Robbers Scared by GTA 472
HellSpam writes "Some robbers tried to burglarize a poor old lady and her 3 grandsons. Her grandsons happened to be playing Grand Theft Auto:San Andreas, and the sounds of the police from the game scared them away! From the article: "The police in the game were saying, 'Stop, we have you surrounded. This is the police.' The burglar, unknowingly, thought this was the actual police and panicked ... being apprehended by PlayStation." Now, no more saying games are bad for you..."
and then ... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:and then ... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:and then ... (Score:5, Informative)
There's a large, double-ended dildo in the showers of the Police Departments in GTA:SA. It's quite a powerful weapon for melee. Almost as satisfying as beating a tramp to death with a bunch of flowers. In the game of course.
Re:and then ... (Score:5, Funny)
These 2 burglars planed on robbing the home of a lawyer while he was out, as they had staked out the place and figured that his wife would be home alone during the day time.
So one afternoon, after making sure the lawyer had left, they put their plan into action. Unbeknown to them, the lawyer's son and his buddies from his hockey team were in, fresh from a game.
So these 2 guys walked in with a knife each, to find 6 fuming mad built up guys with hockey sticks + 1 old lady.
One got away, one was handed over to to the cops after being beaten to a pulp while being "aprehended".
Re:and then ... (Score:4, Funny)
But before that, they time warped to the future... (Score:4, Informative)
This happened to me once (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah Right! (Score:5, Funny)
LK
Re:This happened to me once (Score:2)
It's just that it's really hard to get past the first level without switching games!
Re:This happened to me once (Score:2)
Re:This happened to me once (Score:3, Funny)
What I wish... (Score:5, Funny)
before taking off with his car and finding hookers.
Re:What I wish... (Score:2)
Re:What I wish... (Score:2)
Urm... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Urm... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:"Burglarize" (Score:5, Funny)
Operator: "Hello, this is 911, how may I help you?"
Citizen: "HELP! I've been bloody burgled by two tall guys with fags and they are making off!"
Operator: "Is this some kind of a sick joke? Call when you have an emergency. "
Re:"Burglarize" (Score:2)
Re:"Burglarize" (Score:5, Informative)
The grandparent was referring to the fact that the Brit would have dialed 999 and not reached emergency services at all.
Re:"Burglarize" (Score:3, Insightful)
/Mikael
Re:"Burglarize" (Score:5, Informative)
000 would be 30 pulses (with a break between sets of 10).
911 was originally implemented when the majority, if not everyone, still had pulse dial.
It was a combination which was thought to prevent misdials.
Re:"Burglarize" (Score:2, Troll)
I wonder how long it'll be until you start calling someone who "burglarizes" a "burglarizer"?
Re:"Burglarize" (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Urm... (Score:2, Funny)
On the other side o
Re:Urm... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Urm... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Urm... (Score:2, Funny)
Not an ideal example (Score:2)
Home Alone? (Score:5, Funny)
Crappy journalism as usual (Score:5, Insightful)
stupid burglar (Score:2)
Not the brightest guy - he might have been easily shot if this had been real
Re:stupid burglar (Score:2)
Re:stupid burglar (Score:2)
Bad luck for the burglar (Score:5, Interesting)
On a serious note , this is a very big issue.Unlike the US , where the rights of home owners using force against burglars are quite clear , in the UK this is a grey area.Home owners can use reasonable force only and that is decided by the courts.
Re:Bad luck for the burglar (Score:2)
Still if someone breaks into my house I'm NOT going to try and find out if he just wan't to take the tv and my cash or my head. The old saying goes: 'b
Re:Bad luck for the burglar (Score:5, Insightful)
The unrelenting anti-gun bias is just a smokescreen, whose sole intent is to convince us to allow yet another part of the Constitution to effectively die. What they are afraid of is an armed, independent population that would cheerfully shoot any government official that oversteps his bounds. And why would they care about that? My guess: they're planning on overstepping their bounds.
Oh I know, tinfoil hat stuff
Let me add, just to eliminate any confusion, that I'm not a member of the NRA nor have I ever owned any firearm more powerful than a BB gun. But I want the right to acquire one if I feel sufficiently threatened (by anyone or anything.) That's what the Founding Fathers wanted, and so far as I'm aware there's been no Constitutional Amendment that says otherwise. The recent history of the United States, in particular, has been one of steadily increasing government power, going hand-in-hand with this simpleminded idea that if we could just ban all guns, life would be so much better. Unfortunately, that goes against the history of such things, and really places more trust in our government that it currently deserves.
Re:Bad luck for the burglar (Score:2)
Re:Bad luck for the burglar (Score:2)
Along those lines (Score:4, Interesting)
If they legslate away the second, then that's great prescident for them to say "We need to get rid of the sixth ammendment. Look at all the drug dealers and evil doers that get off on technicalities because of their scumbag lawyers. The defandant doesn't need a lawyer, they just twist the truth. Our Great and Noble prosecutors are only concerned with the truth, so that's all that is needed. Don't worry, this won't be abused, it just helps make you safe."
I mean you can argue that basically any ammendment should be done away with to make us safer. In a perfect world, that'd be the case. If the government were composed of perfectly noble beings, than none of these rights would be necessary, because all they do is et in the way of the conviction of the guilty.
However, that's NOT the case. Governments are corrupt, all of them, to some degree because HUMANS are corrupt. There are next to no examples of perfectly noble human beings. So things like the Bill of Rights exist to control that, and to protect people by ensuring the government can't do whatever it wants.
Re:Bad luck for the burglar (Score:3, Insightful)
How does not being able to kill somebody for taking your television consitute not being able to legally defend yourself?
Maybe on your planet nobody ever does any harm to the occupants of the home they break into, but that's not what it's like here on earth. Between burglars who would rather kill you than get caught, angry ex-spouses/lovers, and the average rapist, there are plenty of situations in which you would want to have an effective means of self-defense. Non-lethal weapons just don't cut it. Th
Re:Bad luck for the burglar (Score:2, Informative)
The U.S. is a nation composed of 50 states, each with its own laws governing self-defense in the home. There are states with the so-called "castle laws" which allow the use of deadly force inside the home, but even these states might have a "retreat requirement" which requires that the homeowner retreat to
Re:Bad luck for the burglar (Score:2)
Re:Bad luck for the burglar (Score:2)
I was in California a few months ago, on a business trip. The topic of discussion was a homeowner on trial for attempted murder. Somebody broke in and threathened the guy, said he was going to beat the crap out of him. The homeowner had a gun -- legally owned it. He pointed it at the intruder and, when the guy still advanced & threatened him, the homeowner shot the guy.
The prosecuter said this was unecessary force. The intruder was unarmed and the homeowner shouldn
Re:Bad luck for the burglar (Score:2)
LOL. Have you ever used a firearm? Specifically a pistol? I'm pretty good with a rifle, but haven't done much shooting with a pistol, although I've had some training. I know how to form a proper sight picture etc. etc. It's fairly difficult to hit something as small as feet/legs from even 3 yards away, and that's when you're not stressed and facing down a guy with a bat.
There's
Yeah the opposite was so much better (Score:4, Insightful)
People always complain about the extreme of laws but never seem to have the intelligence to ask why these laws are there.
The laws in question deal with two things. So called self-defence and playing your own judge.
There was time when property owners (the upper class/royalty) had plenty of rights. Steal or even just be on the land of the local landlord and you could be killed by his guards. Punishments was whatever the local lord saw fit to deal out.
This has changed. Now it is up to the police and court system to punish crimes.
Do criminals have rights? Well the problem is who defines who is a criminal? Is a peasant catching a deer to feed his family a criminal? Well yes and off with their head.
Nowadays we prefer the courtsystem to decide guilt and punishment. Sometimes this results in "unjust" decisions but what every intelligent person has to ask themselve is what would the alternative result in. Would you allow force to protect a car from being broken into?
My car is parked on parking lot and you standing next to it causes the alarm to go off. Luckily I got my gun and under your jobbo rule I blow him away. Oops turned out you just bumped my car with your elbow while opening your own. Oh well. At least your family has the right to shoot people who trespass on your grave eh?
Re:Yeah the opposite was so much better (Score:3, Insightful)
"Your honor, under the state penal code my actions were illegal, but that law doesn't apply to ME; I only follow natural law."
Ain't gonna work.
Though the situation mentioned sounds very fishy, no state requires you to retreat when you're in your home. I have a feeling that the facts are a lot different than how they were presented.
Simple answer. (Score:4, Interesting)
"Officer, he broke in, and had just picked up my other gun and i was forced to shoot him!!"
Same goes for knives. THe only problem is, sadly, you can no longer just beat the crap/wound someone breaking into your house, you have to kill them to make sure you dont get sued or arrested.
Re:Simple answer. (Score:2)
If more home-owners knew that just killing the bastard would be the simple solution, rather than try to make nice-nice, then either more criminals would be dead or, hopefully, deterred.
Re:Simple answer. (Score:2)
I don't oppose gun ownership (though I do believe in mandatory safety and accuracy training), but simple solutions rarely have only the intended effect. Pervasive gun ownership did nothing to slow down the James brothers, nor does the large number of assault weapons owned by Afghan tribesmen appear to have brought about
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Simple answer. (Score:3, Informative)
I'd reccomend using a wakizashi, anyways. They're substantially shorter, and far more suited to indoor use. The katana is the Japanese version of the longsword, and like its European counterpart, it wasn't meant to be used in
Re:burglar's own fault. (Score:2)
Re:Bad luck for the burglar (Score:2)
Re:UK RULES, US DROOLS (Score:2)
ROFL! Your honour, I rest my case.
What they don't tell you... (Score:2)
...is the burglar got away because the cop that was chasing him ducked when he heard "eat this, pig!"
(Sounds like an urban legend to me...)
And what if (Score:2)
Re:And what if (Score:2)
After all, aren't those thieves just victims of society? Clearly they need that old woman's belongings much more than she does or they wouldn't have attempted to steal them, presuming that is what 'burglarize' meant in this case.
I realise that the story didn't say either way about her gun ownership, or lack thereof. This
The word is 'burgle', you illiterate moron! (Score:2, Informative)
You don't call a burglar a 'burglarizer', do you?
Cripes!
Re:The word is 'burgle', you illiterate moron! (Score:4, Informative)
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=burglari
Looks like burlgarize is OK to me. In fact, for a couple of the dictionaries, the definition of "burgle" is just: "see burglarize".
Re:The word is 'burgle', you illiterate moron! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:The word is 'burgle', you illiterate moron! (Score:2)
You mean, you wouldn't find this [askoxford.com] page?
It does say, "North American term for burgle", but still... It *is* in the OED.
Re:The word is 'burgle', you illiterate moron! (Score:3, Insightful)
I would guess that this is one of the latter cases - as it appears that burglarize is an old word that has been obsoleted by burgle in the UK (and Australia and New Zealand).
Quite a lot of how Americans speak is not an "abuse" of English - it's just a result of th
Re:The word is 'burgle', you illiterate moron! (Score:2)
I really don't care.
Re:The word is 'burgle', you illiterate moron! (Score:2)
Updated "Hannah and the Whistling Teakettle"? (Score:2, Interesting)
Along the same lines.... (Score:3, Interesting)
There was a knock at the door, he opened it a crack to answer it (he was in his boxers). The door was forced open and he was pinned to the floor by a bunch of heavily armed cops!
It seems a neighboor had heard somebody yell "Everybody get down!" followed by some gun shots, put 1 and 1 together and came up with 3...
This could help in other dangerous situations (Score:5, Funny)
-aiabx
Home Alone (Score:5, Funny)
Old ladies (Score:3, Funny)
Why are old ladies always poor? Do non-poor ladies never get robbed (they should, they have more money).
Re:Old ladies (Score:2)
In Other News... (Score:4, Funny)
Come on people! (Score:5, Interesting)
Most likely the burglar didn't get scared of the sound from GTA because it sounded like cops. When he heard the sound he probably just figured out someone was at home and decided to escape. Burglars want to do their business alone... not when the house is packed with people.
Re:Come on people! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Come on people! (Score:2)
And through the great Slashdot moderation system your post gets moderated "insightful".
Re:Come on people! (Score:2)
You must be new here... Everyone knows that first you comment and then you read the article. :-)
Okay. So you're right this time. They weren't burglars but some kind of robbers... But if they would have been burglars then I would have made a valid point. But that's again speculation.
Nothing to see. Move along.
This is news? (Score:2, Insightful)
The story is a funny little urban anecdote, but that's it. Burglers get scared off by a lot of things - and they usually don't rob houses while there are people in them so any sign of life can often scare them off.
If this is news then I'm now waiting for a sensationalist story about a startled burgler or even a policeman on a routine call hearing the audio of some game character making a threat or seeing a high resolution gun pointed at him on a big screen and returning fire, hitting a kid.
San Andreas??? (Score:2)
Guess the editors aren't doing their job...
The article doesn't say GTA:SA (Score:3, Interesting)
So I'm trying to figure out... where did the person who posted this story get the idea that it was definitely from the San Andreas edition of GTA?
I haven't played any of the GYA games... is the sound effect being referred to by this story only in the SA version of GTA or something?
Certainly if it _was_ GTA:SA, then the story's a fake because I understand it wasn't available back in March.
And in other news (Score:5, Funny)
Similiar Experience with IRC Wave Files (Score:3, Funny)
For some reason all the thief did was open the window. For some reason he didn't go any further. Our best guess is when he was breaking in he heard a wave file yelling WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!
Ian
Where could this be? (Score:3, Interesting)
I just find it odd that even though property crime rates are about even in both Canada and the U.S., you see the following difference in homicide rates:
Homicide (per 100,000)
Canada: 1.9
U.S.: 5.6
That's even though Canadians are more urban, less pro-life, less fire-and-brimstone religious, just as multi-cultural, and own almost as many guns (about 70% of the U.S. rate of ownership - though it's admittedly hard to find exact rates).
Does anybody have ANY idea why the homicide rate is so much higher in the U.S. than other industrialized nations? I mean a real intelligent idea? Canadians and Americans just aren't that different, so why the huge difference in this one area? If someone could figure it out, the U.S. could stand to stop 10,000 homicides per year. If each life is 1 million dollars (per insurance rates), thats 10 billion in savings every year!
Re:It wasn't GTA:San Andreas (Score:5, Insightful)
So back in March, it couldn't have been GTA:SA
Re:It wasn't GTA:San Andreas (Score:2)
And in fact, the poster made a huge leap there. Even the article just refers to it as "Grand Theft Auto":
I suspect it was GTA:VC, since I don't recall that GTA3 had police scanner messages like that (best you'd get, you'd hear radio chatter if you were driving a police
Re:It wasn't GTA:San Andreas (Score:2, Insightful)
I recall the line was in both of the previous games, so really it could have been GTA3 or vice city.
*or* if you wanted to take the newspaper literally, it might have actually been GTA for playstation.
Re:Since when... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Sounds like viral marketing in time for Christm (Score:2)
Re:Same AC again... (Score:2)
Re:Burglarize!!! (Score:3, Insightful)
Please, stop making words up, it's worse than boswollox
Of course burglarize is a word. Before you criticize someone's grammar maybe you should read a dictionary [m-w.com].
Re:Burglarize!!! (Score:2)
Re:Burglarize!!! (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:And your source is? (Score:2)
Re:And your source is? (Score:2)
Re:And your source is? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:And your source is? (Score:2)
RTFA! (Score:4, Insightful)
1) The article is only 4 paragraphs long, and
2) At the time of my reply, this moron has been modded to +3 Insightful,
Galveston County Asst DA Michael Elliott explained, "The police in the game were staying, 'Stop, we have you surrounded. This is the police.' The burglar, unknowingly, thought this was the actual police and panicked
and also
Police arrested the four men. Samuel Woodrow received a five-year prison sentence this week. Ronnie Farris is serving four years. Lucas Griffin got probation. And Zachary Brandenburg's trial is in January.
It's one thing for a -1 post to say things like "wah, wah, wah, what are you talking about, this is stupid, i bet it's a hoax" but when people are burning real modpoints, it's just a travesty. Travesty I tell ya.
Re:And your source is? (Score:2)
Click the link and read the awnser to your questions:
Back in March, Sandy Wilson was taking care of her three grandsons when a group of men attempted to burglarize her home, pointing a gun at the kids.
and:
Police arrested the four men. Samuel Woodrow received a five-year prison sentence this week. Ronnie Farris is serving four years. Lucas Griffin got probation. And Zachary Brandenburg's trial is in Janua
Re:And your source is? (Score:4, Informative)
There is no way they could find that out unless the criminal had an IQ of 70 and then he's lucky to get out of the house with pants on.
Most criminals are not Lex Luthor. Why do you think there are so many dumb-criminal stories? They really are stupid for the most part. I had one thief (or thieves) fail to steal my Mustang because they jimmied the door and pulled the ignition lock cylinder but then couldn't start the engine. The thing was the key switch had broken and it was so expensive to replace that I had rerouted the wiring to two easily visible/traced switches for ignition and starter. They aren't real bright.
Re:Remember kids... (Score:3, Funny)
God help us all
Re:Funny... (Score:2)
Re:Oh yeah. (Score:2)
Having lived in a dorm with people's PS2s hooked up to their stereos blasting GTA III, I can tell you that the sirens are very realistic.
However, I can't speak for GTA:SA's sounds.