Following someone.

DiAnna said:

Should you be able to legally pull out a gun and kill them?

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Yes, of course.

joko104 said:

Yes, of course.

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Then it's a pity Trayvon Martin wasn't armed, because he could have legally shot Zimmerman dead on the spot, right?

DiAnna said:

Should you be able to legally pull out a gun and kill them?

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For just following? No.

Going to have to disagree with Joko on this one. Under the law just following someone is NOT a reason to shoot them. There must be a CLEAR and PRESENT threat, grievous bodily injury or to stop a forcible felony being committed.

For example: You are being followed by a plain closed investigator or police officer. You feel threatened and shoot them for just following you. You are going to jail for aggravated assault at least.

ecofarm said:

Would you feel threatened enough, say early evening, in a very public place, to attack them without discussion of what was going on?




Robbery is a forcible felony, and can be met with lethal force under SYG in FL.

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Absolutely, it rings true here in La. as well. It get's tricky though when the assailant decides to flee, even if you are in the right it's what the jury believes that determines your fate. For instance if there is a defensive shooting because the assailant declared a gun(very stupid move if you a) don't have one b) wanted to act big or c) wanted to scare the other guy) you have to prove it in court that it was the case that the declaration made you fear for your safety. As well under the laws concerning felonious assault you must give the assailant the opportunity to flee should they run.

DiAnna said:

Should you be able to legally pull out a gun and kill them?

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When does it go from simply being a nuisance to becoming a threat? At what point would someone be justified to defend him or her self...AFTER the individual in question committed an act of assault?

VanceMack said:

When does it go from simply being a nuisance to becoming a threat? At what point would someone be justified to defend him or her self...AFTER the individual in question committed an act of assault?

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So you believe that if someone is following you, you should have the legal right to shoot them dead on the spot? Interesting.

VanceMack said:

When does it go from simply being a nuisance to becoming a threat? At what point would someone be justified to defend him or her self...AFTER the individual in question committed an act of assault?

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That is what judges and jury's are for in the end. Unfortunately people are going to over react to situations or even under react. This however should not affect the ability of others to defend themselves if threatened.

It's a good question Vance, with no real acceptable answer for everyone.

Kal'Stang said:

Is following someone an aggressive act?

Simple question, simple answer.

I don't believe that it is. If it was then police would not be able to legally follow people. Investigators (PI's) would not legally be able to do it. Paparazzi would not be able to do it.

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you're comparing a perfect stranger or parazzi chasing after someone for a cover shot or to simply be nosy...to a police officer following a suspected perp????????????????????

that's adorable.

If that person being followed begins to run from the individual following them, does that make them appear guilty of a crime, giving even more of a reason to pursue further?

Running from someone(whether they are a criminal or not) is now a deemed a crime, beware! Maybe you should warn your children not to run from strangers.

It may only be a nice(armed man)who wants to hold you child until the police arrive.

Blackdog said:

Perfect example; I am no predator and stay out of trouble, and yet I have for various reasons followed people. So that is that.

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But that entirely misses the point. What does your own personal reasons for tailing people, have to do with from THEIR perspective, whether or not you think they would believe that being followed by an UNKNOWN person, was agressive or not? I don't think anyone is curious about knowing whether or not you believe your own acts of following are "predatory" or not, that's not the point. It's what you think THEY perceive being followed as (or you).

And an aside, you note to that you either disegnage or call the authorities (seems adult and reasonable). Why don't you confront them personally? Would that carry some additional unecessary risks?

DiAnna said:

So you believe that if someone is following you, you should have the legal right to shoot them dead on the spot? Interesting.

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Of course that is PRECISELY what I said. Right?

Utility Man said:

If that person being followed begins to run from the individual following them, does that make them appear guilty of a crime, giving even more of a reason to pursue further?

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No one has said anything like this.

Utility Man said:

Running from someone(whether they are a criminal or not) is now a deemed a crime, beware! Maybe you should warn your children not to run from strangers.

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Hyperbole at it's best.

Utility Man said:

If that person being followed begins to run from the individual following them, does that make them appear guilty of a crime, giving even more of a reason to pursue further?

Running from someone(whether they are a criminal or not) is now a deemed a crime, beware! Maybe you should warn your children not to run from strangers.

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Anyone who follows people and isn't a cop or a licensed PI should be considered a threat.. I mean GET A LIFE........

Mach said:

But that entirely misses the point. What does your own personal reasons for tailing people, have to do with from THEIR perspective, whether or not you think they would believe that being followed by an UNKNOWN person, was agressive or not?

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It doesn't but that is not the problem here as it is legal.

Mach said:

I don't think anyone is curious about knowing whether or not you believe your own acts of following are "predatory" or not, that's not the point. It's what you think THEY perceive being followed as (or you).

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I have been followed. I turn around and say can I help you? Only one time was it an issue as the person pulled a knife. I laughed and pulled my badge and handcuffs and he ran. Notice I did not pull a gun? So in only one case out of many was predatory behavior the cause. The other person feeling threatened or not is irrelevant. I have seen people headed in the same direction think they were being followed and feeling threatened. Well they just happened to be going the same way and were never in any danger, yet they felt threatened. So what they perceive has no bearing other than it is not illegal to be followed unless it is repeated behavior.

If you call the police and say "someone followed me home" the police will ask you "did he/she actually do anything?" you say " they just followed me" and the police will take a report and say if it happens again call us, otherwise not much we can do.

Mach said:

And an aside, you note to that you either disegnage or call the authorities (seems adult and reasonable). Why don't you confront them personally? Would that carry some additional unecessary risks?

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I am not everyone and they are not me. Everyone handles things differently. I was trained and know my boundaries, others don't. So that is something that should be taken on a case by case basis in my opinion.

Kal'Stang said:

Is following someone an aggressive act?

Simple question, simple answer.

I don't believe that it is. If it was then police would not be able to legally follow people. Investigators (PI's) would not legally be able to do it. Paparazzi would not be able to do it.

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Why do you assume that being aggressive would automatically make something illegal? It's an aggressive act to call someone "useless piece of **** who should have been aborted" but it's not illegal. It's an aggressive act to give someone the finger, but it's not illegal. Walking around carrying a sign that says "God hates Fags" is an aggressive act, but yet again, it's not illegal.

The problem here is that you seem to have the delusion that being an aggressive act automatically means something will become illegal when there is absolutely no evidence to support that belief.

And with regard to the poll question, it's not so simple as being always aggressive or always not aggressive. Following someone can certainly be an aggressive act. More importantly, though, it can be seen as a threatening behavior when one follows a stranger.

All you need to do to prove this is to find a random stranger. In fact, find a stranger that is far bigger and stronger than you. Someone who can easily kick the living **** out of you without much thought. Now you just have to follow that stranger around for a while. If they try to get away from you, track them down and keep following them. Watch their reactions. Get close to them and make sure they know you are following them. Then, if they confront you about it, be honest. If they say "what's your problem?" say "I'm just following you. Nothing to worry about."

Hell, if you really want to test the hypothesis that following someone isn't aggressive or threatening, ask them if they have a girlfriend or wife that you can follow for a while.

If you think that doing such things might be dangerous for you, then you have your answer: Following someone around can be aggressive/threatening.

If you don't think there would be any danger to you, then I say that you should test the theory.

sharon said:

Anyone who follows people and isn't a cop or a licensed PI should be considered a threat.. I mean GET A LIFE........

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It's a good thing most people don't go around being afraid of everything. I could not live with that kind of fear.

Blackdog said:

I have been followed. I turn around and say can I help you?

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The key here is the answer to the following question: why, exactly, do you turn around and ask that?

Blackdog said:

It's a good thing most people don't go around being afraid of everything. I could not live with that kind of fear.

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Feeling threatened by a stranger that is following you is a far cry from being afraid of everything.

Tucker Case said:

Why do you assume that being aggressive would automatically make something illegal? It's an aggressive act to call someone "useless piece of **** who should have been aborted" but it's not illegal. It's an aggressive act to give someone the finger, but it's not illegal. Walking around carrying a sign that says "God hates Fags" is an aggressive act, but yet again, it's not illegal.

The problem here is that you seem to have the delusion that being an aggressive act automatically means something will become illegal when there is absolutely no evidence to support that belief.

And with regard to the poll question, it's not so simple as being always aggressive or always not aggressive. Following someone can certainly be an aggressive act. More importantly, though, it can be seen as a threatening behavior when one follows a stranger.

All you need to do to prove this is to find a random stranger. In fact, find a stranger that is far bigger and stronger than you. Someone who can easily kick the living **** out of you without much thought. Now you just have to follow that stranger around for a while. If they try to get away from you, track them down and keep following them. Watch their reactions. Get close to them and make sure they know you are following them. Then, if they confront you about it, be honest. If they say "what's your problem?" say "I'm just following you. Nothing to worry about."

Hell, if you really want to test the hypothesis that following someone isn't aggressive or threatening, ask them if they have a girlfriend or wife that you can follow for a while.

If you think that doing such things might be dangerous for you, then you have your answer: Following someone around can be aggressive/threatening.

If you don't think there would be any danger to you, then I say that you should test the theory.

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Actually Tucker that is an interesting point. Legal vs threatening. Wish I had thought of it, lol.

Tucker Case said:

The key here is the answer to the following question: why, exactly, do you turn around and ask that?

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I was being nosy in most cases. In others I was following people acting suspicious and some involved arrests. Private citizens sometimes need to police there own neighborhoods.

I am not afraid of to much so don't get threatened easily, maybe by my wife, lol.

Tucker Case said:

The key here is the answer to the following question: why, exactly, do you turn around and ask that?

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If you ever lived in NYC and had someone behind you for more than what you would consider a reasonsable distance...a NYC block or two...its inbred to turn around and either say Hey how you doin....you need something....thats an excuse to turn and face whats behind you and assess if theres a threat....its a given in certain areas...

Tucker Case said:

Feeling threatened by a stranger that is following you is a far cry from being afraid of everything.

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She said and I quote "Anyone who follows people and isn't a cop or a licensed PI should be considered a threat." this would include plain closed officers and most PI's. It is hyperbole, so I responded with such.

Kal'Stang said:

Is following someone an aggressive act?

Simple question, simple answer.

I don't believe that it is. If it was then police would not be able to legally follow people. Investigators (PI's) would not legally be able to do it. Paparazzi would not be able to do it.

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I don't think I'd say it is an AGGRESSIVE act, but it IS a suspicious act.

I actively watch for people following me (ex-cop habits). If I think I see someone following me, I will make two 90 degree turns and see if they're still behind me. If so, I assume it is deliberate. I will then either take evasive action or else pick my ground and turn to confront them.

Old military adage: Once is happenstance, twice may be coincedence, but three times is enemy action. If they follow me through two turns headed back the way we came, it is almost certainly deliberate.


It may not be hostile; they may want to hand me a religious tract, or ask me if I'd like to subscribe for 12 issues of Useless Magazine, or ask me if I'd like to buy health insurance.... but if I can't avoid them I'm going to find out before they come up behind me.


Interestingly enough, I once had an incident where I was in a very similar position to Treyvon Martin. I was even wearing a hoodie. (It was cold and windy).

It was daytime. I was walking back from my sister's house down the road, passing a closed garage building with a parking area in front. I veered into the parking lot a bit as I passed, since there is no sidewalk or curb and I didn't want to be any closer to the passing cars than necessary.

THAT was apparently enough to qualify as suspicious in the minds of two young men who'd appointed themselves to guard their Uncle's garage, which had been burgled twice in two weeks. One of them stepped out to block my way, while another tried to circle behind me. I saw #2 and placed myself where I could see both men at once. When #2 saw me do this, he stopped and looked at #1.


What they didn't know: I had a small pistol in the pocket of my hoodie and was pointing at them from inside the pocket.

#1 started barking questions at me: who was I, what was I doing, etc. I barked back that I was walking down the damn road and it was none of his business. THEN I recognized him as a local, and pushed back my hood so he could see me and recognize me as well, which he did. He explained what they were doing. I told them it was a bad idea, confronting strangers on flimsy suspicions, and went on my way.


Somebody just about got shot. Could have been me, of course... I don't know what THEY had in THEIR pockets either.

It could have turned out as a tragic case of misunderstanding ending with one or more dead bodies; I was not pleased to have my way blocked or see someone trying to get behind me, not one bit.


Following someone is not ILLEGAL, that I know of.... but it IS a suspicious and dangerous thing to do.

DiAnna said:

Then it's a pity Trayvon Martin wasn't armed, because he could have legally shot Zimmerman dead on the spot, right?

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Depending on the nature of the fight, yes, he could have.

But, then, YOU are the one glad Martin wasn't armed, aren't you?

Blackdog said:

I was being nosy. I am not afraid of to much, maybe my wife.

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It's not nosy to be curious about why someone is following you. It's a part of making a threat assessment. The very fact that you have had a knife pulled on you in such scenarios proves that you are actually making just such an assessment. Fear has nothing to do with it.

Only an idiot would assume that the person following them means them no harm and, based on that assumption, refrain from further investigation.

Not being an idiot =/= being afraid.