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...everybody laughs at me...but that's fine...anything for attention...especially at my age...those of us who can't poke fun at ourselves are doomed to be offended by the jibes of others instead of enjoying them...

...you'll get here...and they'll laugh at you, too...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH....I don't even REMEMBER 30(yes, I do, but my heart ain't up to the memory)

...paragraph 2...I don't think that would meet the requirements to call it robbery...I think without producing a weapon, roughing them up, or verbally threatening them, they wouldn't have committed a robbery...

...paragraph 3...if they stated that they wanted money, then 4 older boys went through your pockets...I think the charge of robbery would be fair...they detained you by force...the threat was implied (4 on 1) and they certainly controlled you as they rifled your pockets...like a robber would rifle a cash drawer...whether they got any money or not...I think this fits a robbery(whether the DA would file or not)...but I'm just an old not-so-fat anymore guy...what do I know???

...reading the statute, the DA would have to prove to the jury that he had fulfilled:" (2)intentionally or knowingly threatens or places another in fear of imminent bodily injury or death." If I snatched it and ran...that'd not be reasonable to prove...unless I struggled with them or twisted their arm...the law says, in part, what you were taught...but did I do what (2) says by grabbing the merchandise and bolting??? Hard to prove without a struggle...pushing someone down, a verbal threat,etc. which would make it clear...

...it MAY be a robbery...not enough detail to know...
...a purse snatching from a shopping cart as you load groceries into the car is a theft...yanking it off your shoulder or out of your hand will likely be a robbery...if it hurts you...

...if he didn't see that anyone was in danger(i.e. see a weapon used)...in my old-guy opinion he shouldn't have given chase...just too much at stake...and, as you mentioned, that assumption could have been literally blown away...often a shoplifter will produce a weapon when cornered...store employees have been shot or cut being "heroes"...over insured merchandise...

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:

speedsix wrote:...agreed...now if he'd been an ARMED robber...actually threatened with a weapon, that's different for me...but no merchandise would be worth endangering my life or bystanders'...that was the one thing my Mgr. and I didn't agree on about our pawnshop...he said he'd shoot the next grab-and-run thief(having just been snatched of a $750 necklace)...and I said "You're nuts...I won't even draw on him..."...still feel that way...

Don't all robbers look unarmed until they draw their gun?

SIA

...armed robbers usually announce their intents as they draw their gun...the OP describes a THEFT...unless he hurt, shoved, or otherwise contacted the shopkeeper...ARMED robbery involves a threat to a person's safety and usually a weapon...also known as aggravated robbery...the response I'd choose to make would be because of the threat to health or life...not the theft of the money, etc...Texas law justifies deadly force to stop robbery or aggravated (armed) robbery...not stealing a necklace in a store and running with it...

Sec. 29.02. ROBBERY. (a) A person commits an offense if, in the course of committing theft as defined in Chapter 31 and with intent to obtain or maintain control of the property, he:(1) intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causes bodily injury to another; or(2) intentionally or knowingly threatens or places another in fear of imminent bodily injury or death.(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the second degree.

§ 29.03. AGGRAVATED ROBBERY. (a) A person commits an
offense if he commits robbery as defined in Section 29.02, and he:
(1) causes serious bodily injury to another;
(2) uses or exhibits a deadly weapon; or
(3) causes bodily injury to another person or
threatens or places another person in fear of imminent bodily
injury or death, if the other person is:
(A) 65 years of age or older; or
(B) a disabled person.
(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the first
degree.
(c) In this section, "disabled person" means an individual
with a mental, physical, or developmental disability who is
substantially unable to protect himself from harm.

...it is very possible to steal an item of great value in a store and it not be a robbery...let alone an armed robbery...

...agreed...now if he'd been an ARMED robber...actually threatened with a weapon, that's different for me...but no merchandise would be worth endangering my life or bystanders'...that was the one thing my Mgr. and I didn't agree on about our pawnshop...he said he'd shoot the next grab-and-run thief(having just been snatched of a $750 necklace)...and I said "You're nuts...I won't even draw on him..."...still feel that way...