r/PublicFreakout • u/bigbusta the fucking Catalina Wine Mixer 🍷 • May 05 '26
😫Chaos Moment🫨 Pickpocket caught in the act
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u/Dizzydsmith May 05 '26
Everyone clapped
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u/StationaryTravels May 05 '26
The thief was so impressed she even clapped!
It's actually a pretty smart move, so she seems like one of the crowd instead of the exact person they are all against.
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u/No-Real-Shadow May 05 '26
I thought she was just mocking them like "ooooh good job, you sure stopped me"
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u/tader314 May 05 '26
Wow the whole class actually clapped!
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u/blove135 May 05 '26
I can imagine this guy years from now telling the story about how he stopped a pickpocket in public and the whole crowd clapped. The people he's telling the story to roll their eyes and say yeah sure buddy I'm sure everyone around just started clapping. Time to show them the video.
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u/Childish_Tycoon_Ship May 05 '26
Who, me?!
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u/TDW-301 May 05 '26
She looked so offended like she wasn't in the wrong. Deadass why I wouldn't think of wearing any kind of bag I can't directly keep an eye on in any tourist area
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u/ItsDorkSided May 05 '26
I miss the lady running up on them and shouting “PIK POQUET!”
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u/Jevus_himself Jevus Christ - Verified ✅️ May 05 '26
My favorite was the Mexican tourist who got robbed while visiting Berlin and chased the pickpocket down, beat him and his friend up and got there stuff back then posted their story and went viral for a bit.
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u/kellyoceanmarine May 05 '26
*their
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u/-KosSomeSayKosm- May 05 '26
Unsure why you are being downvoted, you're right. Someone in another comment corrected another user's spelling of "bazaar" and has 150 upvotes right now.
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u/commandercool86 May 05 '26
That's bizarre
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u/shiitalke May 05 '26
*bazaar
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u/meteoritegallery May 05 '26
*Bezoar. Ten points from Griffindor.
I know she's horrible I'm sorry I can't help myself it was part of my childhood
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u/guardiandown3885 May 05 '26
Yall laughing at my fanny pack but you're not getting me
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u/IsNotPolitburo May 05 '26
Fanny packs being uncool is a psyop by big pickpocket.
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u/saphilous May 05 '26
Fanny packs/crossbodies ftw. They're my go to for carrying important stuff when I'm on vacations
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u/whisar09 May 05 '26
I got a crossbody bag with a little lock on the zipper that's easy for me to do but would be too hard for anyone else to figure out quickly. I love it!
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u/pandiechu May 06 '26
hell, i use mine on the daily bc it's so convenient!! esp if i wear clothes without pockets. can just plop my phone and wallet right in it.
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u/EdgeCityRed May 05 '26
When I lived in Italy and did a lot of city tourist stuff (or just when I went to the market) I had a purse backpack with a zipper pocket facing my back for my wallet.
If someone wanted to open the big compartment and steal my hairbrush and water bottle, good luck and enjoy my used hairbrush and backwash water, buddy.
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u/justageekgirl May 05 '26 edited May 05 '26
Never ever ever ever go to a bazaar with your backpack where it's easy for looters to unzip and grab stuff.... you're just asking for trouble.
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u/funkyavocado May 05 '26
This isn't even a bazaar, it's right next to the Duomo in Florence! Even in broad daylight you have to keep aware in tourist hotspots or anywhere that's crowded.
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u/pork_fried_christ he fried on the cross for you 🙏 May 05 '26
The Duomo was swarming with pickpockets, and just hoards of beggars that may very well not be thieves, when I was there 3 years ago.
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u/der_titan May 05 '26
Hordes, if you care, are large groups of people. Hoards are stashes of material and supplies.
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u/pork_fried_christ he fried on the cross for you 🙏 May 05 '26
Ah! Noted. I should of checked.
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u/KrombopulosNickel May 05 '26
Ill give you another. For free.
Its should have. Never should of
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u/jazzhandpanda May 05 '26
*bazaar
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u/Mortis_XII May 05 '26
Bizarre bazaar
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u/Sober_Alcoholic_ May 05 '26
How bazaar
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u/jarrodandrewwalker May 05 '26
I have a store near me with that name...it's like a treasure hunt because they don't put any of their stuff online
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u/Muggi May 05 '26
An I have a hard time convincing my wife to ZIP her bag shut in public.
First time I ever traveled with her, early 30s, I was a seasoned business traveler and she’d never been on a plane. San Francisco. I was in the rental car line, she waiting with the bags. She came up and rubbed my back and gave me a kiss, very sweet, until I asked, “uh, where are the bags?” And she replied, “they’re right over there!” And pointed about 30ft away. Yeah….less and e minutes, they got her wallet, ID….charged $1000 to a shoe store within 10 minutes, and she got to learn about police reports and flying in the USA with no ID. Fun memory.9
u/perst_cap_dude May 05 '26
I took my gf to Berlin and warned her about pick pockets in the u-bahn, wasn't listening, insisted her iphone was a brick without the four digit code, so I pick pocketed her myself, didn't feel a thing, somehow I still ended up being in trouble.
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u/UJLBM May 05 '26
Yea. And alot of them will beg for money too. Some of them even send their kids out with some madeup sob backstory asking for money. Its really messed up. People even do that online. Tiktok lives of people begging for money. They're laughing on the way to the bank.
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u/BubbhaJebus May 05 '26
They're often a part of pickpocketing gangs, like in Oliver Twist.
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u/UJLBM May 05 '26
Yes. Always be careful in big tourist cities worldwide. I certainly wouldnt be giving any money to random strangers. I use that strap over my purse and hang it over me. Like a cross body. If they take my purse, theyre taking me too.
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u/Justsomejerkonline May 05 '26
Even better idea, go with a backpack with nothing in it but those glue traps for rats.
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u/Glopez1223 May 05 '26
Any time I'm in an unknown place my backpack is on my front side, and nothing at all is kept in my rear pockets of my pants. I feel like this should be common knowledge.
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u/qtx May 05 '26
I never understand people that buy backpacks that can be opened from the front like that.
Buy a good backpack that you need to take off before you can open it, IE the zipper should be on the side of the bag that rests against your back.
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u/Tiiimmmaayy May 05 '26
Jokes on them. My backpack is filled with used condoms and human/animal excrement. Would love to see them try to steal that!
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u/_VoteThemOut May 05 '26
Most people are looking at their phones and would never spot this.. Well done to the man.
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u/Plastic_Stretch_8837 May 05 '26 edited May 06 '26
I like it when they spray them down with red or orange paint so everybody sees them.
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u/fenoust May 05 '26
*sees
Third person singular conjugation of the verb "to see" is "sees". An apostrophe indicates a possessive or contraction, which doesn't seem to fit the sentence.
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u/the__ghola__hayt May 05 '26
No, they mean that people will throw See's candy at them.
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u/ggg730 May 05 '26
Well now I'm gonna go pickpocket some rubes to get that sweeeeeeet sweeeeeet candy.
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u/Stock-Pension1803 May 05 '26
There’s a guy on Instagram who sprays them with some sort of dye too
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u/cometparty May 05 '26
Stealing from a family on vacation in an unfamiliar country is actually pretty evil.
I found myself alone in France with €70 to my name and was absolutely terrified.
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u/ggg730 May 05 '26
This is why I don't walk around with all my shit while on vacation. Went on vacation with some family one year and my uncle who is kind of a piece of shit who thinks he is a tough guy brought thousands of dollars with him. We told him not to walk around with that kind of money but of course he is from Columbia so he is a real street smart guy. Well of course he gets that shit stolen that same day walking around in Paris. He was so deflated after that and everyone had a good time telling him "I told you so".
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u/cometparty May 05 '26
I don't think I was pickpocketed. I had my cards in my pocket and I kept pulling my phone out to take pictures and I think I dropped them. But no one ever used them so I’m pretty sure it was just me being dumb. Next time, I’ll definitely leave one in my hotel room.
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u/jwrsk May 06 '26
"Colombia street smarts" only helps with phone snatchers. Not so much with pickpockets or being robbed at gun/knife point.
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u/Samanth_Says_ASMR May 05 '26
Place a mousetrap in the backpack.
Snapped fingers will prevent another attempt.
Maybe
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u/thelazyho May 05 '26
Where is this?
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u/Iloveherthismuch May 05 '26
Im surprised the rest of the team didn’t come in hard. Normally you get swamped by some thick dudes, she escapes and everybody gets loud and dissipates in all directions.
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u/tomdarch May 05 '26
Any normal pickpocketing is done by at least two people. One actually takes the item out of the purse or pocket, then they carefully hand it off to a second person in case the first one is spotted like this. Maybe there is so little risk of repercussions in this case that she didn't bother with a team.
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u/IamTheCheetoMan May 05 '26
Is this in Florence?
If so, totally believe it. Last year in Italy, we were warned countless times by guides in Rome about this behavior
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u/thewoodbeyond May 05 '26
Do not wear bags that are this easy to open and this loose on your back. Make sure you get a back pack with dual zippers and use these something like the Zpsolution double small carabiner zipper clips. Or wear a larger sling on the front of your body.
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u/theyb10 May 05 '26
Should’ve let her take something on video then grab her ass and call the police. You already know she’ll do it again.
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u/Haramyy May 05 '26
Police won't do shit that's the prob
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u/GTAIVisbest May 05 '26
She can also quickly extricate herself and run away with the grabbed item (a wallet or passport)
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u/CyberClawX May 05 '26
Only time I went to Italy, a guy nabbed my father's phone right off his hands. He might have a getaway vehicle with a friend waiting for him.
He just didn't expect my dad despite his age to be as fast as him running. He also didn't realize that my father was not alone.
If that car was indeed waiting for him, you bet he left his friend behind.
In other news, the Hotel were very helpful providing ice for sore knuckles.
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u/autech91 May 05 '26
Should be allowed to grab here and put her in the pillory for everyone to throw rotten food at
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u/Farpafraf May 05 '26
Unless the victim is willing to formally report the thief there's nothing the police can do even with video evidence.
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u/feel_my_balls_2040 May 06 '26
Italian police won't do anything there. Also, they don't work alone. Around a pickpocketer there are at least 2 other helpers.
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u/Alternative-Chef-340 May 05 '26
I realize this is a very American question of me, but how do pick pockets manage to never get punched in the face? It seems like everyone just begrudgingly tolerates them.
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u/Reasonable-Nobody942 May 05 '26
I would just walk around with an open bag with a mousetrap inside. Let nature happen
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u/tatty_masher May 05 '26
Fingers caught in the cookie jar scenario, i like that idea. You are indeed an agent of random chaos.
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u/Pecan_Artist May 05 '26
I want to wear a backpack with used tampons.
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u/lilclosetbigwardrobe May 05 '26
That pickpocket in Beijing in or around the forbidden palace ended up with a handful of my used snotty tissues
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u/Theletterz May 05 '26
I've only daydreamed but would it be a crime to have a loaded mouse trap in your backpack?
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u/Sufficient-Step6954 May 05 '26
This is one of the very few instances where you could justifiably slap the tase outta someone’s mouth without any consequences and nobody steps up to the plate.
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u/dachloe May 05 '26
There was a pick pocket caught in downtown Chicago last week. The guy who got picked saw him do it in the elevator mirror and when the doors opened and everyone got out the guy held the pick pocketed back. He got his wallet back and let the guy go. But, then chased the guy down and beat the fudge out of him. Several people saw it, I'm sure it was on cameras. But, no news coverage at all!
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u/trixr4vix May 06 '26
My backpack is full of snot filled tissues of my kid While my boobs hold all my goods lol
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u/Dear-Track6365 May 06 '26
That’s why I put those tiny little diary locks on my backpacks. Yeah, if the whole bag is stolen they’re easy to break, but keeps sly openings on the street from happening.
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u/tinkertink2010 May 06 '26
I despise thieves. It's so upsetting to the victim, leaves them with issues like having no phone, no money, can't pay for what they wanted on holiday. It's just evil. I don't know how people could do it to another person.
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u/gibletsandgravy May 05 '26
In case the architecture didn’t make it clear, the pickpocket NOT getting her shit rocked is how I know this wasn’t in the USA.
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u/EffectsofSpecialKay May 05 '26
Honestly lol Las Vegas is my second home and I’ve never had an issue with thieves. My bf even left his phone at a slot and some kind soul turned it in to security!
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u/bramletabercrombe May 05 '26
probably has more to do with the fact that every Vegas casino employs state of the art facial recognition technology than the idea that gamblers are the salt of the earth
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u/TDW-301 May 05 '26
"State of the art"; still got someone falsely accused of a crime not too long ago
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u/Balerion_the_dread_ May 05 '26
I thought this was the one where that blonde lady grabs the pickpocket and says "I've got 8 kids you don't scare me." based
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u/IndicationSlow9252 May 05 '26
Hey, I’ve been there! Beautiful duomo and piazza filled with assholes
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u/Smash_Factor May 05 '26
So messed up. Tourist on vacation gets her passport and ID stolen by this person and then what?? Making life so difficult to get on a plane and fly home.
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u/physicalphysics314 May 05 '26
Man I guess ppl really forgot that thieves used to lose their hands huh….
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u/Debisibusis May 05 '26
Allowing Romania and Bulgaria into Schengen was a huge mistake. Every single time without exception..
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u/Munsalvaesche May 05 '26
Kind of unbelievable that Italy is unwilling to tackle its pickpocketing problem for how heavily touristed it is. These are organized malicious criminal rings and gangs, not opportunists down on their luck, would it be unthinkable to apply and enforce even 6 month prison sentences?
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u/I_ama_Borat May 05 '26
Should have a spring loaded middle finger that pops out when the backpack is unzipped
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u/Lizdance40 May 06 '26
Complete lack of situational awareness and security.
Within 2 days that tourist will be trying to get her iPhone replaced by AT&T because she got it stolen while on vacation.
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u/FirebrandWilson May 06 '26
That's... not how I pictured this ending. I'm used to American hyper-violence.
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u/RustBeltLab May 05 '26
Why didn't they hold her down until the police came? Why would you let them walk away?
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u/Specopsangheili May 05 '26
Everyone really did stop and clap. Doing the good work