Random Most Terrifying Thing That Happened in Broad Daylight (18 items)

• (#1) Creepster Goes After Kid in a Mall

  "I was 10 or maybe 12 years old. My mom took me to the mall so she could go to the Target. There was a baseball card/comic book store right next to the Target, and while she shopped I got to go look at the collectibles. While I was looking at the cards in the case, a guy came in. He looked around for a minute, then approached me and asked if I liked baseball cards. I said that I did, and he said he had a Babe Ruth card in his van and asked if I would like to see it. We were right at the counter and the clerk was right there, but I got a real creepy vibe from this guy. I said no and left the store to go back to Target and find my mom. I looked behind me as I walked into Target, and sure enough, he was following me. I was starting to get a little scared, so I turned into the women's underwear aisle, thinking he wouldn't follow me. He kept after me until I finally found my mom. I never told her about it because I didn't want to scare her. At the time I thought maybe he wanted to steal my $10, but now I'm pretty sure he wanted more than $10."
• (#2) A Very Protective Father

  "I was taking my kids for a walk in the park near our apartment once, when a guy and a woman came out of the tree line suddenly, and the guy said to give him my wallet and anything else in my pockets. He had some weird screwdriver / knife thing, and I pushed my daughter, my eldest child, behind me. I was going to do the same for my son, but the woman grabbed his other arm, and my heart felt like it was going to explode. For some reason, I suddenly forgot about self-preservation, jumped forward, and broke the woman's nose. I felt a sharp pain under my ribs and saw that the man had just shanked me, but at this point two other guys who had been jogging were running up and shouting. 

   
  The police that patrolled the park showed up not long after that. I was sitting and trying not to bleed to death. The man had ran off and his screwdriver was still in me. The woman was on the ground, crying and shouting because I had also knocked the top front of her teeth loose / out. The two joggers were originally asking the woman if I was the assaulter. but the situation cleared up soon. I got taken to the hospital and questioned about the incident. There was a while when it looked like I was going to be charged with battery for the woman, since it turned out she actually had a decently well-off family, was just an addict. They tried to sue me, but it was thrown out of court and she was sentenced for attempted kidnapping.

  "I had a tube in my chest for two weeks after my surgery to remove the shank, but it all cleared up after that. Just glad my kids are safe."
• (#3) Kidnapper with the Yucky Eyes

  "When I was 3, someone tried to kidnap me from a shopping centre. I had been standing next to my mum, when some random guy grabbed me by the wrist and started making a fast move to the exit. Even nearly 30 years later, I can still remember this vividly, from what he looked like to being too scared to say anything as I was being led out whilst frantically trying to look for my mum. Luckily enough, mum had spotted me and screamed as we were next to the exit, and he let me go and ran out. I had nightmares about the man with the yucky eyes for years after this."
• (#4) A Proposition to Play "Final Fantasy"

  "When I was really young, a guy stopped me when I was leaving school and asked if I liked PlayStation and Nintendo. I told him I did, and that I really liked Final Fantasy. He said, 'What a coincidence, I have that with a TV in my van. Wanna come play?'

  
  "I told him I had to ask my mom first, and to stay there. I ran home and called my mom to ask, and she told me to lock the door, get in the basement, and don't open the door for anyone. She explained what was happening to me when she got home, and once I knew, I was pretty freaked out."
• (#5) A Stranger Harasses a Jogger

  "A couple of years ago I was jogging in the centre of my town, as usual, when I realized I was being followed by some guy I had never seen. 

   
  "He kept trying to talk to me, and at some point he grabbed me from behind and went full molester on me. I shook free then started screaming, knocking on the hood of a car passing by. He ran away, never to be found. 

   
  "I couldn't jog for over a year, but I did eventually resume."
• (#6) Unprompted Swiss Army Knife Stabbing

  "An addict wanted money from me down town, but I literally had nothing but my clothes on me. So I said sorry man, all out.  

  "Dude lumbers towards me slowly, pushes me over, and stab me in the thigh with a Swiss Army knife.  

  "I booked it to the hospital for stitches. Didn't hurt until I actually looked at it. Adrenaline didn't stop pumping for a very long time.  

  "A lot of are people asking, 'Why didn't you run if he was lumbering towards you?' 

  "Well, I was 13, he was a full grown adult, I had a bad haircut, he pulled a knife on me, I froze in fear."
• (#7) Kid Witnesses Cop Killing

  "In the second grade, around 7-8 years old, circa 1992 in Queens. My babysitter picked me up from a church. I went to a catholic elementary school and was practicing to make my communion that Sunday. We were walking down the sidewalk when I saw a man breakdancing on the street, and I thought cool... But at the same moment, my babysitter was pushing me against a metal fence alongside the sidewalk.  

  "I didn't hear anything but what I was witnessing was an NYPD officer being shot multiple times by two criminals who had stolen a womans purse several blocks away. The officer was shot over five times, one criminal was shot in the head and died on the spot, and the other criminal got away, but was caught nearby. Fucking hectic. I believe my mother saved the newspaper the next day, and I remember watching the story on the news that night."
• (#8) Terrifying Bus Station Attack

  "When I was twelve years old I was beaten up in a crowded bus station at rush hour by a boy several years older than me, for absolutely no reason whatsoever. It was a completely unprovoked attack and I was trapped against a one-way door. The adults standing around waiting for their buses to go home from work did absolutely nothing to help me or to stop me from being attacked."
• (#9) An Altercation Over Stolen Weed

  "Many years ago, I was just about to walk into the restaurant where I was the assistant manager, when I was approached by this huge guy who was all smiles and generally gave across this body language of being friendly, in a "sorry but I need to ask you something" kinda way. Next thing I knew, he was screaming at me about some friend I hadn't seen in a while. Turns out my friend had stolen some weed off this dodgy guy, and my name had come up for some reason. Right there in the middle of a busy road in a busy city, he pulled out a Stanley Knife and told me he was going to cut my throat with it if I didn't give him his £350 right there. I still don't remember exactly what I said to him but he left, told me he was going to kill me if he ever saw me again, and I went into work."
• (#10) A Crazy Night of Harassment in Paris

  "When I was living in Paris, I was attacked in the Bastille metro station during the early evening, while in a group of 5-6 girls.

   
  "This guy followed us off the train and onto an escalator, and placed himself right behind my friend. She went around me farther up the escalator to get away from him. He tried to follow her. Being fluent in French, I put my arm out to block him and told him to leave her alone.

   
  "He then grabbed my arm so hard that I later had fingerprint bruises. And then he just stared at me. It was terrifying. I was telling him to get off and leave me alone, all while trying to pry his fingers off me, and there was just no emotion or reaction on his face.

   
  "Luckily then, my friend just above me turns and sees this, and full on Falcon kicks this guy right in the chest! He fell back a bit, but caught himself, then grabbed her by her ponytail and punched her in the face.

   
  "By this point, we're finally at the top of the escalator (yes, this all transpired in the duration of an escalator ride) and a group of men chased the guy off.

  
  "I love you Paris, but fuck did the men there harass the shit out of me.

   
  "I should also add, that while I was thankful that this group of men chased him off, they also then started yelling at us, saying we must have provoked him, and that we shouldn't talk to men like him, and next time just to call the police. To which I just yelled AND WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE POLICE NOW? 

   
  "Needless to say, our plans were thwarted and we went home. On the way home that night, I got my ass grabbed twice and one guy flashed me right outside my house. Now, that one, he got punched in the face."
• (#11) Man Threatens Family Inside a Mall

  "I'm not sure it was the most terrifying thing that happened to me, but it was the most terrifying thing that happened to me at that point in my life.  

  "I was about 11, in Cape Town, South Africa, visiting family.  

  "My parents were walking in front of me, and I was walking with my little cousin directly behind them. We were in a shopping mall (Tyger Valley Center for any South Africans out there). 

  "Anyway, I think my parents had stopped to get some money out of an ATM, and my cousin and I were just being silly, as you do at that age.  

  "This guy, maybe in his mid-20s, sat across from us on a bench, pointed at us, then my parents, and then dragged his finger along his neck. He then pulled open his jacket, and pulled a gun out of a pocket.  

  "I don't know if that was a real gun, and I didn't care to find out. I told my parents immediately, and we kind of circulated the security personnel before eventually leaving.  

  "Was a bit of an uncomfortable situation."
• (#12) Exchange Student Robbed Multiple Times by Same Man

  "In Rio, I was robbed at gun point on a crowded street in broad daylight. The guy just put the gun to my back and walked with me and said, 'Give me your money or your life.' My heart hasn't ever beat faster..

   
  "I gave up my money without a fuss. Beforehand, you may think you'll do something different, but when you are there in the moment, you don't have time to think through each scenario. Is your life worth risking 10 bucks over? Nah. 
   
  "I was robbed again by the same guys 2 more times with a knife and then a gun again. On the third time I just yelled, kinda pissed, threw the money on the ground, and kept walking. They didn't get my cell phone at least. Told the cops and they did nothing each time."
• (#13) Bus Creeper Gets Owned by 16-Year-Old Girl

  "Sitting on a bus on my way to school one morning in my catholic school-girl uniform (knee-length skirt with opaque tights and button-down shirt) when I notice that I can feel the back of the hand and knuckles of the guy next to me on the outside of my upper thigh. He had his arms folded with his jean jacket over them. I thought nothing of it and moved to give some space between us. Our bumpy ride continues and I'm engrossed in my book. I feel his hand again and so I move again. The bus became more crowded and then I feel his palm grab and rub my thigh. I was shocked. I don't know if it was a flight response or that my brain clicked into autopilot because I booked it off the bus - probably both. 

   
  "I told my friends who were on the bus with me. Another friend spoke up and said she had had a similar experience a few weeks ago. I drew a picture of the guy as best I could (his profile was very memorable) and we filed a report with the police. 

   
  "Months go by. I was standing on the same public bus, chatting with friends. I see a student from my school from a younger year sitting alone in the back of the bus, and I see the jean jacket guy sit right next to her! 

   
  "I don't know where it all came from, but I was so empowered in that moment. I fucking screamed at him. I can't even really recall what I said. Something to the effect of, 'Hey you. Get the fuck off this bus. You grabbed my leg. You grabbed her leg (pointing to my friend). And something tells me you'd like to grab this girl's leg too. Get the fuck out of here, you fucking pervert. I reported you to the police and I'll tell them you're here again so they can catch you.'"

   
  "He BOOKED it off the bus and we never saw him again. I followed up with the cops, but I have no idea whatever came of it (probably nothing). I'm pretty proud of 16-year-old me, speaking up like that though - first time."
• (#14) Attempted Assault at a Con

  "A guy tried to drag me to his room when I was sick and confused at a con. Pulled me right through the lobby.

   
  "The only reason I didn't end up in his room is because I couldn't think of how to get away, so I just sat right down in the middle of the lobby and he couldn't pick me back up again. No one helped.

   
  "My friends came back from pulling the car around and found me sitting there. Thankfully they helped me into the car and that was that."
• (#15) Bowling Ball Attack

  "A few years ago I was at a bowling center on a busy day. When we were about to leave we heard a big bang.  

  "A man had thrown the heaviest bowling ball on a woman's head. Later I read that he did it on purpose and the women had severe brain damage. And was lucky to be alive. The man got sentenced to 18 months in prison, had to undergo psychological evaluation and had to pay $7,500 in reimbursements."
• (#16) A Single Bark Sparks a Stranger's Ire

  "My sister and I were at a sort of outdoor flea market with my dog. A lady came up really close behind her, and my dog, who was sitting down, stood up and barked once. The lady moved away, and that seemed to be it. Out of nowhere, a man runs up to us, gets really close to me, and starts yelling about how he's a dog trainer, and my dog is clearly aggressive and unfit to be around people. He's fairly tall, way too close to me, angry, and his eyes are staring in different directions. We point out that she wasn't attempting to bite or lunge towards anyone, just barked once because she was startled, and Crazy Eyes starts screaming that we need to leave immediately or he'll call the cops. My sister and I start walking away, figuring if we just get away from him it'll be okay. Nope. He follows us, getting angrier and angrier, and now I'm getting pretty freaked out. I loudly tell him to stop following us. People are staring but no one is about to get in the middle of this. We ended up just ducking through a side gate to get him away from us. While we were at that gate, the lady who my dog barked at came up and told us that the man couldn't force us to leave and that my dog clearly wasn't dangerous. Some people just have scarily short fuses, and he seemed like he wasn't really all there, so I had no idea what he would have done if we weren't able to get away from him."
• (#17) Chicago El Train Brawl with Guns

  "Was in Chicago last year for a conference and brought my friend who was slightly terrified of urban areas. (Keep in mind, we are from rural Iowa.)

   
  "Had to use the subway to get to the conference, when suddenly a fight broke out in the car infront of us. They moved the fight throughout most of the train and started to flash guns at one point in our car. 

   
  "Luckily for us, a brave young fellow helped break it up and no one was seriously injured, but my friend legitimately thought there was about to be a shooting."
• (#18) Man Snaps Photos of Stranger's Feet

  "I was 18 or 19 and picking up a prescription at the pharmacy. While I was waiting in line, a man (who I guess was waiting in line as well) started taking pictures of my feet with his cell phone. He wasn't even trying to be subtle, just kind of bent over and aimed his phone at my feet. I moved a few feet away and he just followed me. The pharmacist saw the whole thing and mouthed, "Do you know him?" I shook my head and with my eyes wide, grabbed my prescription and bolted away from the counter. I hid in the store until I saw him leave and drive off because I was afraid he might follow me.
   

  "Maybe not terrifying, but definitely unnerving and creepy. Still creeps me out thinking about it."

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