User:Kengel1021

Chris & the October 28 Incident: The Other Side of the Story

Nobody would seriously argue about Chris having the inalienable right to go back into Cville's Hobbies Games and Toys and making a further nuisance of himself to staff and customers alike.

However, it’s important to place some perspective (regarding this particular incident) on what Chris is and what he isn’t. Christian may be a fat whiny manchild who walks around in poopy underwear but Chris Chan isn’t a badass street hood who came into Snyder’s store wearing a ski mask and brandishing a sawed off shotgun or a Saturday night special. Chris walked into the store with his mother by mistake thinking Michael Snyder was gone and a new owner had taken over. Chris was hiding behind his mother when he saw that Michael Snyder was still in charge.

Was it inappropriate for Chris to whip out his digital camera and take Synder’s picture? Without a doubt. But this wasn't a physical confrontation that Chris was after. It was psychological (i.e. a war of nerves). Viewed from this perspective,his digital camera was his "weapon of choice" and this was a window of opportunity to finally one up ole Snyder and make an ass out of him by uploading his photo onto the internet. For all the huffing and puffing he did on YouTube, Chris was well-aware that if push came to shove in a physical confrontation with his arch-nemesis,Snyder would have relished the opportunity to kick his ass.

From Snyder's point of view, the camera incident was pretty much the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back which accounts for at least in part why Snyder followed him out to the parking lot and tried to block him from leaving.

Did Chris Try "Run Snyder Over"?

While it is almost knee-jerk reaction for many people to think that he attempted to do so this simply doesn't square with the facts. According to Chris's eyewitness account, it wasn't Chris who was controlling the steering wheel.

It was Barbara who was trying to back out and get out of the parking lot while Michael Snyder tried blocking her efforts by first standing in front of, then in back of the car. With Barbara most likely in panic mode from Snyder blocking her, it was almost inevitable what would happen. At any rate the confrontation escalated with other (Cville's Hobbies Games and Toys) staff after Michael was hit and Barbara used Chris's cellphone to call 911.

Among other things, Barbara and Chris were charged with leaving the scene of an accident with damages >$1,000 which is a felony in Virginia. It is unclear what personal injuries Michael Snyder suffered or whether Barbara may have banged into another car while trying to get away.

Why Didn't Chris and Barbara Get Out of the Car to Help?

Because more likely than not they were just plain scared about getting out of the van and possibly being physically attacked by staff that had gathered outside in the parking lot and wanted to get to a place of safety. This being said, they were stopped a short distance away by Charlottesville Police, arrested, and taken off to jail.