Shocking footage shows the moment a gang of women corner and brutally attack a British tourist to grab his belongings as he walks along a busy street in the heart of Colombia’s drug capital.
The dramatic assault was caught on CCTV on Friday, at a time when the number of tourists reporting robberies is on the rise in Medellin.
Two of the women, who initially appear unassuming donning mini-skirts and crop tops, can be seen identifying their target, who is oblivious to the impending danger, as he walks past.
They begin to follow their victim as he meanders down the busy street, a corner approaching Berrio Park, before confronting him, much to the man’s surprise.
The two attackers then launch a frenzied attack on the Briton, before another woman comes to join them, punching him in the head and constantly pulling on his backpack.
Two of the women begin to follow their victim as he makes his way down the busy street
Surveillance footage from Friday shows the women approaching the man and talking to him
The women confront the man, much to his surprise, and they appear to exchange a few words
The man tries to walk away, but the two women follow him closely and continue to cling to his bag. He tries to push them away and a fight ensues.
The man tries desperately to fend off the women, but the group has managed to steal his “high-end” cell phone, reports El Tiempo.
Surveillance footage shows the women approaching the man and talking to him for a few seconds, with one grabbing her backpack.
He tries to walk away, but the two women follow him closely and continue to cling to his bag. He tries to push them away and a fight ensues.
The attack appears to last at least a minute and sees the group whirling across the street as they fight over the tourists’ business.
Stunned onlookers watch and seem to make no effort to intervene as the man faces an onslaught from all angles.
The women grab the man by his backpack as he quickly tries to back away, dragging them down with him.
He then nearly spins the women around as they grab onto his backpack, trying to push them away in self-defense.
The tourist nearly spins the women as they grab onto his backpack, trying to push them away in self-defense
The violent attack appears to last at least a minute and sees the group whirl across the street as they fight over the tourists’ belongings.
Video shared by police showed them cramming the suspects into a squad car
Police were quickly called to the scene and were able to arrest the women, with more video released by cops showing the three suspects piled into a car.
In a roughly translated statement, Valle de Aburrá Metropolitan Police Inspector Major Adrian Chacon said police conducted a thorough investigation following the incident.
“Meticulous tracking began through city security cameras, where in the same area, viewers identified the three women, notifying quadrant police units, where they were intercepted, captured for the crime of theft .”
They said the stolen items had been returned overseas.
It comes about 48 hours after two other foreign travelers caught video of their assault, which took place in broad daylight.
The victims, believed to be a Polish couple, while visiting one of Antioquia’s capital’s guardian hills were recorded, before the violent attack cut off the video.
The man and woman, whose names have not been released, were crossing Cerro El Volador, a ridge in Medellin, on Wednesday when a man approached them from behind with a sharp object.
The man was speaking to the camera in his native language as he recorded them, which is when one of the suspects can be seen running towards them from behind.
A suspect placed his hand around the woman’s mouth and her accomplice placed the man in a choke hold as the phone fell to the ground and the video recording stopped.
The man later posted a second video showing himself covered in blood.
There have been no arrests so far, despite appeals from the mayor of Medellin.
The first quarter of 2023 saw 230 complaints of theft from tourists in Medllin, the capital of Antioquia, the Tourism Observatory of the Personería de Medellín.
This represents an increase of 666% compared to the same period of the previous year, reports El Tiempo.
Last month, a British tourist died after being attacked by muggers while hiking along a mountain trail in Colombia.
It is believed he was hit in the head with the butt of a gun by assailants who stole his belongings after he walked to the Hill of Three Crosses in Medellin.
The victim, named locally Kyle MacKenzie, was found seriously injured at the bottom of the mountain trail where he was abandoned by the attackers after being attacked.
He was discovered two days after his disappearance and rushed to hospital in critical condition before succumbing to his multiple injuries, including head injuries.
The victim was described locally as a man of Swedish descent who had a British passport.
The assault victim was described as the first foreign person to be murdered in Medellin so far this year, following 10 murders of foreigners last year in Medellin.
The city is no stranger to violent crime and was once dubbed the Murder Capital of the World as violence raged through the streets under the rule of the Medellin drug cartel.
Led by perhaps the most notorious drug lord in history, Pablo Escobar, Medellin witnessed 6,349 murders in 1991, a murder rate of 380 per 100,000 population.
