This situation is somewhat different from others I usually mention, because virtually all of us have to go to work somewhere, so threats at work are difficult to avoid. Find someone who is a threat where you work? The FBI’s critical incident response group published “Workplace Violence – Issues In Response” and they said “A recurring problem in threat management is what to do when someone is evaluated as dangerous, but has not committed any serious crime. In those cases, managers will need legal and, often law enforcement advice.”

Perhaps “ a recurring problem when threat management is not ultimately based on personal survival” would be more accurate. When you evaluate someone as dangerous, do not spend time getting advice from anyone. If prepared, you would have already read enough advice to clog a toilet. So, instead of looking for a plunger, you should have already decided on one or more possible solutions and then be in a position to act immediately.

If, however, you’d like a recap of others’ advice, I can also fill a commode with it easily. Legal advice: you can’t defend yourself from anyone dangerous unless they have already killed you or shot a few times and missed you. AT that point, since a jury might find you not guilty, you can probably defend yourself, remaining aware that you are responsible for getting medical attention for the scumbag and then hope you aren’t sued in civil court. Law enforcement advice: call 911, then hide in a corner.

The U.S. Department of Justice has a 10 rule list for threat management, from recognizing the need to managing the process appropriately. What it doesn’t mention is taking care of the threat. There is no direct action in the 10 rule list. Assigning management, providing training, tracking incidents are points of a bureaucracy, not means for survival.  The FBI’s problem of what to do with a dangerous person who hasn’t yet done anything is difficult from their law enforcement and investigative perspectives, but it should not be any consideration from where you happen to be. As I have said again and again, it is completely your choice. Or, your choices. You may have more choices than you realized.

There’s an old saying about if you are going somewhere you think is dangerous, then just don’t go. If you consider someone so dangerous that you believe it is likely you will need to kill them, then an option is to stay home and call the police. It’s likely you’ll just have to kill the threat when the police finish talking to him anyway, but it’s an option. And, if the threat thinks you have friends at work, he will likely harm them. If you work with a crowd of worthless sheep, then no loss there. Another option is to discuss the problem with management. They will label you as unstable and dismiss you, but if you do want to waste your time, that action will do it.

If the threat is truly dangerous – you believe this person is an immediate threat to yourself – then you have to be ready for a fight at all times. A high risk position to occupy. It will help if others where you work also think this threat is real, but it’s likely even odds at best that anyone else has realized there is a problem. What allows some idiot to go crazy in many of these types of situations is the lack of any real deterrent. The police aren’t there, the sheep won’t defend themselves, it’s just the lunatic getting to play Mr. Demented for free. In your case, it might not hurt that he knows it won’t be free at all. This can come from you just being a wolf as part of your nature and the threat recognizing you, or if you choose, you confront the problem, understanding that the fight may start immediately. If so, at least the problem will be permanently solved. And, don’t forget about preemptive defense either.