Series of aggravated robberies in the center of Florence, a man arrested
Yesterday morning, Thursday 22 December 2022, the Carabinieri arrested a 35-year-old Florentine, already known to the police, in execution of a precautionary custody order in prison issued by the GIP Zampaoli of Florence at the request of PM Solinas of the local Public Prosecutor’s Office. The provision was issued on the basis of the articulated investigative activity conducted by the Carabinieri following a series of robberies that took place in the historic center of Florence in the first ten days of December.
According to what emerged from the investigations, the man would have made himself the author of 7 completed and 3 attempted robberies, to the detriment of as many victims, in via dei Neri, piazza della Repubblica, via de’ Vecchietti, via Alamanni, Lungarno Torrigiani, via Nazionale, via Panzani and piazza Santa Trinitàlet the Army know. “The 35-year-old, approaching on a pretext, under serious threats of physical violence (saying he was armed with a stick, a knife or exhibiting a glass bottle) or sexual violence (in the case of women), would have intimated in several circumstances to the various victims to hand over what was in their possession at that moment, forcing them instead to withdraw from nearby ATMs”.
Particularly, last December 3, in via Alamanni, “ordering him not to scream and not to ask for help from other passers-by under penalty of serious physical violenceit would have forced an Italian man to hand over his jacket, containing cash, personal documents and payment cards, also forcing him to go to a neighbor ATM counter but unable to withdraw money for the escape of the victim”;
On December 5th last year however, “approached a Florentine girl in Lungarno Torrigiani, under threat of violence and telling her to be in possession of a knife and a pistol, he would have forced her to hand over the money in her possession”while “in via Nazionale, approached a Florentine girl, claiming to have a gun, he would have forced her to hand over her smartphone and the money in her possession“. At 05.50, then, “approached in via de Vecchietti a 29-year-old Italian woman who was on her way to work, under threat of a glass bottle, would have forced her to withdraw cash at the nearby ATM; in the circumstance, having seized the money, he would have it lick on the cheekstating that he would do nothing else just because she presented herself as a “good girl”, until the latter wriggled free, managing to escape from him”.
One hour later, “approached a 32-year-old and a 26-year-old Italian woman intent on waiting for work colleagues in Piazza della Repubblica, she allegedly grabbed them by the arm forcefully, threatening them and ordering them to hand over cash, then moving away due to the reaction of two passers-by who intervened in defense of the unfortunate people”. At 07.15, “approached an 18-year-old Italian girl in via de’ Neri, dropped an umbrella on the ground, threatened to kill her if she did not give her all the money she was carrying at that momentbut the girl would have managed to escape him, taking refuge in a nearby commercial establishment”. At 8, “approached a 20-year-old in Piazza della Repubblica, he would have threatened her with a knife, forcing her to hand over the money she had in her wallet at that moment; considered small, the suspect would have dragged her by the arm into an alley, ordering her not to yelling under threat of raping her and inviting her to go together to an ATM to withdraw more moneybut the girl would have managed to free herself and escape”.
Last December 6, continues the Army, “approached at 00.10 a 23-year-old Italian in Piazza Santa Trinità, he allegedly grabbed his hand violently threatening to kill him with weapons he said he possessed, forcing him to hand over cash which at that moment he kept in his wallet”. At 04.30, “approached a 21-year-old Italian in Piazza Madonna Aldobrandini, he allegedly forced him to withdraw cash from a nearby ATM”.
The string of robberies allegedly allowed the man to get in 4 days about 800 euros in cash, payment cards, personal documents, clothes and various smartphones, stealing these goods from the unfortunate passers-by. “The investigative result was made possible by the meticulous analysis of the video surveillance city and the close collaboration established between the judicial authorities, the Carabinieri and the victims”, concludes the Arma. Arrested, the 35-year-old was taken to Sollicciano. The criminal proceedings against him are still pending in the investigation phase and the actual responsibility will be examined during the subsequent trial.