By Charnel Wright and Jessica Sanchez

It was a brisk April morning when a 35-year-old mother pulled into the parking lot of the Wal-mart on John Young Parkway and Sand Lake Road. It was supposed to be a quick stop for the woman but it would turn into a lifetime of painful memories. Chilling surveillance video of the parking lot would later show there was a man on the hunt. Orange County detectives say 24-year-old David Welker cased the Wal-mart parking lot for nearly 30 minutes in search of a victim, and he found one.  With her one-year-old daughter in the back car seat, detectives say Welker honed in on the woman, putting a gun to her baby’s head and forcing her to drive to a secluded place where he raped her.

While the attacker used a gun, he also used another weapon. In fact, it is one of the most effective weapons used in attacks and once you understand what it is, your chances of becoming a victim are greatly reduced.  The element of surprise is THE ultimate weapon. It’s an innate tactic that even animals use. When the lion scans the herd for his prey he looks for what he believes is the weakest and most vulnerable target; the one least likely to see it coming.  

Think of the following scenario:  You’re leaving work, it’s dark, and you’re walking out to your car. Are you:

1) On your cell phone, deep in conversation as you dig through your purse in search of your keys? Or,

2) Are you walking toward your car, keys in hand, while scanning the parking lot for anyone suspicious?

Woman #2 is more likely to take notice of the man sitting in his car to her left, or the man walking past her into the building. Without saying a word she looks him briefly in the eye and lets him know she is aware of him.  If the man is looking for an easy victim, woman #2 immediately loses her appeal because the bad guy knows two things now: A) she is aware of him and, B) there is a possibility she can identify him.  Woman #1, on the other hand, may never see it coming and probably won’t even be able to identify her attacker, so the suspect is likely to see her as a better target.

People are taught from a young age that it is rude to stare; making eye contact with a stranger is a bold gesture.  But it is better to have a decent man think you’re rude, than a violent man think you’re an easy target. So remember, surprise is the ultimate weapon; with eye contact you’re letting them know that you can’t be surprised.