Cellphone footage showing four men being brutally assaulted by an angry community in The Hill on September 11 has emerged.
While the suspects were being beaten opposite The Hill High School, a resident managed to capture the incident from the scene.
Click here to watch the video (not for sensitive viewers).
Reports from the scene suggest that the beating comes after the suspects were allegedly caught robbing residents of their cellphones in the area.
Steve Dwarika, owner of Guardian Angel Security (GAS) said the suspects were caught by them and handed over to SAPS Moffatview Police Station for further investigation and processing.
Furious residents are pleased that such thugs are being dealt with. They said it would be a warning to other thugs.
No one attempts to “rescue” the cell phone snatchers until police officers make their way to the scene and the community then stops beating the thieves.
Charnel Hattingh, Group Head of Marketing & Communications – Fidelity ADT offers residents the following advice to keep safe:
• Make sure you know what the load-shedding roster is so that you can plan your walk to a certain destination.
Never walk in darkness so ensure you can return home before it is dark.
• If you are a victim of an attempted phone snatching, remember to report the incident even if it was just an attempt. A crime is not a crime and will not get recorded unless it is reported.
Hide your valuables/cellphone in your bag or inside jacket pocket. You need to ensure your phone is not visible to passersby and never talk on your phone while out walking as this makes you an easy target.
• Don’t walk with earphones listening to music – you have to be able to look and listen.
• Where possible walk with someone to just make you a little less vulnerable.
Two people can also help to identify the perpetrators and the vehicle they are traveling in better than one.
This will help us to get the criminals behind bars and to keep them there.
“Remember that criminals are usually nervous and working under pressure so they can make mistakes. It is better to just give them what they want and avoid being injured. “That same message needs to be communicated to your children so everyone understands the rules,” said Hattingh.
