Violent attack on young Brazilian woman as passers-by walk on
CCTV footage has revealed the moment a young Brazilian mother was attacked, beaten, and robbed in broad daylight, as passersby walked on without intervening.
The 33-year-old woman, Thais Del Rio, can be seen as she walks down the street on Friday morning and approaches four teenagers blocking her path.
She looks visibly uncomfortable as she gets closer and when she turns to make an escape, they pounce on her, pulling her backpack on the streets of Porte Alegre city centre in southern Brazil.
As Ms Del Rio resists, the youths get increasingly violent, pulling her hair, then punching her in the face and stomach.
She is then dragged along the ground as they try to pull her backpack off.
Local police said yesterday they had arrested four people suspected of the mugging, minutes after it happened, including three minors aged 12,15 and 17.
The fourth person was a 41-year old man, and police said he and one of the male teens had ‘vast police records, with tickets for robbery, theft, attempted murder, kidnapping, possession of weapons and narcotics, among others'.
While the violent attack was taking place, at least two people can be seen walking past, looking at the scene and carrying on as if nothing was happening.
And it was this element that most upset the young mother.
Commenting on the video on Facebook, Thais Del Rio said: "More than fear, I felt humiliated and powerless in the face of so much violence”.
"What amazes me is not be be able to count on the help of my neighbours, of the people who were very close, but preferred to shrug their shoulders and carry on with one more day in their lives as if nothing had happened."
This, she said, was 'also a violent act'.
Ms Del Rio also stated that one of the thieves was carrying a gun, which cannot be seen in the video.
She said she told this person she had 'a son at home waiting for me' and it was this remark that led to her being punched in face.
“I don't know if I acted right,” she said, referring to her decision to hold on to her bag and resist.
“I'm not here recommending anyone do the same, far from it. We need to think in a broader sense about the real reasons for so much violence in our society.”
Police said the goods stolen from Ms Del Rio were seized when the arrests were made.
Incredible acts of violence have previously been captured on CCTV footage:
