Latest news with #vigilante
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Moment hero vigilante rams shoplifter's shopping cart in Walmart car park in front of stunned onlookers
THIS is the dramatic moment a vigilante shopper confronts a suspected Walmart shoplifter before ramming his trolley. Footage shows the video vigilante intervening when he saw the suspected shoplifter leave Walmart with a loaded shopping cart. 3 3 The clip shows the brave man spotting the suspected shoplifter brazenly getting out of the clutches of security outside a Walmart store. He charges towards the man and slams into his trolley, which was filled with items he allegedly did not pay for. A fight breaks out when the cyclist confronts the alleged shoplifter and says: "If you did pay for it, just pick it up b****." The other man then starts to slowly walk away, with his expression seemingly showing guilt. The video vigilante then shouts: "Did you pay for it? If you did not steal, pick it up, pick it the f*** up b****. "Get out of where you piece of s***." The suspected shoplifter then walks away from the scene. A similar incident occurred in 2023 when another video vigilante intervened after seeing a suspected shoplifter leave Walmart with a shopping cart loaded with groceries. Anthony Wood's brave intervention and viral video helped police identify the suspect, who repeatedly denied stealing the items. The incident occurred in a Walmart parking lot near Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2014. Walmart takes swipe at Dollar Tree with new 97-cent offering just DAYS after discount chain 'screwed up' its costs Smith told ABC News that he saw the man looking around before bolting out the store with a cart stacked full of grocery products and paper towels. As soon as Smith realized the person might be stealing the items, he took out his phone and began recording. The fearless vigilante even began shouting at the man as he loaded the items into his car. It comes after a woman was accused of pulling off a wild ticket-switching stunt at Walmart. She walked out with hundreds of dollars in goods until surveillance video caught up with her. The woman racked up 19 visits using the same sneaky trick, cops said. The alleged scheme went down in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, roughly 80 miles from Milwaukee. Hailey Wildfong, 38, is now charged with one count of felony retail theft, Seehafer News reported. In another case earlier this year, a man named Speedy Gonzalez was arrested in Georgia for ripping off Walmart stores with a trash can trick. The 40-year-old allegedly stuffed pricey products into empty bins, scanned the bins, and walked out with the loot. Gonzalez reportedly stole items like nicotine, diabetic strips, and gum, all while avoiding staff detection. Authorities say Gonzalez pulled the scam off at least 20 times across stores in Georgia. Walmart shoplifting arrests Ashley Cross was caught on security cameras using an old watch battery barcode to scan expensive products for just $1 Ex-officer Mark Leenerts stole $317.88 worth of merchandise from Walmart stores in Topeka, Kansas Jeremiah Boyer raked in $52,800 in fees on 874 orders while working for Walmart's online delivery service Spark Brent Adam Brooks, of Sylva, North Carolina, was arrested after trying to steal a $198 Frigidaire ice maker Kabreshia Caldwell targeted innocent senior citizen customers at Walmart stores across Northeast Florida, stealing a total of $10,000 Katherine Gordon allegedly stole $80 worth of groceries by replacing barcodes on certain produce items
Bloomberg
7 days ago
- Bloomberg
Careless: Inside A UK Care Visa Scam
Alleged scammers in the UK are accused of defrauding would-be migrant healthcare workers out of tens of thousands of pounds. Some victims have turned to a vigilante "scammer hunter" for help. (Source: Bloomberg)
The Herald
22-07-2025
- The Herald
Two men jailed for brutal vigilante attack on alleged drug dealer
Free State police confiscated an assortment of dangerous weapons from a vigilante mob that murdered an alleged drug dealer in January 2023: pangas, daggers, knives, garden shears, a hoe, scissors, a screwdriver, axe and petrol bombs. 'The incident unfolded when the Bloemfontein public order policing team was deployed to Bethlehem for crowd management duties after reports of community members confronting alleged drug dealers in the Bohlokong area,' said police spokesperson Sgt Mahlomola Kareli. 'One of the houses targeted was that of the alleged drug lord in the community.' Two female police officers intervened when a large crowd started stabbing a 37-year-old man with pangas and knives. The victim died at the scene. Two men were arrested: Joseph Tshabalala, 44, also known as 'Toki', and Ernest Semela, 25, also known as 'Bikkie'. Seventeen more suspects were rounded up, including a women, with an assortment of weapons and petrol bombs. ' After a two-year investigation and trial, the two primary suspects, Joseph 'Toki' Tshabalala and Ernest 'Bikkie' Semela, pleaded guilty to murder. They were each sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment for murder,' said Kareli. 'The case against 17 other suspects was withdrawn.' TimesLIVE
BreakingNews.ie
21-07-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Man caught with child abuse material claimed he was acting as vigilante
A man who claimed he was 'acting in the capacity of a vigilante' when he was caught with videos of child sex abuse will be sentenced later for possession and distribution of the material. Murilo Dos Santos (36) of North Circular Road, Dublin 1, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of images of child sexual abuse, known in law as child pornography and to distribution of the material on dates between November 18th, 2020 and January 2021. He has no previous convictions. Advertisement Detective Garda Donagh Mannix told Derek Cooney BL, prosecuting, that the then home of Dos Santos, in Christchurch in Dublin city, was searched in connection to an unrelated matter and his phone was seized as part of that investigation. The phone was subsequently analysed and 66 videos were found which were considered to be in contravention of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act. Dos Santos shared various videos with six other people on dates between October 2020 and November 2020. Det Gda Mannix gave a description of one of these particularly graphic videos which involved a child estimated to be between six and 12 months old. The child was strapped down and unable to move in the footage. This video was five minutes long. The detective outlined further videos of children, most aged between eight and 12 years old, either involved in sexual activity with each other or sometimes sexual activity with an adult male. Advertisement There were also more videos involving younger children, described by Det Gda Mannix as toddlers. Gardaí also discovered that Dos Santos was using a sharing app which allowed him to share and receive links from others. The analysis showed that he was using one sharing app between September 2020 and October 2020. Det Gda Mannix said there were a number of files shared in this application, mainly videos which were of a similarly graphic nature to the others found on the defendant's phone. A Whatsapp account had also been created and gardaí were able to recover conversations between Dos Santos and others, with Dos Santos sharing a link to a folder termed – a MEGA folder. He also told the other users where he lived in Dublin, shared a photograph of his own face and suggested meeting up. Advertisement Det Gda Mannix told Mr Cooney that a large number of videos were sent – this time involving children between 10 and 14 years old, again engaged in sexual activity. The court heard extracts from conversations between various people and Dos Santos including him stating that he had more and they could be sent on later. Dos Santos also used a chat application for chat and file sharing. The court heard more extracts from conversations Dos Santos had on this app. The conversations included chat about 'what are you into?' and what 'kind of stuff' they could get and share before further videos of child abuse material was shared. Advertisement Judge Orla Crowe considered documentation before the court, including refences on behalf of Dos Santos and acceded to a request from defending counsel, Dara Foynes SC, to adjourn the case to allow for the preparation of a report from a psychologist. The judge revoked Dos Santos bail and remanded him in custody until December 1, 2025 for sentence. Det Gda Mannix agreed with Ms Foynes that no one else who conversed with Dos Santos in these apps has been prosecuted. He further agreed that her client was easily identifiable in that he sent a photograph of himself and mentioned where he lived. It was accepted that no person engaging with Dos Santos shared such information. Advertisement Det Gda Mannix agreed that this was a sub culture – on the 'margins of what is deemed normal society'. It was further accepted that at one point during his interview, Dos Santos suggested to gardaí that he was accessing this material because he was 'acting in the capacity of a vigilante'. It was acknowledged that he was 'teetering on the brink of serious self harm' and that he has not come to any adverse garda attention since. Ms Foynes submitted that a report from a psychologist would be of assistance to the court in sentencing her client. She acknowledged that it was 'a very shocking offence' that has 'weighed very heavily on my client', counsel said, before adding that Dos Santos had blocked his ears during some of the evidence in court, such was the level of his shame and remorse. Ms Foynes said it was an offence that is 'very difficult to comprehend' adding that the sharing of such material in this sub-culture is 'heinous'. She said Dos Santos has been in Ireland for 16 years and financially supports his mother.
Daily Mail
12-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Inside the paedophile vigilante sting which triggered a 'medieval' riot on a Hampshire council estate that saw fences torched and missiles hurled at riot police
'It was like medieval times' says Richard Brixley as he fixes up his Harley Davidson Ultra Classic on his front drive, 'someone had a flaming fence panel, they were blocking the road up at each end with riot vans, my partner was in the house terrified'. The events the biker is describing unfolded last week on the Leigh Park housing estate in Havant, just outside Portsmouth in Hampshire. Hours earlier, a vigilante 'paedo hunter' group known as Protecting Pompeys Innocent had begun a Facebook live stream confronting a man they accused of talking to a girl online he believed was 14-years-old. That 'girl' was in fact a decoy from a group called the Child Online Safety Team. After the man allegedly sent a series of sickening messages to the 'girl', a group were sent in to confront him. As news spread of the sting, hundreds of protesters, some allegedly travelling from miles away, swarmed onto Leigh Park - what happened next on the quiet estate once dubbed the largest council estate in Europe was shocking. As police battled to keep the peace, parents jeered and cheered as their own children threw missiles at officers and tore down fences. One resident recalled how terrifying it was: 'It was like a proper riot, quite scary, all the shouting, there were kids pulling a fence down and their parents egging 'em on. 'I understand people wanting to watch but don't bring your children!' By the end of the evening a full-scale riot had left an 80-year-old blind man in hospital having allegedly had a brick thrown at him through a glass window, a house had been smashed up, fence panels ripped off, a dispersal order placed on the area and a man arrested on suspicion of engaging in sexual communication with a child. Lee Comley, 38, of Middle Park Way, was later charged with arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. He appeared at Portsmouth Magistrates Court last week where he was remanded in custody. He will appear at Portsmouth Crown Court on 4th August. In the wake of the chaos, residents have spoken to MailOnline about the violence and the 21st century phenomena of online vigilante paedophile hunters taking the law into their own hands. 'I used to see him every night out walking his dog, he kept himself to himself', one lady, who did not want to be named, told MailOnline. She was at home scrolling through Facebook that night when she saw a live stream of a paedo hunter sting gathering thousands of views. To her horror, it was her neighbour a few doors down. The sting team had called in the police to arrest their suspect at around 7.38pm. But as anger grew online, crowds began arriving onto Middle Park Way - officers were quickly met with a large and increasingly angry mob. As chants of 'paedo, paedo' were screamed by the mob, missiles were hurled at police as the epicentre of the riot focused on a house on the green at the junction of Locksheath Close and Middle Park Way. Richard Brixley explained: 'I heard people were travelling from Paulsgrove in Portsmouth to take part in the riot, you couldn't park on this road, they were going down the back of the houses to get to the guy's house, they were ripping my fence panels for stuff to throw at police.' With the situation turning violent and dangerous, Hampshire Constabulary were forced to deploy dozens of riot police brandishing shields who stormed the estate to hold back the crowds which by then numbered at least '1,000' people, mainly in the '18-25 age group', as one woman claimed. PJ, who has lived on Leigh Park his whole life, had been in his flat watching the movie 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire' when he went outside to watch the chaos unfold from his doorstep. 'I've never seen it like this', the 33-year-old said, adding: 'There was riot police out here, there were kids shouting 'nonce, nonce', there were people all over the field.' Video shows how rioters hurled bricks, fence panels and anything they could find at police as officers smashed back the crowds to try and bring the carnage under control. The alleged property of the suspect, which had multiple flats in, had had its door smashed in and windows pelted with bricks. Rioters were seen trying to start fires while a man brandished a flaming torch fashioned from a fence panel. Amid the chaos, a blind 80-year-old man was struck by a flying brick and rushed to hospital, kids as young as 'twelve' were spotted taking part in the anarchy. 'They were just chucking things at the police, it was the kids, they were just out to cause trouble, there was literally thousands' says one homeowner who lives across the road from where the violence unfolded. Innocent residents were unsurprisingly caught in the crossfire. 'They was chucking boulders at mum's greenhouse' says Toni, who lives just off the green, 'they were hurling anything at the man's front door'. She added: 'Mum was absolutely terrified, you couldn't see the grass through people, the riot police with their shields.' While many locals told MailOnline they understood the anger - the violence was totally out of order. 'I understand the cause. As much as I appreciate the severity of the situation it seemed to do more damage and stress to the people that live here', said Richard Brixley. He added: 'It was quite a traumatic experience for the kids who live here, there were kids being brought to a riot.' Toni agreed, adding: 'What I don't understand is that the guy was accused of being a predator but people were bringing their kids up here? Kids were shouting nonce. 'Why take children to get out a paedophile!? Morals, yes, brains, zero!' While another mum said: 'I have three kids and kept them inside, anyone who brought their kids is vile.' The riot was brought to an end shortly after 10pm. So-called paedophile hunter groups operate without official endorsement from the police, they are run by volunteers. The activity first rose to prominence following the release of the 2014 Channel 4 documentary 'The Paedophile Hunter' which followed a British vigilante called Stinson Hunter. Mr Hunter, who worked alongside a team based out of Nuneaton in the West Midlands, would snare paedophiles online while posing as underage children. The group would organise a meetup with a suspect where they would film the encounter and post it on Facebook. They achieved dozens of convictions. But the work has courted controversy in recent years following the suicides of several men accused by vigilante groups of being child predators. Dad-of-four Adrian Smith, 48, died in February just hours after being accused by an online group of sending sexually explicit messages to someone he was said to believe was a 14-year-old girl. He was released on bail by Avon and Somerset Police but later found dead after throwing himself off a bridge onto the M4 motorway. FUSE UK, the hunter group behind Mr Smith's sting, took the video down after hearing of his death to 'allow his family to grieve' but did not apologise. Despite the controversy surrounding some of vigilante groups' work, data reveals the number of convictions thanks to evidence provided by these groups have skyrocketed. In a statement, Protecting Pompeys Innocent condemned Tuesday night's violence at Leigh Park, saying it puts their work in jeopardy. They explained: 'We do not condone in anyway whatsoever violence or disorder. People who cause such issues when stings happen risk the police and government trying to shut groups down. 'If you see a sting taking place feel free to watch etc but it's come to my attention people throwing bricks towards the pred and they've ended up hitting police etc.' Chief Inspector of Havant and East Hampshire districts, Alex Charge, said Tuesday's violence was 'completely unacceptable'. He said: 'As a police service we are committed to protecting vulnerable people – that includes children, and we know that the community feel very passionately about this also. 'Disorder as was seen last night will not be tolerated – it can cause real fear for residents, damage property and seriously impede our police officers who are working really hard to carry out their duties, make arrests and keep people safe. 'Officers attended quickly and robustly last night but were confronted by a group of people acting aggressively, including some who were throwing objects at police. 'This is completely unacceptable and puts our officers at risk of harm when they are there to protect you – our community. 'Our investigation into the report of sexual communication with a child remains ongoing and we have a man in custody. In addition to this, any further offences identified linked to last night's disorder will be investigated and dealt with appropriately.'
