Cape Town- A 30-year-old man has been arrested after he was caught by bystanders for allegedly robbing a woman of her cellphone in Sea Point.
A video of his apprehension has since gone viral, showing a mob attacking him.
The clip emerged on Tuesday and was posted on several crime and community pages on Facebook.
Sea Point has recorded an increase in robbery cases recently, with several incidents of chain snatching and cellphone muggings taking place almost daily.
The footage shows four men surrounding the suspect while the victim, a foreigner, runs to the rescue of the robber. She goes back to the other side of the road as more men approach.
The suspect can be heard screaming while a man dressed in navy blue and white shorts and a black vest whips him with a stick.
Two other men kick the crying suspect while a woman’s voice in the background shouts in isiXhosa: “Hit him!”
The alleged cellphone robber, wearing a white top and blue jeans, then gets up. He is bent down and walks backwards to the other side of the road while the victim looks on.
The suspect places himself in a foetal position and the attackers start stomping on his head.
The men ask the thief: “Where is the phone?”
The victim tells the suspect: “I forgive you.”
The man is assaulted again, and the woman screams: “Guys, please stop it! You don’t have to beat him.”
Sea Point City Improvement District chairperson, Jacques Weber, confirmed the incident and said the alleged robber was arrested.
“The lady was walking. One guy stole her phone. She chased him up Hall Road. Members of the public saw what was going on. They assisted in chasing and caught the suspect, and as the video shows, they gave him a few hidings, they smacked him. You could hear the woman, she was a foreigner.
“I think it shocked her and she said ‘Stop it, I forgive him!’ But ultimately, the cellphone was recovered and a few minutes later he was arrested and taken to the SAPS and a criminal case was opened by the lady.”
Police spokesperson, Wesley Twigg, said the suspect was charged with robbery.
“A 30-year-old man was arrested on a charge of robbery which occurred on Tuesday in Sea Point.