A man was robbed of his gold chain in broad daylight on Monday afternoon while sitting in the yard of his own home — and the entire brazen attack was captured on surveillance camera, with footage quickly spreading across social media and igniting widespread public outrage.
The robbery occurred in the Lower Ottos area when two young men confronted the victim while he was in the yard of his residence. The footage, captured by a surveillance camera, appears to show the two suspects approaching the victim before one of them brandishes what appears to be a knife.
The man is seen struggling with the attackers as he attempts to prevent them from taking the chain from around his neck. Despite his resistance, the suspects managed to snatch the gold chain during the brief confrontation before running from the scene. The entire incident unfolded within seconds.
It remains unclear whether the suspects have been identified or if any arrests have been made.
The footage has struck a nerve across Antigua and Barbuda, with residents expressing shock and anger not just at the robbery itself, but at the audacity with which it was carried out — two men jumping into a private yard and attacking a man in the place he is supposed to be safest. Community members who commented on the video described the incident as emblematic of a growing crisis of brazen criminality that is making people feel unsafe even within the confines of their own homes.
The Lower Ottos robbery is the latest in an alarming cluster of violent and criminal incidents recorded over the past week across Antigua and Barbuda, which has included a murder in Mock Pond, the beating of two foreign sailors on Popeshead Street, a stabbing on St. Mary's Street, a knifepoint robbery of a supermarket owner on Wilkinson's Cross, and the brutal assault of an 11-year-old child in Golden Grove Extension.
Anyone with information that may assist investigators in identifying the suspects is urged to contact the nearest police station or call Crimestoppers anonymously at 800-TIPS (8477).
