A mob reportedly beat and burned suspected gang members to death in the streets of Port-au-Prince, the capitol of Haiti.
Gruesome videos of the vigilante action appeared on social media and showed the alleged gang members with burning tires around their necks.
The incident began when members of the criminal gangs broke into homes early in the morning on Monday.
“It was 3 am. The gangs invaded us. There was shooting, shooting. This neighborhood is a peaceful area, all the people in the surrounding area are peaceful citizens,” said a local resident to AFP.
Later, the Haitian National Police rounded up several suspected gang members, and the residents saw their opportunity for revenge.
They pulled the suspected gang members and beat them and then burned them to death.
“More than a dozen individuals riding on board this vehicle were unfortunately lynched by members of the population,” said a statement from the Haitian National Police.
A 15-year-old resident told AFP that the residents were ready to attack the gangs again.
“If the gangs come to invade us, we will defend ourselves!” the unnamed resident said. “We had our weapons, we had our machetes! We will take their weapons, we will not run away!”
The brutal incident erupted as Haitians attempt to deal with the chaos that erupted after the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry praised the Haitian National Police for helping restore “order and peace in our cities and neighborhoods.”
Criminal gangs are said to control wide regions of the country that is also dealing with an ongoing humanitarian crisis.
“We don’t ask for a lot. The gang members have invaded the area. We want the police to go ahead and confront them. We’re on our own. We have nothing,” said another resident.
Here’s a local news video about the gruesome incident:
Over a dozen alleged gang members stoned, burned alive in Haiti • FRANCE 24 Englishwww.youtube.com
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