MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Another case of “lynching” in one of Buenos Aires most posh neighborhoods

The purse snatcher ended up in hospital while his accomplice fled on the motorbike

A purse snatcher on a motorcycle ended in hospital terribly beaten up by furious neighbors from one of Buenos Aires City most posh boroughs caught him after committing the crime. A woman police on the beat had to rescue the robber from the lynching crowd until other officers arrived.

 The incident occurred at mid afternoon Tuesday, 15:30 in Recoleta, where many famous and rich Argentines live, when a couple of thieves riding a motorcycle were looking out for an easy victim and targeted a lady and her purse.

The companion jumped off followed the lady, snatched the purse, but a pedestrian realized what had happened and run after the criminal. He was able to catch him and started to beat him and was joined by two other men. By that time the snatcher was on the floor, bleeding and kicked all over this body by now a furious group of bystanders.

Meanwhile his accomplice managed to escape on the motorbike along Avenida Libertador at full speed and in traffic clogged Buenos Aires.

The woman officer was able to convince neighbors to calm down and stop beating the young man, whom he handcuffed him while waiting twenty minutes for a couple of patrols to arrive in support, and an ambulance to carry the injured snatcher to hospital.

Furious neighbors complained bitterly that “a whole crew of police officers was sent to protect the robber while decent people are victims of all kinds of criminal activities any time of the day. Why is the police not out in the streets protecting the decent people of neighborhoods?”

Argentina is suffering from an outbreak of lynching, several incidents have happened in the main cities, given the surge in crime and violence, and an overwhelming feeling of lack of law enforcement and lenient courts.

On Monday the governor of Argentina's largest and richest province, Buenos Aires, Daniel Scioli declared a state of security emergency, promising to double patrolling, contract 5.000 retired officers, better equip the force and send some bills to the provincial congress to improve combating crime.

The issue has become political and President Cristina Fernandez during an official ceremony commenting on the lynching cases said some people “want us to return to barbarism.”

“Some people want us to return to barbarism, some people wants us to react violently” said the president, who urged officials and people to be “rational and civilized,” and affirmed “education and social inclusion are the ultimate ways of solving these problems.”

The President also urged the media not to “hide good news,” and pointed out that “the words used can be words of anger and critique, but not words of hate.”