In Germany it's even worse: Victims often get no compensation for their predicament while the offender gets pampered by the authorities.
If somebody dares to defend himself or others and hurts the aggressor(s) in the process there is a good chance that the "vigilante" gets punished severely. There are two famous cases in Bavaria where one judge put two guys for four years behind bars - sometimes murderers get less!
I don't know what came over this judge but apparently he tried to suppress any notion of "public violence".

On the other hand, a guy who tried to prevent violence against children got his head bashed in by two adolescents. While he got a medal for courage posthumously the public is still fearful and looks away if something like this happens.

I can only give the following advice:
Don't visit Germany and if you can't prevent it because you want to visit Octoberfest or some castle ruins then at least don't ever travel with the subway at night. There is no personnel, no cops and nobody will help you if a gang attacks you.
 

I notice the voice narrating sounds kinda Australian. That is one country that still seems to support the everyday person over the villain. It is getting to the point that I am almost ashamed of America and how it deals justice. The lines have been blurred.
 

Well, here's hopin' the guy is treated properly for his bravery in bringing the would-be-criminal to justice. We need more people like this. If he honestly felt his wife was in danger, I sure can understand where he was coming from.
 

Can't believe he is getting charged with something!

I can't believe he jumped so darn far!

I seen this on Fox news a few weeks ago, shocked me.
 

He hasn't been charged with anything AFAIK - I was just grousing. Apparently the guy was 54 years old.
 

More info here.
 

I don't know where the rest of you live, but there's no way someone like this would be charged for anything here (and certainly not the offender being "pampered"). I hear stories like this, and I have no doubt that weird things do happen - it's a big world, after all - but around here, they usually seem to be just rumors based on political biases.

On the other hand, I wouldn't say that this guy was very smart (neither of them!). Why risk your life - and your wife's life, since apparently she was there - for something like this? It was only money. No one was being threatened, as far as I could see. And the thief didn't even show a weapon,... though he could very well have had a weapon on him.

If he'd jumped this guy, who then turned out to have a gun and started shooting, this could have been tragic. And everyone in the bank could have been in danger. Yeah, one part of me cheers for this guy, but the rational part says that it wasn't a smart thing to do. And probably nothing we want to encourage. (If someone were in danger, that would be different, of course.)

I have absolutely no sympathy for criminals. But around here, with all the gun nuts and the macho ideas of foiling crime with them, I think I'd be in more danger from eager bystanders than from the criminals themselves. At least this guy didn't pull a gun and start blasting away!
 

@ WCG: I just hafta say... The majority of us gun owners are definitely not nuts, nor are we out actively looking for trouble, as you imply.
 

Sorry, Xenovore. I didn't think I was implying that. I don't equate "gun nuts" with "gun owners." Heck, I've owned guns myself, when I used to go hunting.
 

The linked video on YouTube now appears to be private. Another version of it is here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8265174.stm
 

Hmmm... yeah. Looks like it was shut off. Weird. I'll see if I can find a new one.
 

I like the woman getting her sly kick in around 38 seconds in.