Don't mess with a Marine - learned the hard way

[knapplc]

ATLANTA - A former Marine used a pocket knife to fend off a group of would-be robbers, killing one and wounding another, police said.

Thomas Autry, who authorities said will not be charged, had been walking home from his job waiting tables Monday night when four people got out of a car and chased him, Atlanta police detective Danny Stephens said.

One of the attackers had a shotgun and another had a pistol, Stephens said.

The suspects caught up with Autry, who yelled for help and pulled a knife out of his backpack. He kicked the shotgun out of one of the attacker's hands and stabbed both a 17-year-old girl who jumped on him and a man who also attacked him.

The suspects fled in their car but police found them later at a hospital where the girl was pronounced dead. The man stabbed in the incident was in critical condition, Stephens said.

Autry's attackers will face robbery and aggravated assault charges and are suspected in other robberies over the past week, Stephen said.

Stephens credited Autry's military training with helping him fend off the group.

"I would say he had to do what he had to do to stop the threat," Stephens said. "You can tell his training kicked in and he knew what to do."

Autry, 36, suffered a cut to his hand and a bruise on his chest, Stephens said.

It's too bad this girl died, but that's what you can get if you A) decide to live a life of crime and B) choose an ex-Marine as your target.

[jayday]

Jenny: "Run Thomas! Run!"

But yea, it's good to hear heisn't gonna get charged....It could've played out like the ConAir conviction

[Dolfin99]

The training we get is definately beneficial in and out of combat

This story makes me proud.

[steelerfan513]

nice job. i wish that schools had the same rule on self-defense issues like that. the rule here is that if you fight back, you get suspended too.

[disgruntledjetsfan]

nice job. i wish that schools had the same rule on self-defense issues like that. the rule here is that if you fight back, you get suspended too.

well i can guarrantee that if 4 people, two of which have guns, try to rob you in your school, you won't get suspended if you fight back.

[Sixxgunn]

nice job. i wish that schools had the same rule on self-defense issues like that. the rule here is that if you fight back, you get suspended too.

well i can guarrantee that if 4 people, two of which have guns, try to rob you in your school, you won't get suspended if you fight back.

That's very true, but I agree that each case should be handled independently instead of a blanket no-fighting rule. It was the same in my high school, and I had plenty of fights, none of which I initiated. I was suspended more than I was in school, and I never did anything but defend myself. While I can admit it was a bit brought upon myself by the crowd that I hung with, defending yourself from bodily harm should never be punished, and I still harbor a lot of resentment towards my school staff after all these years for being treated as a criminal, when in fact I was a victim. It had a major bearing on my decision to quit school and get my GED instead.

Anyway, about the story, I'm glad this guy did what he did, even if it involved the death of a 17 year old girl. If more people lethally defended themselves against these bottom feeding scumbags, maybe they would think twice before doing things like that.

[creamdoorthirtyniner]

Reminds me of the quote in Wayne's World 2:

Del Preston: So there, I am, in Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, at about 3 o'clock in the morning, looking for one thousand brown M&Ms to fill a brandy glass, or Ozzy wouldn't go on stage that night. So, Jeff Beck pops his head 'round the door, and mentions there's a little sweets shop on the edge of town. So - we go. And - it's closed. So there's me, and Keith Moon, and David Crosby, breaking into that little sweets shop, eh. Well, instead of a guard dog, they've got this bloody great big Bengal tiger. I managed to take out the tiger with a can of mace, but the shopkeeper and his son... that's a different story altogether. I had to beat them to death with their own shoes. Nasty business, really, but sure enough I got the M&Ms, and Ozzy went on stage and did a great show.

[Alkaholik]

Jenny: "Run Thomas! Run!"

But yea, it's good to hear heisn't gonna get charged....It could've played out like the ConAir conviction

The first thing that came to my mind when i first started reading this was that fight nicholas cage had outside that bar in conair

[moonhead]

Jenny: "Run Thomas! Run!"

But yea, it's good to hear heisn't gonna get charged....It could've played out like the ConAir conviction

The first thing that came to my mind when i first started reading this was that fight nicholas cage had outside that bar in conair

in that movie the perps pick up their weapon before the cops show up. so it looked like it was a fist fight. but i wouldn't put too much weight in what that movie has to say.

[DelhommesFan1]

its good to see that some people will standup for themselves...

its good to see that the guy isnt getting into any trouble tho