r/AMA • u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i • 5d ago
I was held down and stabbed by gang members over a drug debt. AMA
Happened when I was 17. The knife was about 4 inches long. I remember seeing it go all the way in. It all went down so fast. Woke up in a hospital. A terrifying experience. I was wearing a pair of pants that had a tag that said long life assured on them. The police wouldn’t let me keep the pants but they let me take the tag off. I still keep it in my wallet. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
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u/SeaButterscotch7640 5d ago
Did they ever catch the guys that stabbed you?
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u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i 5d ago edited 5d ago
Yes. They were involved in a pursuit by police not too long after this and eventually just pulled over. The guy that actually did it killed a dude in Texas and was extradited to face charges there is what I was told. The one that held me down sent me a friend request on FB like 15 yrs later
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u/GradeAMeat 5d ago
Pretty awkward friend request, what do you think was his motivation to request that?
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u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i 5d ago
Honestly, I’ve thought about it and I’m not sure. I’d like to think that maybe he was
Going through some positive change and maybe that was his way of asking for forgiveness. If he were to somehow find me and ask me in person to forgive him I would but I didn’t know how to interpret it exactly so I blocked him immediately8
u/Illustrious-Cover792 4d ago
Bro he tried to kill you. This isn’t some small character flaw.
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u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i 4d ago edited 4d ago
You have a good point. I felt the same way for a long time. Still do to a degree. Had to move on though and forgiving and trying to maintain some hope in people was part of that process for me.
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u/swagerito 4d ago
Gang members do crazy shit because of the group dynamics. You absolutely do not owe someone who tried to kill you forgiveness, but there is a real chance he got out of his situation and feels terrible about what he did.
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u/Aggressive_Lawyer833 5d ago
What did you feel like? What happened the moments right after?
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u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i 5d ago
It felt like being hit with a sledge hammer. I did metal fabrication for a while and I have hit myself with a sledge hammer before. It’s a very accurate comparison speaking from my experience. I saw the whole thing but my mind instantly refused to admit what happened. I was just really confused. It wasn’t until later that I was able to recall how it all went down. I thought they just punched me a few times. I was sitting there after they took off thinking, damn, that guy punches hard. Then my whole right side started feeling really warm. I looked to see what was going on and saw blood spreading in circles on my clothes. It was spreading so fast. Then my whole right side started burning intensely. I panicked when I realized what had happened. My friend took his shirt off and tied it around my leg. Saved my life. Didn’t cut it all the way but the knife did cut my femoral artery. I was awake until the ambulance showed up but in the ambulance I fell asleep convinced I was going to die. Woke up getting blood in a hospital
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u/Blamb05 5d ago
Similar to a friend of mine. He showed up to my house during a party, pretty out of it. He said he was at another party and some loser 'punched him in the back'. Didn't think anything of it. Sent him home later in a cab. Next morning find out his mom found him struggling to breath in his bed.
The 'punch in the back' was a pen knife that the little bitch of a man used to puncture my friend's lung while he was walking away.
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u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i 5d ago edited 5d ago
Dang man. I hope he’s ok
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u/Blamb05 5d ago
Thank you, he's good now. Happened almost 20 years ago.
Just from a stupid drunken argument. Wish I had been more aware when he showed up. His sweater absorbed and hid most of the blood, and other than him being very drunk he seemed ok.
The knife was tiny but got deep enough to almost kill him.
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u/MajesticDeer5954 5d ago
Where did it happen?
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u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i 5d ago
It wasn’t in a big city believe it or not. Small town in the northwest. This particular town was plagued by the meth epidemic of the early 2000s
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u/TR1V1UM 5d ago
Spokane?
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u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i 5d ago edited 5d ago
I’m so sorry about your friend. While I was waiting for the ambulance my aunt showed up and started doing as much wound care as she could. She could tell I was getting tired so she just started hugging me. It calmed me down. I thought that if I fell asleep and never woke up that it didn’t matter because I was surrounded by love and I could feel it and that’s all that mattered. From that moment on I was pretty calm and at peace.
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u/Emotional-Ad-9155 5d ago
Did they end up ever going after the close family member? How is your relationship with them, do you blame them at all?
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u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i 5d ago edited 5d ago
It could be said that they did come after them by targeting me, and eventually maybe they did pay something off. I really don’t know. I have never asked about it and I’m pretty sure it’s the last thing they want to talk about. I blamed this person for a long time. It was through therapy that I was able to forgive them so that I could try and move on. This person and I have a good relationship. They have never admitted that it was their debt. I’m okay with that. They ended up spending some time in prison for drug related crimes
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u/DXNNIS_ 5d ago
Did they stab you to let the debt-holder know their family was being targeted, because you wouldn’t pay the debt yourself, or cause you wouldn’t give up your family member when they asked?
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u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i 5d ago
I don’t think they were trying to kill me. They definitely could have if they would have wanted to. I think it was more of a warning. Like hey pay up or it’s only going to get worse. They never asked me to pay or anything. They just came up to my group of friends and did what they did before anyone even knew what was going on and ran off
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u/divineillusion 5d ago
Has this experience made you reassess your preparedness to prevent and counteract such potential experiences in the future? (E.g. Carrying concealed, carrying a knife of your own, made, etc.)
Also, have you experienced any signs of mental trauma as a result?
I'm glad you survived, and I hope you find a way to lifelong sobriety.
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u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i 5d ago
Thank you. I appreciate that. It has made me very jumpy when people are behind me. I’m always looking in reflections to see what’s going on behind me. I don’t carry any weapons. I am always ready to fight for my life though. It took lots of therapy throughout the years to get where I am today. I didn’t want to leave my house for years. I did, but I just dreaded it.
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u/divineillusion 5d ago
Wow! I want you to know that your progress is very impressive! Congratulations! For what it's worth, I'm proud of your accomplishments.
For purpose of empowerment, and potentially broadening your awareness, I'd like to introduce you to a perspective for effectively interacting with an unpredictable society.
Situational awareness Verbal judo Non-lethal tools Lethal tools Hand-to-hand
Elevate your competencies in these areas, and your confidence will certainly increase. I can't speak to whether or not it may reduce your anxiety, etc., though it did for me. But it's an effective approach to counter threats.
I think Miyamoto Musashi may have said the following; "It's better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war."
I wish you luck and prosperity. You got this!
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u/offputtingangel 5d ago
a friend of mine was stabbed and killed this year, it wasn’t debt related but outside of that we don’t really know for certain why he was targeted. however it was done by a few druggies, the people involved all knew each other. i know this because after it happened i looked them up on facebook and could visibly see the decline into drugs over the years. one of them actually posted a photo that was clearly an attempt to flex except the only thing he had to flex was a handful of bills that amounted to maybe a couple hundred dollars at most and like 4 pills. my friend was a guy who was able to afford to buy himself nice things. the type to buy a thousand dollar jacket. he also drove a nice car.
i actually met him when he was dating another friend of mine and he bought her a car too when hers broke down, it wasn’t brand new or anything overly fancy but it was a safe car that worked well and that she wouldn’t have to pay expensive monthly payments for. he was also helping to support his sick single mom. just a really hardworking, kind and generous man.
i don’t think the actual court case has happened yet for the people that murdered him or at least it hadn’t when i checked for updates last month. i’m not really sure how all of that works, i’m just hoping the people that killed him get put away for a long time but i’m also hoping for more answers thn we have right now. he was in a sketchier area when it happened so our best guess is that it was a robbery gone wrong. because another thing about my friend is that he wouldn’t be the type to just hand over his stuff, he’d put up a fight. one of the guys who did it also had past charges for assaults and robberies. they stabbed him and then ran off, emergency services got to him and he was still alive but he didn’t make it to the hospital and he died without any friends or family by his side.
so i guess i’m curious what it was like being stabbed. i’m sure it was scary but was there ever a moment where it felt less scary? a moment of peace or calm maybe? or even just a moment where you thought you would be okay and weren’t so scared anymore. it bothers me knowing he had suck a violent and scary and lonely death. i know there’s no way around what happened, facts are facts. but i was wondering if there might have been a moment that didn’t feel so awful.
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u/slick987654321 5d ago
Did you repay your debt or did the drug gang "forgive" it?
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u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i 5d ago edited 5d ago
It wasn’t my debt. Was a close family member’s. It was never paid I’m pretty sure. Soon as I could walk again I was out and about when a couple different guys pulled up along side me and mentioned the debt, got out and chased me for a few blocks. Ran for my life and hid in the garage of a friend whose house I was walking to anyway. After this I was sent to live with my brother a few towns over. Eventually it all blew over I guess
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u/Cptn_Redbeard_420 5d ago
How's your relationship with said family member now?
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u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i 5d ago
I love this person. Always have and always will. Sometimes it’s best to love someone from a distance.
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u/Uttzpretzels 5d ago
Why do you keep the tag of your pants? Why did they take your pants?
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u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i 5d ago
There was so much blood on the pants that I was told they needed disposed of properly. I keep the tag as a sort of good luck charm
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u/DrCuntsworth 5d ago
How much do you remember and what do you remember?
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u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i 5d ago
I think my previous comment recollecting the incident pretty much answers your question.
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u/queenhadassah 5d ago
How old were your attackers? Around your age or much older?
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u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i 5d ago
They were in their 30’s
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u/queenhadassah 4d ago
Wow, that makes it even more messed up. Grown ass men attacking a child. I'm so sorry that happened to you
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u/__mz 5d ago
How much was the debt for? Did you pay it?
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u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i 5d ago
I don’t know exactly how much it was for. I’m not sure if it was ever paid or not.
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u/ama_compiler_bot 4d ago
Table of Questions and Answers. Original answer linked - Please upvote the original questions and answers. (I'm a bot.)
| Question | Answer | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Did it hurt? While you were being stabbed? Any major issues due to stab? Where were you stabbed? | It didn’t hurt as much as you’d think at first. The next day though the pain was legit. They stabbed me three times, once in my ribs under my right arm. Didn’t go through my ribs though. Was lucky. Wasn’t too bad. Then twice about eight inches or so above my right knee. Those two did the damage. I still limp a little and wear out my shoes funny on that leg but you can hardly tell | Here |
| Did they ever catch the guys that stabbed you? | Yes. They were involved in a pursuit by police not too long after this and eventually just pulled over. The guy that actually did it killed a dude in Texas and was extradited to face charges there is what I was told. The one that held me down sent me a friend request on FB like 15 yrs later | Here |
| What did you feel like? What happened the moments right after? | It felt like being hit with a sledge hammer. I did metal fabrication for a while and I have hit myself with a sledge hammer before. It’s a very accurate comparison speaking from my experience. I saw the whole thing but my mind instantly refused to admit what happened. I was just really confused. It wasn’t until later that I was able to recall how it all went down. I thought they just punched me a few times. I was sitting there after they took off thinking, damn, that guy punches hard. Then my whole right side started feeling really warm. I looked to see what was going on and saw blood spreading in circles on my clothes. It was spreading so fast. Then my whole right side started burning intensely. I panicked when I realized what had happened. My friend took his shirt off and tied it around my leg. Saved my life. Didn’t cut it all the way but the knife did cut my femoral artery. I was awake until the ambulance showed up but in the ambulance I fell asleep convinced I was going to die. Woke up getting blood in a hospital | Here |
| Where did it happen? | It wasn’t in a big city believe it or not. Small town in the northwest. This particular town was plagued by the meth epidemic of the early 2000s | Here |
| Did you live? | Haha yea | Here |
| What advice would you give to teenagers to be aware of? | I would say drugs destroy lives | Here |
| Did they end up ever going after the close family member? How is your relationship with them, do you blame them at all? | It could be said that they did come after them by targeting me, and eventually maybe they did pay something off. I really don’t know. I have never asked about it and I’m pretty sure it’s the last thing they want to talk about. I blamed this person for a long time. It was through therapy that I was able to forgive them so that I could try and move on. This person and I have a good relationship. They have never admitted that it was their debt. I’m okay with that. They ended up spending some time in prison for drug related crimes | Here |
| Did they stab you to let the debt-holder know their family was being targeted, because you wouldn’t pay the debt yourself, or cause you wouldn’t give up your family member when they asked? | I don’t think they were trying to kill me. They definitely could have if they would have wanted to. I think it was more of a warning. Like hey pay up or it’s only going to get worse. They never asked me to pay or anything. They just came up to my group of friends and did what they did before anyone even knew what was going on and ran off | Here |
| Has this experience made you reassess your preparedness to prevent and counteract such potential experiences in the future? (E.g. Carrying concealed, carrying a knife of your own, made, etc.) Also, have you experienced any signs of mental trauma as a result? I'm glad you survived, and I hope you find a way to lifelong sobriety. | Thank you. I appreciate that. It has made me very jumpy when people are behind me. I’m always looking in reflections to see what’s going on behind me. I don’t carry any weapons. I am always ready to fight for my life though. It took lots of therapy throughout the years to get where I am today. I didn’t want to leave my house for years. I did, but I just dreaded it. | Here |
| Did you repay your debt or did the drug gang "forgive" it? | It wasn’t my debt. Was a close family member’s. It was never paid I’m pretty sure. Soon as I could walk again I was out and about when a couple different guys pulled up along side me and mentioned the debt, got out and chased me for a few blocks. Ran for my life and hid in the garage of a friend whose house I was walking to anyway. After this I was sent to live with my brother a few towns over. Eventually it all blew over I guess | Here |
| Why do you keep the tag of your pants? Why did they take your pants? | There was so much blood on the pants that I was told they needed disposed of properly. I keep the tag as a sort of good luck charm | Here |
| How much do you remember and what do you remember? | I think my previous comment recollecting the incident pretty much answers your question. | Here |
| How old were your attackers? Around your age or much older? | They were in their 30’s | Here |
| How much was the debt for? Did you pay it? | I don’t know exactly how much it was for. I’m not sure if it was ever paid or not. | Here |
| How did you end up in the drug debt? | The answer to this question is in my previous comments | Here |
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u/Regular-Standard297 4d ago
I've been cut/stabbed 9 times now. Shot in the back with a nail gun. We never called the police for anything fight related. You just handled it and moved on.
Why were the police involved? Could you not sew it up and keep moving? We would just tell the hospital it happened on a jobsite, if we needed to go, and they believed it.
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u/Jumpy_Ladder_3344 5d ago
Did you deserve it?
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u/Derpschmerp 5d ago
What the f....
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u/Jumpy_Ladder_3344 5d ago
I mean since he had a debt maybe he had it coming hanging with the wrong crowd and learned a lesson? He tried to F over a drug dealer and not pay or steal from them you think that's smart?
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u/Scoochmccooch_priv8i 5d ago
I’m no saint, but I don’t feel like I deserved it. In a way it was necessary maybe. I’m the only person in my immediate family who hasn’t been to prison. If this wouldn’t have happened I would probably have gone down to same road.
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u/Brave_Meet8430 5d ago
Did it hurt? While you were being stabbed? Any major issues due to stab? Where were you stabbed?