Readers of Blaze News are well aware of the steep rise in violent crime on the streets — particularly physical attacks against vulnerable individuals that appear disturbingly random or that erupt into over-the-top beatdowns.

The disheartening list seems endless. On Sunday, a hooded, masked male was caught on video shoving a 68-year-old woman backward down the outdoor steps of a church as she was heading to Mass in Queens, New York — then he stole her purse and car after she landed on her head on the sidewalk.

Woman punched, shoved down NYC church stairs in brazen robbery youtu.be

Here are just a few other recent incidents:

• Numerous horrified women reported that males have punched them on Manhattan streets in unprovoked, mostly broad-daylight attacks during March.
• Three females repeatedly punched and stomped on a female crossing guard after an argument in November, after which the 29-year-old victim was hospitalized, Philadelphia police said.
• Authorities accused a 25-year-old male of sucker punching a 68-year-old market worker in the face in Winchester, California, in October, knocking out the victim and hospitalizing him with a fractured skull and brain bleeding.

Self-defense expert weighs in

Blaze News spoke to John Duza — a San Diego-based self-defense tactics and weapons instructor — about the growing dangers all around us, and Duza shared a number of countermeasures that anybody can do right now in order to lessen the chance that you'll fall victim to a physical attack.

"Criminals have reshaped our world," Duza told Blaze News, adding that they now "dictate when and how" crimes are committed and are fast gaining the upper hand. "You have to be the predator, not the prey."

But Duza said that requires the vast majority of us to rethink and reorient ourselves away from living like "sitting ducks" and begin taking reasonable precautions and gaining valuable, basic self-defense know-how: "If you go into the ocean and don't know how to swim, you're going to drown."

Duza added that "the first 30 seconds" of a street attack determines if a victim will live, suffer injuries — or much, much worse. It's up to each of us to know how to handle such situations, particularly when "criminals don't give a s**t and do whatever they want" in these soft-on-crime times.

Be a 'hard target' not a 'soft target'

"You have to think like a criminal," Duza stated. "They're looking for easy targets." He noted that they're "not going to mess" with someone who's "walking tall and surveilling the surroundings like a bad a**."

Here are Duza's tips:

Be a surveillance champ. Scan 360 degrees around you when you're heading out. Then scan 10 feet ahead, then 50 feet ahead, then 100 feet ahead. He said it's no different from what motorists do instinctively — keeping a close eye on traffic from every direction. He added to "keep looking over your shoulder every few steps to ensure no one is sneaking up behind you." Duza said this is "not living in fear; it's just being prepared and aware." After all, if you spot someone walking fast behind you — and quickly catching up — it's better to know that in advance rather than when it's too late. "Awareness buys you time, time buys you options, and those options buy you survivability and escape," he also advised, adding that the "worst strikes are the ones you never see coming" — if you're able to react, you at least have a chance to protect yourself.

Here's one of Duza's practical self-defense videos from his Instagram page:

See on Instagram

Exercise situational awareness. Be on the lookout for suspicious activities. Train your eyes and ears to see and hear everything around you. And if you are listening to something on your phone, do so with only one earbud so you can hear potential hazards with your other ear.

Pay attention to the details. Were there multiple attackers? Was it a solo attacker? When you call 911, Duza said you want to convey as much detail about what happened as possible. He added that an effective "drill" you can do is when you're standing in a line, look at the person behind you for three seconds — then turn around and name three things about the person. Duza said the best options are gender, ethnicity, and facial features. As far as providing details about clothing, he said crooks can easily shed or switch out clothes — and "at nighttime all colors look dark."

Observe others' body language. Duza said “the eyes are the windows to the soul — but hands are the windows to their intent." He warned to check out what a person is doing with his or her hands: "Are they acting strange or hiding something in their hands coming toward you? Be on guard to take action."

Become extra vigilant and aware in danger zones — especially at night. Duza told Blaze News that banks, ATMs, gas stations, convenience stores, parking lots, and alleys — to name just a few — are "criminal hotspots" just waiting "to find unsuspecting victims." He added that if you're pumping gas late at night "you're a sitting duck" and crooks "lie in wait for that" and can "easily rob you." Duza said "bolder criminals" may try to rob you during the day as well, so vigilance is still paramount.

See on Instagram

Be certain no one is following you — especially when driving home. "Take different routes so criminals can’t study your routine," Duza said, adding that a good practice is to "make three right or left turns" in a row if you believe you're being followed. If the driver behind you makes those same turns, then "go to the police station instead of your home." He added that the other point is to "protect your home address" — because if you arrive at your home with the suspicious individual still behind you, "Now they know where you live."

Carry and know how to use self-defense tools. Duza shared that you don't want your self-defense tool — whether it's pepper spray or a knife or a gun — used against you because you lack the skills to use and retain the tool.

Fortify home security. Install cameras and place reinforced locks on doors and windows so you have layers of home defense, which are obstacles that slow down criminals. Duza noted that crooks are "looking for a house that's an easier target" — and if you've installed heavy-duty locks, they're more likely to say, "No, let's go next door." He added that parents should figure out home invasion "escape routes" for everyone in the family, along with agreeing on a "code word" to yell in the event of a break-in.

Your car is a target! Duza said it's best to scan 360 degrees for potential threats before entering your car: "How do you know someone isn't right behind you?" What's more, he said all of us should lock our car doors the second we get inside our vehicles — and then drive away immediately instead of sitting in our cars looking "vulnerable." Duza added that it's also important to disable the auto-unlock on all doors when we put our cars in park or when using the key fob. Otherwise he said crooks can "come in from a back door." He added that it's best to avoid using your car's GPS, because a car thief can just look up "home" on your car's GPS and find out where you live. Same thing with documents displaying your home address typically stored in your glove compartment; Duza said you can easily keep them in your wallet or purse instead.

Our number-one distraction — our phones. Duza advised against being distracted while on our phones in public. Instead, he said to "move with purpose until you arrive at your destination. Keep your phone in your pocket or purse so you can focus on your environment in order to spot any dangers." He added that "criminals look for distracted people for a surprise attack." Duza also told Blaze News we should keep our phones locked while we're in public in case someone snatches our phones from us. Bottom line: If a crook snatches your unlocked phone, all of your sensitive information — such as banking and credit card numbers — is right there for the taking.

There's safety in numbers. Whenever possible, stay in a group when you're out in public or using rideshares or public transportation, Duza said, adding that you should at all times try to limit how often you're alone, particularly at night.

Don’t flash expensive items on your person. If you go out showing off jewelry, designer bags, watches, you're a target for crooks, Duza said. Instead, he told Blaze News you should "hide your valuables" on you so criminals aren't tempted to grab what they don't have.

Hide your valuables in your home. Duza noted that metal safes are a good idea, but "diversion safes" — such as a coffee can in the kitchen or a paint can in the garage — are great for storing valuable as "criminals would never suspect valuables in them. They will uproot the bedroom and dresser drawers first where most people hide their valuables."

Have all your family members train in self-defense (especially women, children, and seniors). "The psychological trauma and injuries as a result of an attack will haunt a victim forever," Duza told Blaze News, adding that it's best to "train to be physically conditioned to defend yourself. The first 30 seconds determine if you’ll be a victim or a survivor — so you'll need some cardio and muscular endurance to defend and escape an attacker. If you get exhausted before the attacker does, then you will succumb to his attack and get injured." (Check out Helen Roy's recent piece on this subject, "Self-defense for women: How not to be a target.")

Go for the attacker's vulnerable body parts. Duza said these sensitive spots are the eyes, ears, nose, throat, groin, and kneecaps. He told Blaze News you can use the heel of your palm to strike an attacker's nose, your thumb or other fingers to jam into an attacker's eyes, your elbows to strike an attacker's head, your knees to strike an attacker's groin or gut, and foot stomps to smash an attacker’s knee. Duza said the idea is NOT to win a street fight like we see all the time in the movies or become a UFC champion; rather the idea is to deliver enough pain that the bad guy will be incapacitated or distracted so you have enough time to "run away" and get a healthy head start if a chase ensues. And hurt your attacker fast, he said: "The longer you stay in a conflict scenario, the more likely the odds will stack against you — mostly because your body will get tired." Duza noted that even a child can distract an attacking adult with a painful thumb in the eye and acquire getaway time.

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In addition, Duza told Blaze News that violent crooks are looking for you to submit to them — and if you do, they have complete control. Therefore, he said all of us need to develop the "mental fortitude to hone these skills to make it a lifestyle and not hesitate to survive and escape if ever attacked. Your will to survive has to be greater than the attacker’s will to hurt you."

A word about guns

Blaze News also spoke to John R. Lott Jr. — an expert on guns and crime who founded the Crime Prevention Research Center — to get his take on best practices with regard to firearms as a means of self-defense.

Lott noted to Blaze News that "people are finding it necessary to protect themselves because law enforcement won't do it," particularly when less and less legal action is being taken against criminals.

First off, if you don't own a gun due to various fears, Lott said there's no reason for your hesitancy. He told Blaze News that CDC numbers over the last decade show an incredibly low number, for example, of young children dying due to handling guns and that children are "at a greater risk of dying by lightning." Lott also said more than half of American households have guns in them — and disproportionally those households with children.

For those who are looking to acquire a gun, Lott told Blaze News it's wise to check out and handle various guns in stores to make sure it matches your hand size and strength.

Of course, he added, once you have a gun, "make sure you practice with it" and that it certainly doesn't hurt to get training and "go to the range" to shoot so you feel comfortable with your gun. Lott also told Blaze News that gun owners need to familiarize themselves with state and local laws regarding guns.

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