May 27 2010Vigilante Justice Failure: Would-Be iPhone Theft Crime-Stopper Winds Up In Jail
Roger Ritter is a man. A man who saw two other men diddling each in a bathroom stall stealing iPhones from a Gresham, Oregon AT&T store. So what did he do? He went vigilante justice on their asses. And failed.
"I'm not a cowboy, I'm not a hero. I was just doing what I always try to do: help," he said. And with "help" he really meant "pull out my gun and start shooting at the tires of their escape vehicle like I'm Dirty Harry but failing miserably to hit any of them." Fortunately, no bullets ended up in any of the people who witnessed the incident.
Needless to say, the police were not amused by his impression of Harry Callahan, so they arrested him on the spot. He was officially charged with unlawful use of a weapon, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct, and unlawful discharge of a firearm.
You said it best, man -- you're definitely no cowboy or hero. You, sir, are a terrible shot. So -- what do you say, Duck Hunt for money?
What Not to Do If You See Someone Stealing iPhones [gizmodo]
Thanks to Laura, who would have hidden under the perp's van and slashed their Achilles tendons when they were trying to get in. Now you're talking!
Reader Comments
1. ThatGuy - May 27, 2010 7:16 PM
that's some hot shit
2. Ted - May 27, 2010 7:17 PM
First?
3. ThatGuy - May 27, 2010 7:18 PM
@2 FAIL
4. Juarez - May 27, 2010 7:19 PM
Serves him right fir trying to protect apple.
5. Raptor Assasin - May 27, 2010 7:20 PM
Way to go. Just...way to go.
6. FIRST - May 27, 2010 7:28 PM
FIST or FIRST
7. Dishy - May 27, 2010 7:36 PM
With a small caliber handgun (.22, .32) the bullet'll just bounce off the tire. I think. Haven't tried it.
8. Dan - May 27, 2010 7:43 PM
this man is a real hero
9. Just Sayin' - May 27, 2010 7:48 PM
Wow Oregon sure has been popular lately. Yeah, and we're ALWAYS shooting stuff here. Basically anything that moves is a target.
10. spadoinkal - May 27, 2010 8:15 PM
frankly i would rather have a really stupid hero, than two useless thieves. let the guy go
11. Turdboat - May 27, 2010 8:15 PM
let the man shoot his gun, jesus, seems like he didn't hit anything, no warm, no foul.
12. Turdboat - May 27, 2010 8:17 PM
*harm. damnit.
13. Closet Nerd - May 27, 2010 8:38 PM
you need to photoshop the little laughing dog from duck hunt in the picture
...... just sayin
14. Matt - May 27, 2010 8:41 PM
What I find funny is that this guy is arrested in seconds for trying to stop a crime while there are criminals stealing iPhones 20 feet away from him.
15. John - May 27, 2010 8:44 PM
This guy looks like an older, uglier version of Justin Timberlake.
16. SharpShark - May 27, 2010 9:12 PM
I'd say we could erase the "reckless endangerment" charge if no civilians were in his line of fire. Anyway, for stealing iPhones, it's kind of overdoing it to shoot a gun.
17. kelehendros - May 27, 2010 9:16 PM
Pit-IF-uul HUU-man *roboflex*
18. Omg I know that guy - May 27, 2010 9:27 PM
I'm a PC...
And I'm a Mac, bitch! *bang bang bang!*
19. Cpt Obvious - May 27, 2010 9:57 PM
/ethnic_music on
His mother has a tattoo that reads.. "son". He is the most retarded man in the world.
/ethnic_music off
20. Gust - May 27, 2010 10:50 PM
BAH. he have most attitude than this fuc***in cops. ok he is a terrible shooter. but arrest the guy? fuck off police. where are the cops when the crime happens? then try to arrest the only people that tryed to help?
pff.
thumbs up 4 u bro!
21. Cpt Obvious - May 27, 2010 11:26 PM
@20
That was incomprehensible.
22. Cakeflourz - May 27, 2010 11:56 PM
So aiding police is a crime now? What is the world coming to?
Also, wtf is with the Tampax ad on the top of the page. I mean wtf!? Has a woman ever actually been to this site?
23. newgoing customer - May 28, 2010 12:01 AM
I bought a couple of glasses and jerseys from there. It's a nice store you guys. Please go to www.newgoing.com and check it out.
24. Naked Chicks Rule - May 28, 2010 12:13 AM
Didn't that idiot watch the vampire episode w/ Luke Wilson as Sheriff Lucius Hardwell where he & Mulder tried to shoot the tires off of a runaway RV?
Mulder (covered in mud):
"Believe it or not, shooting the tires out of a moving vehicle is a lot harder than it seems."
He could have just written down the license plates.
Oh, wait, he's a redneck. He doesn't know how to read.
25. r k - May 28, 2010 12:13 AM
unlawful use of a weapon,
reckless endangerment,
disorderly conduct,
unlawful discharge of a firearm.
Hey, let's punish the people trying to help instead of the criminals. give him a misdemeanor unlawful discharge and make him regularly go to a shooting range as terms of his probation.
26. Page - May 28, 2010 1:26 AM
sdfsd
27. Rod-Man - May 28, 2010 2:44 AM
womp.
28. Migo - May 28, 2010 3:49 AM
People praising these kind of action are dumb...The guy was using weapons on public areas...for a stupid reason,.
Would you be happy if one of those "avenging" lost bullets could hit your mom, husband, wife, child?
29. paul. - May 28, 2010 8:20 AM
@29
I'd hit your mom.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!
30. Eroticus - May 28, 2010 8:36 AM
he was actually trying to hit newgoing @21
31. Ollie Williams - May 28, 2010 9:33 AM
Today is a proud moment for any of us Oregonians.
32. metryq - May 28, 2010 9:33 AM
Drawing a weapon in a non-life threatening situation -- the guy should lose his LTC. This is the kind of cowboy horse manure that fires up the gun grabbers. Thanks, pal.
33. Self Deprication Guy...As far As You Know - May 28, 2010 10:57 AM
I did the same thing during a police chase once. Only I actually hit the tires! Unfortunately the cops were not amused and before they hauled me to jail they made me change all three tires on their cruiser.
See what I did there?
34. NVG - May 28, 2010 1:14 PM
Yep, that's what happens to good-meaning people in a politically-correct universe.
The police arrest the guy who wanted to prevent a crime while I presume the thieves went scot-free... or at least didn't get the publicity.
35. Ch4p3l - May 28, 2010 1:31 PM
I would demand a jury trial. No one would convict this man for trying to help. Unless it was a jury full of pussy liberals which I doubt in Oregon
36. Billy bob Thortan - May 28, 2010 2:14 PM
YEAH! Gresham finally gets some attention! why did i not hear about this though? police are gay! Anarachy 99!!! Gresham pwn's you other cities! ha! what the balls does this have to do with that?
37. Cin - May 28, 2010 2:51 PM
To everyone complaining that he shouldn't have been arrested and was only trying to help: You're morons.
You DO NOT discharge a firearm unless it is a life or death situation. The value of a fucking iPod does not warrant the risk of firing a handgun in public. Not hitting anyone wasn't "no harm no foul" it was incredible luck, since a ricochet might've killed a passerby. You wanna help the cops? Write down the license plate. Do not begin firing your weapon. People like this guy give responsible gun owners a bad name.
38. Kirk Cameron's abortion doctor - May 28, 2010 5:20 PM
There's nothing wrong with guns. There is a lot wrong with gun fetishism. When pulling out your gun is the first answer to any crisis, you all should be put away in the padded room.
39. Cpt Obvious - May 28, 2010 11:52 PM
The frightening part is that so many people here think what this guy did was heroic or justified.
Do you really think someone who is stealing electronics deserves to get shot? Really?
By your logic if the bitch at wal-mart screws up my change, I should be able to plow her face with my 44 Mag for stealing. Seriously, it's not a citizens right to go zinging off rounds because someone stole something. That's redneck and retarded as fuck.