Category: Multiples

Scissors were used during infamous fatal stabbing in Fortitude Valley

A jury has been told Seyram Kwami Djentuh stabbed Lauie Tagaloa in the neck with scissors he bought minutes earlier for $3.90.

The two groups had been “eyeing each other off” and were keen for a fight, before Tagaloa punched a man in the other group and stomped at his head.

The confrontation continued before Djentuh stabbed Tagaloa once in the neck with scissors. Tagaloa died within moments.

Link to Brisbane Times article

This raises three issues:

The futility of the death

The situation was entirely preventable. These are young men seeking to prove themselves to their peers by showing bravery and demonstrating their prowess and composure in a fight. They were seeking confrontation, with one man arming themselves when they knew a physical confrontation was about to kick off.

We can minimise this kind of outcome by providing opportunity, role models, purpose and discipline to young men, and an outlet to prove themselves and achieve self-worth. Suppressing competitive behaviour in boys and denying them these opportunities is how you amplify toxic masculinity. Their energy has to be directed into productive and benign pursuits. If they aren’t provided a positive group of peers and role models, they will find their own who may be antisocial in nature.

Scissors are lethal weapons

Secondly, this demonstrates just how lethal any type of blade can be. The next time you hear about police shooting someone after they attempted to stab someone with scissors, go back and watch this video, and remember what just a pair of scissors can do.

Bans on specific types of blades are fruitless

Where I live, we have banned the following types of knives:

  • Flickknife
  • Ballistic knife
  • Sheath knife
  • Urban Skinner
  • Trench knife
  • Butterfly knife or “balisong”
  • Star knife
  • Zombie Knife

Any object made of strong material with a point can be used to stab, and any hard material with an edge can be used to cut.

Banning any type of blade only results in the use of blades which are not prohibited, especially kitchen knives. Kitchen knives are typically made of steel, have a long sharp blade and a point, with a full or partial tang, and ergonomic handle.

These attributes make kitchen knives more effective as weapons than many of the banned knives, which are mostly designed for their appearance.

Knife designs can increase reliability and practicality, but they are all lethal, including cheap scissors purchased from a late-night corner store.

Laws which prohibit the carrying of blades and other weapons in a public place have more merit and real effect on outcomes, depending on the area and cultural context.

Brawl and movement tactics

This clip (courtesy of World Star Hip Hop, of course), illustrates several concepts I’ve covered in detail in a previous article and video, which you can find at the bottom of this post.

In the video we’re looking at today, a topless black male in blue jeans performs exceptionally well in terms of managing multiple opponents.

After knocking down his first opponent, he sees another male stepping forward and crossing the line of bystanders. He identifies this as someone who intends to intervene in the fight.

Typically, the plan of the bystander is to attack from the side while their target is focused on someone else.

Our main character immediately target switches. Target switching is a key component of fighting multiple opponents. He hasn’t completely taken the first man out of the fight, but he now has to prioritise the man who is moving forward because that is now the most serious threat.

As he approaches the second man he takes a wide angle, keeping the rest of the crowd in his peripheral vision. This avoids having the crowd behind him, completely out of sight.

At this moment, a third man approaches, but he’s on the side of our main character, and they form a line standing roughly shoulder to shoulder.

Main character sees his first opponent coming back to attempt a flank while he’s focused on the second man.

Main character correctly switches back to him, prioritising the opponent who is approaching from a dangerous angle.

This is exactly what I talked about in my multiple opponents video. An excellent demonstration of target switching.

The second man then crosses the line, which is often a big mistake because it exposes the flank, but main character was not in a position to take advantage of it.

It then becomes two individual fights which is a very common occurrence in a brawl.

While you’re dealing with your own problem however, you should try to remain aware of what the others are doing, because one of them is going to transfer over to your side when their problem is dealt with.

Which is what main character does. When he gets the chance, he transfers to the hoodie and blindsides him in exactly the same way they were attempting earlier but didn’t have the skill to pull it off.

And here you have the contrast between one man who could remain situationally aware enough to target switch, and another man who could not.

The other failure is wearing a hoodie in a fight, which can be for control in grappling.

This is why I advocate for spending at least some time grappling and sparring in a gi. People do wear jackets and other clothes that can be gripped in a fight.

Another video I’ve made which is relevant to this is about issues around bystanders, you can also find that below.

How to fight multiple opponents
Bystanders: the critical aspect of self defense and policing we don’t talk enough about

Bystanders: the critical aspect of self defense and policing we don’t talk enough about

Click image to watch video on Youtube.

Bystanders, brawls, and the court of public opinion

The narrative surrounding an event can often be as influential as the event itself. Public opinion and the perceptions of bystanders can significantly shape the narrative, even if they do not have full context or understanding of the situation.

This is particularly true for police, who in recent years have seen worsening results in the public discourse.

The “court of public opinion” is now increasingly magnified, where social media and online platforms can amplify and distort narratives. Our actions, especially in public situations, can have far-reaching consequences beyond the immediate confrontation; despite millions of interactions where nothing noteworthy happens, a single bad police interaction can even lead to protests and unrest in other countries.

My message here is ultimately simple – give some consideration to how you might appear to bystanders in any given situation. Facts are subservient to emotion.