Teen football star fights off knife-wielding robbers


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OVERLAND PARK, KS ?A star high school athlete from Shawnee Mission West High School defended himself against two men with knives over the weekend.

Brett Sterbach, 18, was returning from the Shrine Bowl, a state all-star football game, when he stopped at a Topeka gas station. He said two men knocked on the window of his father's car.

"I open up the door, and as soon as I do that, he pulls the door open and pulls out a knife and says, 'Give me your money. Give me everything you have,'" Sterbach said.

Sterbach said he wasn't going to be bullied. The player who teammates call "Superman" for his ability to seemingly fly to the end zone scuffled with the men, one of whom carried a 3-inch pocket knife.

"I guess that's when he stabbed me," he said.

He said he was able to turn the blade on his attackers, stabbing one five times and then chasing the pair down the street.

Sterbach's parents were both inside the convenience store and said they heard nothing until the incident was over.

"We have always encouraged our kids to always be able to defend themselves," said his mother, Julie Sterbach. "I'm sure those young men left there going, 'What the heck just happened?' Because they probably did not expect that kind of reaction."

Brett Sterbach said he has bumps on his head, cuts on his hands and stitches in his leg, but he's already started to walk on it a little bit and expects to make a full recovery in about three weeks.

"I'm just really blessed to have gotten out of there alive," he said.

Police said they don't recommend someone fighting back during a robbery, saying it's better to hand over the wallet, keys, phone or whatever else the thief demands.

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Sterbach said he wasn't going to be bullied.

 

what the %@^$ does this have to do with bullying. It's a robbery. Here we go again with the media throwing that word around to redefine it.

 

Police said they don't recommend someone fighting back during a robbery, saying it's better to hand over the wallet, keys, phone or whatever else the thief demands

lol what!? I could think of many better reactions, depending on the situation. How about not complying? Driving off!? or shooting them. Yes lets all be sitting ducks because the police say so. Give me a break!

 

(Yes I was thinking the reaction depends on the situation and they couldn't just be referring to this robbery but all robberies. Either way I'm pretty sure thieves would be heavily discouraged by people who are savvy and willing enough to defend themselves. Also, I think the police department might be saying that as a liability thing so they dont get sued. So screw their advice.)

 

edit: Also, how you react the first few seconds to a dangerous situation makes a huge difference. So be sure to keep that in mind. Very early on is the easiest to change the outcome.

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what the %@^$ does this have to do with bullying. It's a robbery. Here we go again with the media throwing that word around to redefine it.

 

You might want to look up the definition of bullying.

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You might want to look up the definition of bullying.

 

intimidation of weaker person: the process of intimidating or mistreating somebody weaker or in a more vulnerable situation

 

Either way, the media calls any disagreement "bullying" these days!  This was a robbery, and I dare say (as per most robberies) intimidation will have played a part - but the end result was to be the robbery.

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You might want to look up the definition of bullying.

You might want to look up the definition of the word intimidate. Because the correct word to use for this article is 'he would not be intimidated', not bullied.

So don't come to me with that mess.

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