A thief said thanks to police after his arrest put a stop to a beating from Korean tourists who he attempted to rob.
“I must thank you, they were massacring me,” the 48-year-old told police after he was arrested near the Theatre of Marcellus, in Rome’s historic centre.
The thief, from the northern region of Liguria, stole a handbag from a Korean family. He threatened the family with a knife when he was spotted and then tried to flee.
Two family members in their twenties chased the man for several hundred metres before flooring him with taekwondo moves. They disarmed the thief and continued to beat him.
A patrolling police officer intervened and arrested the thief immediately.
“Normally tourists will just call us and report the incidents,” the officer said. “In this case, the two got really excited and could have seriously injured the thief.”
The thief was transferred to a prison in Rome and will face robbery charges while the Koreans left after retrieving the handbag.
The Roman Forum
Italian thief rescued from angry tourists
