Law enforcement offers tips for staying alive in dangerous situations

Reporter: Megan Contreras
Published: Updated:
MGN Online

FORT MYERS, Fla.- Surveillance pictures taken during a home invasion in Lehigh Acres over the weekend show three men holding a family of seven at gunpoint, before taking cash, cell phones and a truck.

“Things are getting worse and people are desperate,” said Cape Coral resident Mary McConnell.

On Monday, a man was held at gunpoint in the parking of a Wal-Mart in Cape Coral, losing $200 cash to the suspects.

“It’s a crime of opportunity. It’s quick cash, jewelry, cellphones,” said Captain Jim Mulligan, with the Fort Myers Police Department. “It’s opportunity in the moment, how can they get something quick.”

But would you know what to do if you are put in a dangerous situation?

“Knowing the person I am, I would fight! I wouldn’t go down,” said McConnell.

Mulligan says the goal is to make it out of the situation alive.

“What can be a weapon? Look around your house. It’s anything, it doesn’t have to be a firearm,” said Mulligan.

Mulligan says sometimes it’s better to give the crooks what they want, “there is nothing in your house worth your life or your family. What do you have in your hands that’s worth your life? Probably nothing.”

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office says always be aware of your surroundings, and move with a purpose.

“If he was 6 feet tall, then I would know where to kick him with my knee,” said McConnell.

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