My friend was mugged

[mgood]

The bad guy has the initiative.
If someone has a gun on you and he's right there, all you can do is hope he makes a mistake that might give you an opportunity, because at that point, he holds all the cards. Having the biggest, baddest gun under your shirt, under your seat, or back at home will do you no good unless he screws up and gives you a chance to do something.

Competitive shooting such as USPSA or IDPA can tell you exactly how fast you can draw and put a round on target. Lots of people can do it in under a second from a surrender position (wrists above shoulders, draw and put a round more or less where it's aimed). Drawing from concealment, you better call it a second and a half in the best of circumstances for someone who's practiced a lot. Even then, you're hoping he'll do something dumb to give you that second or two.

Situational awareness, as others have mentioned, whether armed or unarmed, will help you avoid the confrontation most of the time.
You can even play little games with yourself in your mind. If this guy came up and pulled out a gun, right NOW, what would I do? There's cover, there's a lighted area, there's people, my car is x distance away, what are my options? 10 seconds later, ok if something happened, right NOW, what would you do? You can run through scenarios in your mind all day using your surroundings for inspiration. Just like defensive driving: If that guy pulled out in front of me from that driveway over there right now, do I have time to stop or do I have time to steer around him? What are my options. Same sort of deal. You don't have to do it all the time. But eventually, you'll sort of subconsciously register who's around you, where is cover, where could I run, where might I go if I did run, without putting much thought into it. Having some outline of a plan before a situation develops might make the difference.

[fickman]

Two coworkers were mugged just off the strip in Las Vegas. Neither had a firearm.

Here are some details that differ from the OP's situation and theirs:
- The mugger was alone
- The mugger stayed about 5 feet away
- When coworker A threw his wallet on the ground, the mugger made them step back a few steps with their hands over their head. He glanced at the wallet to be sure of its location for less than a second. He watched them and kept his gun trained on them as he picked up the wallet.
- The mugger then forced them both to turn their pockets inside out and to raise their shirts and reveal their waistline, presumably looking for firearms.
- The mugger told them to turn around and walk the other way. They complied for about 20 feet, then reversed and continued on their original trajectory. The mugger was already across the street but fired a round into the air before disappearing into some apartment complexes.

The police actually discouraged them from filing a report by asking, "Are you really going to fly back out here to be a witness in the trial, assuming we even find the guy?"

The mugger got about $40.

BTW: the discussion of using force for personal property has NOTHING to do with this discussion. Robbery and burglary are different crimes. Robbery - especially aggravated robbery (which includes using a weapon or the threat of a weapon) is a crime against a person. Your life is being threatened. Self defense through lethal force is justified.

I'd consider tossing the wallet beyond the BG and running away. Get around a corner or behind something and draw in case he pursues. The majority of the time he'll go for the money, especially if you make a lot of noise. Even if he shoot at you - if you can put any significant distance, any hit would be on accident more than purpose. Run diagonally away. (This is harder to coordinate if you're with others.)

If I didn't do the toss-and-run, I'd seriously consider any opportunity to draw and fire. Most likely his partners are going to flee to save themselves. . . they don't exactly follow Army Ranger code about leaving a fallen soldier. This assumes I'm carrying IWB.

If I'm with a BUG only (ankle, pocket, backpack, etc.) - I'm tossing-and-running or complying.

[Oldgringo]

ClarkLZeus:
In which city did this occur so that any of us that may travel there
will know? Your profile doesn't ID your hometown or general area.

SIA

Good question ! The next question is why is anyone walking around "that town" at night?

[nils]

It's awfully hard to draw when facing a loaded weapon in someone's hand, and I'm not sure if i would try...now when he turns his back to walk away, that's when I'm pulling mine out and using it. There is no guarantee that he's going to walk away satisfied with my wallet...I'm drawing and firing if it's safe for me to do so. What if he gets my wallet...walks ten steps, then realizes that he wants my watch, or wants to make sure that there are no witnesses....if he turns his back on me, it'll be his mistake. Scan 360!!!!!