "reasonably tall" and wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans.

Police have asked anyone with information about the suspect or the incident to either call Thames police on 07 867 9600 or anonymously contact the Crimestoppers organisation on 0800 555 111.

Police praised the girl's "presence of mind" in the situation.

Mr Hughes said police were speaking to local schools to discuss safety issues.

Wednesday, 3 June

Reluctantly I am cancelling the class for tonight, due to the road conditions.

Self-defence in the News - No. 83

Knife used in self-defence

http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/344550/no-charges-over-self-defence-stabbing

No charges over 'self-defence' stabbing

Wed, 3 Jun 2015

 

Charges have not been laid against a man who stabbed a 40-year-old Mount Manganui man in the chest during a confrontation.

A coroners report has found building contractor, David Cunningham, died after becoming involved in an altercation with another man, David Broiles, who stabbed him in "self-defence".

The incident occurred after Mr Cunningham left the house where he was staying to go and buy cigarettes around 11pm on the night of August 26, 2012. He was then seen on Ararimu road, at around 2am on August 27, where he entered a property.

Mr Cunningham proceeded to a sleep out where a person living on the property was sleeping.

Mr Broiles heard Mr Cunningham's approach, armed himself with a knife and torch believeing the person was an intruder. He confronted Mr Cunningham at the door and a fight ensued.

Mr Cunningham was stabbed several times. He died at the scene.

The report found Mr Cunningham's death was caused by Mr Broiles and no other people were involved in the events of that night. Despite acknowledging this fact, the man said he used the force he did in self-defence.

Police were unable to establish the reason Mr Cunningham was on the property at Ararimu road and no evidence was found to conclude he had gone onto the property with any criminal intent.

A blood test found Mr Cunningham's blood alcohol level was almost three times over the legal driving limit. The limit has since been lowered.

No criminal charges were laid in relation to the death of Mr Cunningham.

- by Regan Schoultz

Self-defence in the News - No. 82

Grandmother plays possum to survive violent home invasion

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/68889043/porirua-grandmother-played-possum-to-survive-violent-home-invasion 

May 29 2015

NEIL RATLEY

KEVIN STENT/Dominion Post

A Porirua grandmother was beaten and throttled in her own home for half a packet of cigarettes and an iPad.

Linda McElwee played possum to survive the attack, which left her with scars and bruises to her face, chest and shoulder.

"He tried to strangle me and then started bashing me with his fists and then an object. I knew I wasn't going to win a fight against him, so I played unconscious," the 63-year-old said this week.

But despite her ordeal, in the early hours of May 21, she says she feels "a bit sorry" for her attacker and wants to see him rehabilitated.

The sanctuary of McElwee's home in a quiet, bushy dead-end street in Ranui Heights was shattered when she awoke to find a stranger in the house.

She thinks the deadbolt from the seldom-used sliding door in the lounge might not have been fully put back the last time it was used.  

"I had fallen asleep on my couch under a big fur blanket. The lights were on, the TV was on."

The invader opened the sliding door and circled the couch, probably not spotting the sleeping McElwee, burrowed into her blanket.

A packet of Winfield Blue 25s, holding 12 cigarettes and a lighter, and an iPad were taken from the coffee table. The burglar then headed for a small table at the foot of the couch, where a laptop was charging.

"I woke facing the window and I noticed the curtain open. I made a slight move and he jumped me," McElwee said.

"He came right down with his hands and then slammed his leg across the top of my shoulder and my chest, trying to pin me down. Then he got his hands around my throat.

"I knew then this was for real. I started trying to protect myself and then he came on with his fists.  

"He must have thought the thumping wasn't doing any damage, so he picked up something solid and started bashing me around the face.

"I realised this is getting serious and went limp."

The invader made a run for it out of the door and into the darkness.

McElwee's 83-year-old mother, who lives with her, slept through the entire episode.

"Thankfully mum is deaf and slept right through it. I can only imagine what could have happened to her if she had wandered in while I was being attacked," McElwee said.

Her mother said it was horrific to be woken by her daughter, her face covered in blood.

"I thought I was dreaming when she woke me up and said, 'Mum, I've attacked.' Part of me feels guilty I slept right through it."

McElwee, with blood pouring from her face and dripping on to the cream carpet, picked up the phone and called the police. Despite a good cleaning, the carpet is still visibly stained.

Police were soon on the scene with the dogs, and McElwee said they tracked down a suspect just a few blocks away, having a smoke.

A 17-year-old is due to appear in court on June 12.

McElwee said: "I realise there are people struggling out there. It's sad to think they believe they have to resort to these kind of things.

"This young person must have no self-worth, no self-respect and no pride. Hopefully the system can help give him these things."
     

 - Stuff

Monday, 25 May

Class cancelled due to the state of the roads.

See you Wednesday.

Self-defence in the News - No. 81

Sex attacker choked-out by female kickboxer

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/68725133/Sex-attacker-choked-by-female-kickboxer 

May 21 2015

 Sex offender "bit off slightly more than he could chew" when he attacked a female kickboxer.

 

Sex attacker Mark Willis dragged a woman over a wall and tried to get on top of her, but five minutes later he was unconscious.

The female had two years of kickboxing under her belt and put her attacker in a triangle choke, Metro reported.

The move involves wrapping your legs around the neck of the other person to cut off the blood flow to their brain, and puts them to sleep.

Willis, 39, was not prepared for his attack to go all so wrong.

He had targeted the woman who was walking alone through a town in Gloucestershire, England at 2am (local time).

Wallis grabbed her and punched her several times, then forced her into a garden and got on top of her. He told her to be quiet, do as he said and she wouldn't get hurt.

"I swore at him," said the woman.

"My legs were still free so I lifted my left leg up onto his shoulder and around the back of his neck. I crossed my right leg over and squeezed together as hard as I could.

"I closed my eyes and held it for as long as I could hoping he would pass out in a few seconds. Then I felt his body go limp. I thought he had lost consciousness or run out of air. I flipped him off, rolled over and crawled through the bushes to the door of the house."

Later Willis was quickly arrested, identified by the woman, and convicted of sexual assault, despite his denial.

He is yet to be sentenced.

The woman received a £500 reward from the presiding judge, as a token of the court's appreciation of what she has done to catch Willis.

"He bit off slightly more than he could chew with this young lady," Judge Hart said.

"Not everyone could do what she did and not everyone could even sensibly try to do what she did."

 - Stuff

Self-defence in the News - No. 80

Woman fights off attacker during attempted assault in Rotorua 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/68227815/woman-fights-off-attacker-during-attempted-assault-in-rotorua.html 

May 3 2015

A woman  fought off her attacker during what is thought to be an attempted sexual assault in Rotorua.

Police are appealing for any information about the alleged assault, which took place on Wharenui Rd, between Te Ngae and Reeves roads, on Saturday night.

Some time between 6.30pm and 6.50pm a woman in her 30s was grabbed from behind and pushed to the ground, a police spokeswoman said.

"She blacked out briefly, but then fought her attacker and screamed, causing him to run off."

The alleged offender is thought to be a male Maori aged in his mid-to-late teens. He has a skinny build with a long, thin face and no facial hair, police said.

"He is likely to have a scratch or injury to his face as a result of the victim fighting back."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Rotorua Police on (07) 348 0099.

 - Stuff

Visit from Ben / Saturday training

My kung-fu brother Ben from Invercargill dropped in for Saturday training today...

Left to right: Brent, Ben, Hadrian, Pete, Sohail.

Ben and Anthony

Self-defence in the News - No. 79

Young woman fights off two knife-wielding robbers

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/hutt-valley/67678072/Lower-Hutt-woman-threatened-with-knife-in-aggravated-robbery

April 10 2015


A young woman has fended off two knife-wielding teenagers in the latest of a spate of aggravated robberies in Lower Hutt.

The 22-year-old woman resisted two male teenagers who threatened to "stab her" if she did not hand over her cell phone.

Inspector Kevin Riordan, of Central Police Communications, said the attack happened between 8pm and 8:25pm on Thursday on the stop bank or river bank near Hutt Valley High School.

"The offenders have approached the female and produced a knife and threatened that they would stab her if she did not hand over her cell phone," Riordan said.

"The victim has refused and a subsequent struggle has ensued between the three."

It is believed the woman was not injured and the two teenagers took off from the scene.

The offenders have been described as two teenage males of unknown ethnicity.

One was wearing long shorts and a black and white top while the other was wearing a dark coloured hooded sweatshirt with an emblem on the front with the hood pulled up over his head. He is also wearing a tan coloured pair of trousers.

Police were also looking to speak to two females who were walking in the same direction at the time of the robbery and could possibly know the males involved, Riordan said.

The seriousness of the crime and because it was the third crime of this nature in the Hutt Valley in recent days was a concern, he said.

Police were determined to catch those responsible and anyone who had information that may help police should contact the Wellington District Command Centre or Wellington District Crime Squad on 04 3812077.

- Stuff

Self-defence in the News - No. 78

Young female nurse fights off attacker with a punch to the groin

http://www.odt.co.nz/news/world/australia/337557/dashcam-appeal-sydney-nurse-attack

Fri, 27 Mar 2015

AAP

An unsuspecting motorist with a dashboard camera might provide detectives with a vital clue as they investigate an attempted abduction in Sydney's north.

A nurse, 27, was walking home along Falcon Street at Crows Nest on Wednesday night when a man grabbed her.

The North Shore Private Hospital nurse told police the man put his hand over her mouth and tried to put her in the boot of his grey or silver sedan.

She punched the man in the groin before he drove away up Sophia Street.

She sought help from the nearby Caltex service station and was treated in hospital for bruises, grazes and swelling.

Detectives are hoping motorists with dashcams that were in the area between 10-11pm may be able to help with the investigation.

"These days many drivers, including motorcycle riders, have dashcams on their vehicles," Harbourside police Detective Inspector Michael Birley said on Friday.

"An unsuspecting motorist who was in the vicinity of the Pacific Highway or Sophia Street on Wednesday night may have captured footage of interest to our investigation."

Det Insp Birley said the nurse was still emotionally traumatised from the terrifying attack.

Investigators are after a man described as of Middle Eastern or Indian appearance, aged in his 30s, about 175cm tall with a stocky build and short dark hair.

kung-fu brothers

Left to right: Raph, Dave, Anthony

Left to right: Dave, Brent, Anthony

Brent and Anthony

Photos by Ange (Jan. 2015)

Monday 9th of March

I'm away on Monday.

Hadrian is in charge on that day, and he will run the class -- so be good and I'll see you on the Wednesday.

Anthony

Ving Chun Kuen kung-fu brothers - Saturday training

Anthony (far left) with: Sohail, Chris, Hadrian, Rodney (top row), 

and Brendan, Pete, Brent (bottom row).

21-02-2015

Self-defence in the News - No. 77

WOMAN FIGHTS OFF ATTACKER


http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/66211245/teen-fights-off-abduction

PHILLIPA YALDEN

February 15 2015

A Hamilton teen managed to fight off a man attempting to abduct her by scratching his eyes during what police say was a cowardly attack witnessed by two men.

The 19-year-old was waiting to be picked up after finishing work at a restaurant at the Hilcrest shops around 10.30pm yesterday when she was attacked.

Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Matt Cranshaw, of Hamilton CIB, said the woman was by the roundabout at the intersection of SH1 and SH26 when a car heading north from Cambridge approached.

The car drove past the woman before turning around, when three men in the car began whistling and shouting at her. "The car has pulled up and the driver has got out of the car and approached the woman before attempting to drag her into his car," said Cranshaw.

The woman began screaming for help, hitting her attacker and scratching him in the eyes, said Cranshaw. "The attacker has then begun screaming before getting back into his car and driving off with his two rear seat companions, south along SH1 towards Cambridge."

Cranshaw said the victim put up a valiant effort.

"The understandably shaken victim has gone back to a pizza store where police were subsequently called."

A duty manager at Homestead Bar and Eatery said the young woman had been left too distressed to talk about the incident and was recovering at home with family.

The manager understood the teen, who had been working part-time at the restaurant for the last year, was waiting outside the shops, near the Kiwibank, when she was attacked.

"I am presuming she had finished and left. Our managers never leave them here by themselves.
 
There had been a number of incidents including a burglary at the restaurant and issues with drunken people at the nearby Burger King in the last few months, she said.

"It is a really big worry," she said.

CCTV survallience camers were installed around the eatery, but the manager did not believe they captured the road area.

Police are looking to identify the man, who is described as having dark skin, aged in his mid to late 20s, with an Indian accent, wearing blue, short-sleeved collared shirt and black shorts. He was also wearing sunglasses and had his black, chin length hair with blonde tips, tied up. "His car was described as a late model dark or black sedan with tinted rear windows."

"Police have no description of the two men in the back seat but police would like to speak to them in relation to their role in this cowardly attack and why they did not intervene?"

Anyone with any information either on the incident or who may be able to identify the attacker is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Nick O'Brien at the Hamilton Central Police Station on 07 858 6200.

Alternatively, information can be left anonymously with the independent Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

 - Waikato Times

Self-defence in the News - No. 76

Chinese contractors use karate 

to overpower gunmen

http://www.odt.co.nz/news/world/331909/contractors-use-karate-overpower-gunmen 

 Tue, 3 Feb 2015

 

One of the Chinese contractors re-enacts the martial arts moves they used to scare off the armed robbers, in this screengrab from Albania's Ora News. 

Three Albanian gunmen met their match when they held up three Chinese contractors only to be outwitted and overpowered by the karate skills of their would-be victims.

The Chinese contractors re-enacted for Albania's News24 TV on Monday what they said had happened on a mountain road in northern Albania on Sunday (local time) after they were held up at gunpoint.

"They were masked and armed and stopped us, putting the gun below the chin of our friend. They wanted our mobile phones, money and the sacks with our goods," said one of the Chinese men, whom News24 did not name.

Speaking in Chinese, the three agreed to fight their attackers, he said.

The man's demonstration of his techniques for the camera included powerful hand blows and frontal and back kicks.

Having overpowered the gunmen, the Chinese men called the police and had them arrested.

Albanian police confirmed that gunmen had tried to rob the Chinese nationals at gunpoint and said they had arrested two people, aged 21 and 23. The police also said they had seized old Soviet-era Model 54 guns, a mask and a bag.

Holdups, commonplace in Albania during the Balkan country's turbulent post-communist 1990s, are much rarer now.

Reuters

Self-defence in the News - No. 75

Boy fights off attacker with can of soft drink 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/64928504/boy-fights-off-attacker-with-can-of-soft-drink 

January 14 2015

BRITTANY MANN

 

A 10-year-old boy who fought off an attacker with a can of soft drink feels it saved his life.

The boy got off a bus two doors from his house on Woodham Rd in Avonside, Christchurch, on Sunday about 9.30pm.

He and his 16-year-old brother were returning from dinner at the mall, his mother said. She has asked for her and her sons not to be identified by name.

The boy got off the bus alone, while his brother stayed on the bus to buy milk from a service station further up the road.

When the boy stepped off the bus, a "rough looking" man grabbed him by the wrists and tried to pull him away.

"Luckily my son has got a little bit of Judo experience," his mother, aged 29, said.

The boy managed to fight off the man by punching his wrists with a can of Lift soft drink, and throwing it into his face, his mother said.

"He feels that saved his life."

Her sons described the attacker as white, unshaven, aged between 40 and 50 years old, with a "hunched" appearance.

He was wearing long pants and a red and blue checkered hoodie, with the hood up.

He was wearing gloves.

The man did not say anything during the altercation.

The mother said no-one saw the incident.

The attacker ran off towards Stanmore Rd. Her son ran home.

"He was traumatised. I've never seen him hysterical like that."

Her other son had seen the man waiting at the bus stop and had a "gut feeling" he was dangerous.

He had seen the man in the area on a number of other occasions, his mother said.

Police took a statement from the family that night, but the woman said she had not been contacted by them since.

The woman said she was "super proud" of her younger son.

Police did not immediately respond to The Press' inquiry about whether an investigation was under way.

 - The Press

New Year visit

New Year visit from my sifu, Kevin Earle, along with Ving Chun Kuen instructors Rapheal Stowers and Dave Sutherland.

Kevin and Raph

Anthony and Kevin

Dave, Brent, Chris, Ange, Raph, and Kevin

Photos: 6 January 2015