I was almost robbed, sort of (sigh)

Hi everybody,

I hope the new year (and new presidential administration!) is starting off well for everyone. I just wanted to let You know about a robbery attempt I experienced earlier today, while walking back from Penn. The short version has the basics. The long version has more details, and some thoughts.

* Short version:

Around 3:50pm today, on the corner of 43rd and Pine St., two 12-year-old kids (one wearing a light blue coat) tried to snatch my cell phone from my hand as I was talking on it. They failed. They ran away, and I informed the police. Please pay attention to people around You, even (and especially) when engaging in attention-absorbing activities - like talking on your cell phone.

* Long version:

The attempt took place around 3:50pm (about as broad daylight as it gets), on the corner of 43rd and Pine St. I was walking and talking on my cell phone, when I felt somebody tugging on the phone (which I was holding in my hand). I did not let go. I turned around and saw two kids, probably around 12 years old, trotting away at a casual pace and laughing. Both were around 5' tall. One of them was wearing a light blue coat.

I was a bit stunned, and couldn't decide whether I should get off the phone, keep walking (I was supposed to meet someone within a few minutes), go after the kids, call the police, or what. After a few seconds I regrouped, hung up, and started walking toward the group of kids that was gathered around (and milling into and out of) Colonial Pizza, right on the corner. The two kids who attempted the snatch were not among them, but I had a sense they all knew each other.

The kids in the group were clearly surprised that I came over, and I could hear a few "oh shit" tossed around. I asked "where did they go?" but they claimed ignorance. I said I was about to call the police, and they got nervous. One of the kids said "I had nothing to do with it."

I called the police, let them know what happened, and that I wouldn't be able to stay there (since I was late to meet some people, and did not have a way to inform them). Dispatch said they'd send someone over, and I left the location.

I'm still not sure what would've been the best thing to do. Should I have run after them immediately, grabbed hold of one, and sit on him while calling the police and waiting for them to arrive? That opens the door to physical injury - they might have a knife, or a gun, or 9 other friends. And I would've been late. Should I have tried talking with them, rather than call the police? I couldn't really get a hold of them at that point, and I was late for my meeting. Should I have gone into Colonial Pizza and asked the staff if they knows any of the parents, to make sure they know about this? Hmm. Maybe.

I'm thinking about going back to see if I can have a talk with the staff, or even get any of the kids to talk with me. I'm not sure an encounter with the police would be ultimately helpful, either to the kids or to the neighborhood at large (I don't even know what the police can do in a case like this), and I do believe that this is a cry for attention on the kids' part. Still, some forms of attention-getting are potentially harmful, and this one came pretty close.