Off the Rack - 6/29/07

Time for another post that transcends the boundaries of comicbookdom. A little backstory here: I live in Colorado, but I recently moved here from the Detroit metro area because I felt it was an unsafe place to raise a family. During my lovely stay, I was mugged, and after that, spent years looking over my shoulder, and generally distrusting everyone.

OK, enough gloom, this is a celebration. A celebration of a 72 year old man beating the living shit out of some punk who thought he would pickpocket the guy in a convenience store in Grand Rapids, MI. Anyone familiar with Michigan will tell you Grand Rapids in across the state, but it still makes me giddy to see this.

The 72 year old man in question was able to fend off the human stain for many reasons. He was an accomplished Golden Gloves boxer when he was younger. If that wasn't enough to administer a whooping, he was also a Marine. Still not enough? He also spent over 20 years as an iron worker. No wusses in that line of work, I don't think. The dumbass couldn't have picked a worse target.

From ClickOnDetroit.com:

He immediately grabbed the person's wrist with his left hand and started throwing punches with his right, landing six or seven blows before a store manager intervened.

"I guess he thought I was an easy mark," Bill Barnes, 72, told The Grand Rapids Press for a story Tuesday.

He remembers noticing a patron acting suspiciously, asking the price of different brands of cigarettes and other items. While turned away, Barnes felt the hand in his pocket, so he took action.

"I guess I acted on instinct," he said.

"There was blood everywhere," said manager on duty, Abby Ostrom, 25.

Good stuff. We need more like this.

CG