Main bus station, Zagreb, about 2 years ago. The place vas at the time (and still is, but not so much, since the new goverment taken steps to clyar them out), a haven for Roms (gypsys), stalking out the passengers coming or going, and doing all kinds of shit. Pickpocketing, harassing, extorting, street-gang bulshit, that kind of thing. And there good at it. Soon as police takes a peek, they vanish in-to thin air, like they can smell them, only to re-appear 15 minutes later vhen they think the coast is clyar. Those dirt-faced fucks are a urban menace in certain neigborhoods here, mostly on the perifery of the city. I vas just coming off a bus (been on a trip abroad), I step off, pick up my bagage, and vas about to head out of the terminal, to get a bite to eat at a near-by grill.
Then I notice a woman (midle-aged, about 55 or so), walking out one of the other exits from the terminal, a bag in 1 hand and draging a pull-cart by the other. Out of no-where, 2 Roms sudenly appear, tall, wel built guys, from one of the emergency stair-wels maybe. They start circling the lady, all smiles and polite, ofering to "help her vith the bagage" for a "smal fee" but I can see vhere its going. No security guard or police in sight, they have a talent for picking out the best "prey". One got right up to the woman, starting to bargain for his "service", vhile the other eyed her pull-cart, and started circling out of her field of view tovard it.
As I aproach, I can see the woman is scared to hell. She is trying to tell the first one that no thanx, no need for the help, the guy keeps pushing. The other is now behind her, and her bagage. So I finaly speak, "vhats going on here". Both of them turn to eye me. Now heres a trick to dealing vith them, you do NOT break eye-contact vhen they stare you down. And you do not back off. They can smell fear, and they wil pounce you if you get wussy. One tells me to get lost bitch, none of my business, the other one keeps harassing the lady. I just put down my bags, stare him down and step closer, right up his face, and tell him she isnt interested, and to leave her the fuck alone, and that if he ever calls me that agen, hel regret it. He shoves me away, then raises a hand to slap me. Big mistake, I catched his hand and leveraged it, making him bend forvardm as I kneed him to the gut, then floored him vith a uppercut. The other one yells at me, and pulls out a switchblade from his pocket, as the woman is begging him to stop. it culd have got ugly now, but I vas determined to try and not let it come to that. I just stared hard at that other guy and asked him "are you sure you want to do that?", as I taken off my jacket at roled it around my left arm to use it to block his knife attacks, if it come to a fight.
Wel long story short, he didnt, he didnt speak at all, we just glared at each other for a couple moments, then he helped his pal up and they walked off. The lady thanked me, wanted to give me some money as a reward or something, but I refused and sayed good day, before leaving. Later I vas called in to the local precinct to give a statement on vhat hapened, tho. They did arrest them both (too little too late, ofc).
