Dramatic video footage captured the moment a man targeted by motorcycle muggers turned the tables during a street stickup – grabbing the gun and fatally shooting one of his would-be robbers.
The wild exchange, which left a 16-year-old dead, occurred in the southeastern Brazilian city of Guarulhos on the evening of August 4.
Surveillance footage shows Otávio Ribeiro saying goodbye to a coworker before leaving to walk home when a pair of motorcycle-riding suspects intercepts him.
Held at gunpoint, Ribeiro can be seen giving up his cell phone to the teen mugger before lunging forward and disarming the assailant while knocking him and his accomplice to the ground.
Ribeiro then fires multiple shots at the teen as he runs away, the footage shows. Ribeiro manages to fire on the teen’s accomplice, who can be seen picking up the motorcycle and speeding away.
The teen, who suffered gunshot wounds to his shoulder and left arm, was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died.
The São Paulo State Military Police recovered Ribeiro’s cell phone and wallet, as well as two additional cell phones that had been stolen earlier in the night.
Ribeiro was later found at his home and told police that he fled the scene because he feared for his safety. He was taken to a local police station, where he was questioned and released.
The teen mugger’s killing took place just two weeks after a 17-year-old boy was run over by a bus and killed after he stole a 71-year-old man’s cell phone in São Paulo.
The boy, whose name was not revealed, appeared in surveillance footage walking up to the victim near a street corner and snatching his phone.
The teen took of running and was hit by the bus at the intersection.
At least 158,150 thefts and 137,891 cell phone robberies were reported in the state of São Paulo in 2023, according to an annual report released by the Brazilian Security Forum in July.
In the state capital, an average of 1,781.6 cell phones were stolen or robbed per every 100,000 inhabitants.
In all, 937,294 cell phones were robbed or stolen throughout Brazil last year, an average of 107 per hour.