Posted on 09/12/2008 5:38:54 AM PDT by kellynla
Four times Italian women's champion Lara Liotta, 29, was on a street in broad daylight in central Rome when the man, a Romanian immigrant of no fixed abode, approached her and asked her for a cigarette.
When she told him she did not smoke he allegedly lunged for her and grabbed her around the neck.
Miss Liotta, who works as prison officer, immediately put her black belt training to good use, delivering two swift jabs to the man's face which sent him crashing to the ground.
The karate champion was fortunate she could rely on her skills to fight off her attacker because there was no assistance from passersby, despite the attack happening shortly after rush hour on Monday.
"No one helped me or stopped, even though there are lots of people around at that time of the day," she told an Italian newspaper.
After punching the man to the floor, she ran to the nearby railway station of Termini and alerted police, who caught him before he could run away. He was arrested and detained on charges of assault.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Was she wearing lipstick at the time?
Priceless !
Honey, even if I was standing right next to you ... that first, quick move would have signalled .."I got it, pal .. stand back and watch me work"
And I would've.
Ditto! I guess they didn’t check the cardboard boxes near
the train tracks?
SEE? Smoking IS bad for your health....................
When I was in the Navy, a group of three guys tried to mug a friend and me during a port visit in Lisbon. They didn’t know I was a 2nd dan in Okinawan Kenpo (neither did my friend by the way). He was bragging to the guys back on the ship that it was “just like watching a Bruce Lee movie.” I didn’t have any trouble with anyone after that. Always good to see some dip-wad pick the wrong person.
Brava Lara!
All my family enrolled in taekwando for this very reason. The element of surprise can save ones butt, give them time to run for help and just maybe drop a thug to his knees.
Is the term "Gypsy" now off limits?
Yes. The PC term is “Romani.” They swarm all over Rome like a pack of flys.
Sad commentary on life today.
I'm not so sure.
If I'm nearby and see this happen, and see the lady chop up the mugger, I don't think I would help either, unless applause could be considered help.
She doesn't need it.
Sounds like a line out of The Princess Bride. LOL
Now here’s something interesting to me. I heard this event reported on the radio as I drove home from work yesterday. OK. Young woman saves herself. It fits several media good story lines. But then I read on FR all the time about normal people stopping criminals with guns. Those you almost never hear about, unless it’s a 90 year old granny.
Karate kicks are PC but recoil is not I guess.
The Gypsies are actually the “Roma” people, but that name has nothing to do with Rome or Romania. It did NOT come from Latin.
“...immigrant of no fixed abode...”
urban camper
Romanian and Romani are two very different things.
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