A pair of armed men on a motorcycle chased down a limping man, holding a gun to his head as he pleaded for help. However, a good Samaritan heard his cries and came to the rescue, and it was all caught on video.
New York City has its cultural appeal, but flagrant crime has caused both tourists and residents to become wary of their surroundings. Unfortunately, brazen criminals are still terrorizing locals with little motivation to stop, which is why some citizens have started taking matters into their own hands.
Heart-racing footage captured in Upper Manhattan shows a pair of armed robbers on wheels targeting an impaired man in broad daylight. The video shows two men on a black motorcycle speeding down the sidewalk as their victim attempts to limp away. The driver then traps the target while the second suspect brandishes a gun.
The suspects repeatedly punch the victim and tear at his neck in an attempt to break several necklaces away from him, the New York Post reported. Officers say the thugs fired at the victim three times but missed. Helpless, the victim cries out for help as bystanders watch in horror. Just then, a hero steps into view.
An unnamed man creeps up behind the motorcycle and grabs the gun in the second suspect’s hand. The good Samaritan manages to pull the suspect off the bike and twist him in such a way that he lets go of the gun, turning the tables on the thieves. The hero then chases the robbers down the street as they flee on their motorcycle.
The victim suffered minor injuries and was treated at a local hospital. Unfortunately, the suspects got away and no arrests had been made at the time of initial reports. Disturbingly, three more robberies were reported in the same area of the neighborhood within the span of 30 minutes. Investigators believe that the two men are connected to 30 to 35 other robberies that have taken place over the course of two months.
Residents were shaken up by the incident but praised the good Samaritan for stepping up to defend the victim.
“Everyone in the store got on the ground,” recalled Maximo Tavares, a delivery driver at La Ruleta Meat Market who saw the terrifying scene unfold. “All I know is they wanted his chain,” the 37-year-old man said of the victim.
New York Police Department Chief of Detectives James Essig explained that the victim was assaulted by the motorcycle duo for at least five minutes before they fled and that it’s a miracle he wasn’t killed.
“[They] ride up on the sidewalk with a weapon – a gun, threaten with a gun,” he explained. “Thank God we haven’t had anyone shot in this incident. The gun was recovered in the last incident, where people were fighting back and we retained the gun.”
The suspects are believed to have tried to rob a woman of her jewelry earlier that day. The pair also allegedly tried to steal a man’s chain, threatening to shoot him if he moved. Both times the suspects fled empty-handed.
“It’s very tough. They’ve hit so many times. It’s like they hit five, six, seven times in a day,” Chief Essig said. “They’re just scooting all over and they’re in and out of traffic and they’re flying all over. It’s tough to follow.”
Officers are discouraging citizens from trying to fight off armed robbers and are instead encouraging victims to comply. However, residents are fed-up with rampant crime and have begun to look for ways to fight back.
It’s possible that the good Samaritan scared off the suspects from that area. He showed the thugs that citizens aren’t going to take it anymore and that they can’t count on locals cowering in fear.
