BEIRUT: The plague of two-wheeled crime claimed the life of a man in Burj Hammoud on Thursday, when a shootout broke out between two thieves and a would-be crime-fighter. The incident took place when two men on motorcycles snatched the purse of a woman identified as Gretta George Abu Sleiman, according to security sources.
When Abu Sleiman screamed for help and pointed in the direction of the thieves, an unidentified man who was present at the scene rushed to intervene, firing at the suspected thieves.
Eighty-year-old Shakib Salim Eid had the misfortune of driving by as the gun battle erupted, and was fatally wounded in the exchange of fire.
Internal Security Forces personnel cordoned off the scene of the crime and launched investigations into the incident, which saw the three presumed shooters – the two criminals and the bystander – escape.
Eid was the father of National Liberal Party (NLP) member Samir Eid and the incident was quickly condemned by the party, which issued a statement saying the number of armed robbery incidents has been on the increase lately.
It added that the crimes have been occurring in broad daylight and that innocent people have been falling victim to such incidents despite “promised security measures.”
A similar accidental death occurred in Lebanon in October when a man was killed by mistake as he was passing through the streets of Ain al-Remmaneh, where a clash had broken out between men on motorcycles. A ban on motorcycles was later enforced by Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud in the aim of strengthening security measures and preventing similar incidents from happening again.
Earlier in the week, the ISF honored three individuals for intervening in similar attempted robberies, leading to the apprehension of the would-be thieves.
Meanwhile, security sources said Thursday that two thieves mounted on a motorcycle had been apprehended the day before in the Beirut neighborhood of Tariq al-Jadideh, thanks again to a citizen’s involvement.
They said a man noticed the two thieves on a motorcycle without a license plate trying to steal a motorbike at 1 p.m in the neighborhood.
He immediately followed the two men and was able to stop them with the help of a number of locals.
The man then informed security forces of the situation and a patrol was deployed to arrest the two suspects.
Ongoing investigations have revealed that one of the robbers was armed with a switchblade. – The Daily Star
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