Stranger punches pedestrian in the face on South State Street in Ann Arbor
A stranger punched a 22-year-old Ann Arbor man in the face while he was walking on South State Street early Thursday morning, according to police.
Ann Arbor police Lt. Renee Bush said the man was walking on the sidewalk at 1:27 a.m. Thursday in the 200 block of South State Street when two men and a woman passed by him. Bush said one of the men said something to the Ann Arbor man and then punched him in the face.
It’s unknown what the man said or if more words were exchanged prior to the punch. The Ann Arbor man refused medical treatment.
Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to call the Ann Arbor police anonymous tip line at 734-794-6939 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800 SPEAK UP (773-2587).
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Skyjockey43
Thu, Nov 1, 2012 : 11:58 p.m.
Nothing good happens after midnight
Tru2Blu76
Fri, Nov 2, 2012 : 4:17 a.m.
A lot of good happens after midnight - take it from a life-long night owl. And BTW: owls are well equipped to live during the night, you can be too. :-)
nickcarraweigh
Thu, Nov 1, 2012 : 8:29 p.m.
This all happened at 1:27 a.m.? Holey-Moley, I was just there 82 seconds earlier!
Barzoom
Thu, Nov 1, 2012 : 5:28 p.m.
The days when one is safe anywhere or anytime are long gone. Be aware of your surroundings. Avoid confrontations or even eye contact with other people.
Tru2Blu76
Fri, Nov 2, 2012 : 4:14 a.m.
CPLtownie's view is the correct one, according to experts in self defense. It signals awareness and a positive (shoulders straight, a slight smile on lips) expression avoids giving the impression of either aggression / challenge or fearfulness. Conveying relaxed confidence and alertness sends a warning message to those intending harm: you are not an easy (oblivious/distracted/fearful) target and - just maybe - you have some hidden reason to be confident. It's quite reasonable to plan your route to avoid places which put you in a tactical disadvantage, and to keep distance between yourself and anyone you see might be a threat (drunks, groups of young males, people dressed "aggressively") but you need not go in fear. It might help to keep in mind that the number of people licensed to carry a sidearm has multiplied 7X and now 1 in 20 adults carry a licensed, registered concealed pistol for self defense. That was alway in the Michigan Constitution but municipalities had unconstitutional "ordinances" interfering with that right. It's never been safe anywhere or anytime but the reaction we have / show is the difference. Non-beligerent confidence isn't unjustified, it's a part of what American life is supposed to be. Eye contact -with a slight smile - does not provoke attacks. Instead, it conveys confidence and awareness and polite acknowledgement of others. Not allowing others to encroach too closely need not be a confrontation: just using one's hand and body language and saying you have a bad cold should be enough to stop the innocent encroachments. If that isn't working, it's important to be more emphatic - but still with a smile (as in, "Please stop" or "Please don't come closer." There's no requirement that you surrender your space if it puts you in danger and the need for politeness disappears the second the other party disregards your request.
FredMax
Thu, Nov 1, 2012 : 10:59 p.m.
On the other hand, signaling awareness with eye contact would be interpreted as fear by any thug using the same reasoning.
CPLtownie
Thu, Nov 1, 2012 : 6:22 p.m.
Eye contact is important. Shows you are aware of your surroundings and others. Ducking your eyes equates weakness. Don't stare, or glare. Just acknowledge that YOU ate aware of them and move on.
81wolverine
Thu, Nov 1, 2012 : 5:16 p.m.
Sigh.... once again another ugly incident in the campus area in the wee hours of the morning. Message here: DON'T be on the streets in this area at this time of the day. I'm not saying it excuses the perpetrator of the crime. I am saying that this time of the day is unsafe to be walking around that area especially by one's self.
Tru2Blu76
Fri, Nov 2, 2012 : 3:36 a.m.
Sorry but the exact opposite it true: if more people are in an area there's less opportunity for the use of surprise / disparate force to be used and greater chance that either someone will come to the victim's aid or report the crime (or both). To meekly creep into our homes when dark comes is to give up our own neighborhoods to the punks, creeps and hooligans. It's just not seemly for Americans living within our own bounds to voluntarily give up our freedom to be where and when we want or need to be. I'm for being, not non-being.
Tesla
Thu, Nov 1, 2012 : 4:25 p.m.
Didn't this sme exact thing happen on south Forest or Olivia not too long ago? I distinctly remember a story about two men and a woman late at night beating on some guy that was alone.
Robert Taylor
Thu, Nov 1, 2012 : 3:25 p.m.
looks like we just need to start carrying guns like texas this crap will stop then all these punks
GoNavy
Thu, Nov 1, 2012 : 4:22 p.m.
Enso- Michigan's self-defense laws are similar to those in Florida. So ya - watch out for who you randomly punch.
Enso
Thu, Nov 1, 2012 : 4:14 p.m.
no it won't. and if you kill a guy who punches you chances are you're going to jail for a long time. move to texas.
GoNavy
Thu, Nov 1, 2012 : 3:05 p.m.
Hmm. HMMMMMMMM. Just punched "randomly." I'll wait for more facts on this case before expressing any further doubt.