Guns & Outdoors Forum

My job takes me to interesting places and so far I have stayed out of trouble by being extra aware and having open conversations with the locals about crime and specifics to their environment. The newest one in Brazil is don't use your iPhone in public while walking around the cities. Folks just run, bike or scooter right past you and rip the thing out of your hand and since they do it fast enough that the thing is still open they change the biometrics in a big hurry and now they have EVERY piece of information your phone has so they empty your bank accounts in minutes and hack into every account you own within an hour.

As messed up as that is, I have to say it's quite clever and if the poop ever hits the fan it's a neat trick to know! So it's stored away...

In any case, situational awareness is always a good thing but sometimes it's just your time. This happened the first morning I came out of the hotel just a few minutes before I drove by in my Uber. The poor guy was just a "ride share" driver. The shooter came up on him in heavy traffic in a scooter, knocked on the window with a gun to rob him, the driver did NOT open the window and the shooter just opened up on him from about 2 feet away and drove away. He didn't miss. The funny part is that this happens often enough so that there was ONE cop and ONE independent reporter at the scene. Crazy stuff out there...

Car vs. scooter....

Amazing how not only brazen but easy for a bad guy with a gun to easily take from another that is unarmed.
If the driver was armed he could have faked or shown fear, held his arms up and while rea hing for window or lock shot the guy outside. Might not always work, but the driver would have had a chance

Chiro1989 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2026 3:35 am Car vs. scooter....

Yeah right?

This is why we need to bring back public crucifixion of criminals. It can be SO much more than just a religious icon.

Bigslug wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2026 12:11 pm This is why we need to bring back public crucifixion of criminals. It can be SO much more than just a religious icon.

Either that or public hanging on the news nationwide and mandatory viewing in highschool

Diver43 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 18, 2026 9:55 am Amazing how not only brazen but easy for a bad guy with a gun to easily take from another that is unarmed.
If the driver was armed he could have faked or shown fear, held his arms up and while rea hing for window or lock shot the guy outside. Might not always work, but the driver would have had a chance

I agree. If this had happened to me in the USA the guy in the scooter would have been in for a NASTY surprise as soon as he tapped my window. And based on advice I got from Zee many years ago there is always a healthy space between me and the car in front of me so I can move NOW if I need to.

Phones are a liability but also necessity in some circumstances. Near home i do not take a phone unless it’s needed to navigate which is rare. I also detest the data leaks from apps on the phone. Additionally it pays off on Costco trips as the Mrs cannot call in any additions to the shopping list.

A shooting bud very recently had an “encounter” at a walkup ATM another dangerous place. Fortunately no money changed hands, no shots fired, would be perps fled after discovering their intended victim was well armed. That occurred at a nearby familiar bank about 7:30 AM on a weekday.