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 Mugging is a type of theft, in which the perpetrator (the mugger) accosts the victim in a public place, such as a sidewalk, street or parking lot, and demands money and/or valuables through the use of force or fear. The thief will typically threaten to use a weapon such as a gun or knife. 

 ==The crime of mugging and its history== 
 The term 'mugging' gained its current popularity in the United States, with New York infamously described in the 1970s as 'the mugging capital of America'. However, the crime is as old as history and among other things has been known as highway robbery, purse-snatching, or footpadding (which could be surreptitious or violent). In Victorian times the targets were wallets and gold watches, but in the US there was a big increase in reported street robberies and handbag snatches from the 1960s onwards as new consumer items became popular. In England the fashion for mugging either arose or gained popularity through many social factors in the late seventies and eighties, and became a cultural phenomenon among some urban youths. In some cultures, there was perceived to be a growing tendency for young males to steal from other young males. The principal targets became valuable and popular accessories like portable audio devices, cameras, laptop computers, mobile phones, and other items that can be quickly and easily resold. Excitement, status, and gang initiation are undoubtedly important motives too. In larger United States cities and in the United Kingdom, the news media report and cover muggings as a crime trend, and some observers blamed the news media for a moral panic in England from the early 1970s at a time when “newspaper reporting of mugging(s) emerged and became increasingly sensational”Hale, D. (1998). Popular Culture, Crime and Justice. Wadsworth Publishing Company, California. Nonetheless, as recorded crime statistics, insurance claims, and national crime surveys all show, street robberies remained a growing problem until they peaked at about the turn of the millennium. 

 Such robberies can involve the threat and/or use of weapons and/or violence.  Most mugging victims are uninjured or suffer minor injuries.  However, in some cases victims die from heart attack or stroke when they struggle with assailants, through falling from moving buses or under vehicles, being knocked to the ground and hitting their heads on the sidewalk, being stabbed with edged weapons or shot with firearms, or beaten with blunt force. More frequently than death, mugging victims sustain lifetime dermatological scarring, facial, cranial, and maxillofacial trauma as well as orthopedic injuries which affect some level of disability, and impact labor and life activities. 

 ==Risk factors for victimization== 
 * Conspicuous display by sidewalk pedestrians of resellable consumer items or indications thereof such as white iPod headphones. 
 * Preoccupation of sidewalk pedestrians by certain activities such as talking on a mobile phone. This activity is seen as a particular risk factor because the victim is distracted by the conversation, typically has compromised hearing and peripheral vision, and is conspicuously displaying a resellable item that can be quickly and easily converted to cash. 

 ==Mugger Modus Operandi== 
 Some muggers operate alone. Others work sidewalks as a group of assailants, that many refer to as a wolf-pack due to the similarities to canine behavior and hunting technique. The wolf-pack technique serves multiple purposes. At the moment of the incident the presence of multiple assailants first deters a solo victim from physically retaliating. Several wolf-pack muggers dressed substantially similar can confuse a victim from making proper suspect identification at a police lineup if the perpetrators are arrested. Following the incident, several wolf-pack muggers dressed substantially similar can also split up stolen merchandise and travel in different directions following their crimes to avoid police identification and arrest. 

 In many United States cities, muggers wear disguises integrated into clothing and accessories, such as hooded sweatshirts or hoodies. Others wear gradient lens glasses or stunner shades as a nighttime fashion accessory. Caps, and hats also serve as a change of disguise. As of 2006 and 2007, ski masks and balaclavas are making a comeback as a popular fashion accessory in some circles. 
 As a basic operations technique, muggers attempt to blend into their surroundings as much as possible to avoid police detection following their crimes. To this extent many wear the local clothing style de-jour. To the extent to which most other persons in their age group wear jeans, the