A 25-year-old foreign immigrant has been arrested in Italy on suspicion of attempting to sexually assault an 11-year-old girl. Before being taken into custody, members of the public intervened and reportedly beat the perpetrator before his arrest.
The alleged sexual assault occurred in the Centocelle suburb of Rome, in front of a restaurant run by the victim’s mother. Onlookers who witnessed the attempted sexual assault intervened and chased the foreign national as he ran from the crime scene.
He was immediately chased and blocked by some customers who reportedly took the law into their own hands. They beat the ban and allegedly directed racist phrases at him. Several people were kicking him even though he was already on the ground and trying to cover his head, according to news outlet Corriere.
One witness claimed to have heard the individuals beating the suspect, “Black motherf**ker.”
“In my house, I witnessed a quasi lynching,” the eyewitness to the attack wrote on Facebook. “I heard screams ‘Stop him! Stop it!’ I approached, and a group of people had blocked a Black guy. One gave him a big smack, and he fell to the ground. He then received some kicks even from some patrons who happened to be there by chance,” the witness added.
Authorities were called and arrived on the scene to arrest the assailant, and police are now searching for the vigilantes who could also now find themselves in trouble.
