Good non-shoot. It was smart not to get involved. As a MO CCW instructor, I say you did good.

Quoted: Quoted: now thinkin about it dude, if she's not interested in a gun, she should get a can of bear mace. if it'll deter a bear at 25 yards, it'll REALLY mess up a thug at 5ft. i'll guarantee it'd take the fight out of him!  at that distance the OC will lodge under his skin.  think of it as +P+ pepper spray.  btw.... what were you carrying? Fail. As stupid as it sounds, bear spray is intended for bears only; says so on the label (at least on mine it does).  That means that according to federal law it can only be used on bears and any other use is a violation of law. Now, I doubt any local cop would be familiar enough with fed law to make an issue of it.  But it is something to consider:  If you want to carry pepper spray, use versions that are intended for humans.  Using bear spray on humans could leave you open to harrassment by some ambitious prosecutor who wants to teach you a lesson.  Or open to a lawsuit by the choirboy's family.

In addition to the points the above poster makes there's this:

Bear mace usually contains around 2% OC (the hot stuff)
Link

# The greater the % of CRC, the greater the inflammatory nature of the pepper spray. # Capsaicin is registered by the USDA as a repellent. The EPA has determined that the appropriate CRC level for Bear # deterrent sprays is between 1.0% and 2.0%. UDAP pepper spray is 2.0% CRC.

People mace runs in the 15 - 20%

Quoted: Glad to hear all you did was remain a good witness. Having the woman turn on you is something that happens to law enforcement officers too.  "He's my husband, I love him!" she cries as she jumps on the back of the arresting officer.

In my class, we discussed the situation where a man is beating on a girl and you engage him, he charges, you shoot, and she jumps up and says WHY'D YOU SHOOT MY HUSBAND???

Like stated above, emotional womernz can be extremely eratic.

I wouldn't get involved either.  How do you know she didn't deserve what he was giving her?  

Quoted: Quoted: Glad to hear all you did was remain a good witness. Having the woman turn on you is something that happens to law enforcement officers too.  "He's my husband, I love him!" she cries as she jumps on the back of the arresting officer.   In my class, we discussed the situation where a man is beating on a girl and you engage him, he charges, you shoot, and she jumps up and says WHY'D YOU SHOOT MY HUSBAND??? Like stated above, emotional womernz can be extremely eratic.

Besides the above, what did you learn in CCW class that led you to decide not to confront the situation.  

You referred to it a couple of time (things you learned in CCW), but I didn't see where you explained it.  My class kept it simple, one interveves with a firearm when one fears for one's own life or someone else's life; or fears grave injury.  

Not being critical, just asking.

You did exactly what you should have done.

Believe me, I would have been mighty tempted to go down there and set the guy straight, too, but not knowing what started this, you are FAR better off not getting involved. I don't know how the law works in your state, but in Ohio, you can only shoot to defend someone who would have been legally entitled to defend themselves. If either party escalates the situation, there is no such thing as a good shoot. You couldn't have known if she would have been in the right to shoot this guy or not so you cannot know if you're OK either.

I know you know this, but I post this in the hopes it helps someone else out in the future.

Do not get involved unless you HAVE to.

Yeah, the guy DESERVES to get shot, but what he "deserves" won't keep you out of court or jail. Look after you and yours first and foremost. Neither the law, nor anyone else will do it for you. "Right" doesn't cut it in the eyes of the law and many of us would do well to keep that in mind. Until some laws change, being a good witness is a good policy.

First off no woman deserves to be beat.  If they are that messed up then the best thing to do is to get away from them and stay away from them.

OP you did the right thing.  You called the police and made yourself a good witness.  If you would have gotten involved there is no telling what could have happened.

I was on a business trip in Cali, and I observed a couple fighting in the parking lot of the hotel.  I approached them and asked the lady if I could be of assistance.  The asshat started talking trash to me and giving me crap about trying to be some kind of hero.  She shortly forgave him and they got in the car and left. I went back to my room drank some mini bottles of whiskey and watched some porn. End of story.....

Quoted: I live in the ghetto

I found the problem, and know how to fix it

You did the right thing.

Good non-shoot.

Shawn

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Glad to hear all you did was remain a good witness. Having the woman turn on you is something that happens to law enforcement officers too.  "He's my husband, I love him!" she cries as she jumps on the back of the arresting officer.   In my class, we discussed the situation where a man is beating on a girl and you engage him, he charges, you shoot, and she jumps up and says WHY'D YOU SHOOT MY HUSBAND??? Like stated above, emotional womernz can be extremely eratic. Besides the above, what did you learn in CCW class that led you to decide not to confront the situation.   You referred to it a couple of time (things you learned in CCW), but I didn't see where you explained it.  My class kept it simple, one interveves with a firearm when one fears for one's own life or someone else's life; or fears grave injury.   Not being critical, just asking.

We discussed the story I cited in my post above as well as when to and when not to get involved. Plus, my instructor was an attorney so he gave the CCW class along with points of interest of how things you do may look in the eyes of the law or were you to need to go to court. Also, that it is not my job to play cop for society. Each situation has too many variables for your instructor to line them all out for you with do's and don'ts.

Lastly, and most importantly, at minimum, be a good witness. In this case, I guess the police didn't seem to need my assistance, but when they arrived I had a detailed description of the perp and pointed in the direction he ran. The girl was too busy on the phone telling her mama she didn't deserve to be beat on.

We discussed the volatility of domestic disputes and I was advised that is my call to make on whether to get involved. My primary purpose is to protect me and my family, others come after that. I knew when I opened the door of my car what exactly to expect from the situation and what my role was to be in it. Be a good witness and if he attempts to follow through with his threats to kill, then do what is necessary to defend the defenseless from death or great bodily harm.

I just took a CCW class.

Your actions describe textbook procedure; I would have done the exact same thing as you.  Good job!

Quoted: I just took a CCW class. Your actions describe textbook procedure; I would have done the exact same thing as you.  Good job!

Quoted: You should have thrown a cat on the guy.  The claws would have distracted it, and the cops could get DNA evidence off the feline.

Why didnt I think of that?