Drivers being victims of robberies and cell phone thefts on the small Glicério street, in downtown São Paulo, is something so frequent that it has become part of the routine of the residents of nearby buildings who follow, from the window of their houses, the action of the criminals. One of the neighbors, however, began recording the attacks. The videos have been published on the social network TikTok. The profile already has more than 20 million views, and the goal, according to the creator, is to alert drivers.
The scenes are always similar. Thieves, usually in pairs, walk along the sidewalk looking into cars. They choose a victim and, when traffic stops or the traffic lights stop, they break the vehicle's glass, take the cell phone of drivers and passengers and run against the traffic.
The resident responsible for the profile says that it is always the same people who are lurking around. According to him, once they have chosen the victim, they attack quickly and run away. He asked not to be identified in the article. According to the resident, who has lived there for three years, the problem has gotten much worse since the middle of last year.
According to data from the SSP (Department of Public Security), in the first two months of this year, 105 police reports were registered for thefts that occurred on Glicério Street – practically two per day, according to official data.
Translated by Cassy Dias