Some public bathrooms can be locked from the inside so there's that to consider.
Some public bathrooms can be locked from the inside so there's that to consider.
Put me in the group that knows there's a back door to almost every store in a mall and plans on hauling ass to them in case something panics the masses.
In addition to that, any door that says "employees only" at the mall/theater/wherever is fair game when I need to get the hell out in a hurry.
Maybe they really gotta poop.
We've all been there.
Semper Gumby, Always Flexible
Three things to look for in any place that you are going to spend time are the exit, cover and hiding places. If you can't bring your sidearm also look for potential impact weapons and blind corners (see my post about using the toilet tank lid). You can take out an active shooter with an improvised club if you know how to set an ambush 90 degrees inside a door way. This is a last resort of course but sometimes you can't leave or hide. The main thing is have a plan.
Because the situation is turning to shit !
While the context of the thread is properly on unarmed panic stricken victims to be, you mentioned the make shift bludgeon. If one is armed, firearmed, rather than being exposed in an open area, the restroom could be turned into a fatal funnel for the shooter. Like a badgers den. It's a hero or zero play I'll grant ya that.
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
One of the Paris nightclub survivors said something to the effect that running into the bathroom provided a brief moment of temporary safety rather than being shot or trampled right away.