Wolves and Wolf Packs
Bad guys, criminals, assailants, pick your term. These are the wolves in society that prey on the innocent (sheep). Just like a wolf in the wild, they tend to go for the weak, injured or unaware. For their attack to work, they need to get close enough to strike. Sometimes they lie in wait for the opportunity to come to them and sometimes they move around looking for the easy prey. They may work in groups (packs) or individually (lone wolf). The lone wolf is dangerous but easier to defend against. A pack of wolves is much more dangerous.
A single assailant (lone wolf) has a few options on choosing a victim. He can hide in the shadows (fringe area) and wait for an unsuspecting victim to come to him. He may move in crowds until a potential victim separates from the crowd and moves into a fringe area and follows them. He may hide in plain sight near a fringe area and follow a potential victim into a vulnerable location.
When a group of assailants (wolf pack) get together, they have more options. They can lay in wait or follow a potential victim like the lone wolf and overwhelm them. They also have a few more tricks they can use. A group of assailants working together can herd a victim into a vulnerrable location, One or more of them can follow and drive a victim toward other members of the group who are laying in wait. They can also approach at multiple angles to surround a victim or block the escape routes.
Countering a group of assailants can be very difficult. The best defense is to avoid the encounter by being aware and recognizing what is happening early. If you feel you are being herded or driven in a certain direction by mulitiple suspicious people, your first response is to evade and move quickly to a public or other safe place. If you can get into a store, restaurant or other business do it. Once inside you can seek assistance or call the police. If there are no open businesses close by you can move (run) in a different direction than the one you are being directed by the group. Try to call 911 while you are evading and give your locartion as specific as you can as well as what direction you are moving. If you are cornered, make as much noise as you can and prepare to fight. Use anytihing you can get yours hands on to defend yourself.
Most defensive tools are designed for a single assailant but can still be used to help you escape. Pepper spray can be used against multiple assailants, spray as many as you can and run. A Taser will take one assailant out of the equation. If you use a Taser, Tase the assailant who is between you and your escape route and run past them. The surprise use may give you a second or two to get away. If the group is threatening you with death or serious bodily injury, you may be justified in using deadly force. A firearm or other deadly weapon could then be used against your attackers to allow you to escape.
