vigilante justice

Read the latest news stories and cases of vigilante justice on Newser.com

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Mob Burns Man Alive as Vigilante Justice Prevails in Venezuela

The social fabric is crumbling with the economy

(Newser) - The mob didn't know at first what Roberto Bernal had done, but he was running and that was enough. The AP reports dozens of men loitering on the sidewalk next to a supermarket in Caracas, Venezuela, kicked and punched the 42-year-old until he was bloodied and semi-conscious. After all,...

Guy Carjacked by Thugs, Shot by Bystander

Houston vigilante doesn't bother to hang around: police

(Newser) - Want your fellow Americans armed to the teeth? OK, but consider this: A bystander witnessing a carjacking in Houston Saturday night opened fire and missed the assailants but shot the victim in the head, police say. KHOU reports that a guy was being attacked by two men at a Valero...

Vigilantes Take Mexico Town in Fight With Cartel

Say they're headed for cartel headquarters

(Newser) - More than 100 vigilantes poured into a western Mexico town yesterday, disarming police and battling with alleged cartel members before eventually taking control of the town of Nueva Italia. Upon arrival in Nueva Italia, they were welcomed, the AP reports. But gunfire soon began in the town's center and...

Bogus Mandela Interpreter Helped Burn Two Men Alive

Thamsanga Jantijie describes incident as 'mob justice'

(Newser) - Thamsanqa Jantjie has done things a lot worse than making up sign language —including burning two men alive, one of his relatives and three of his friends tell the AP . We already knew that Jantjie had murder charges on his resume, but now we know the specifics: Apparently Jantjie...

Woman Claims She's Hunting Bus-Driving Rapists

Ciudad Juarez authorities looking for woman who killed 2 drivers

(Newser) - Mexican prosecutors are investigating claims that a woman who killed two bus drivers last week in this northern border city was seeking revenge for alleged sexual abuse of female passengers. A woman wearing a blond wig—or dyed hair—boarded a Ciudad Juarez bus on Wednesday morning, approached the driver,...

Locals Beat Detroit Man Blamed in Teen's Rape

Neighbors say cops too slow; victim, suspect had disabilities

(Newser) - After a teen with Down syndrome was allegedly raped in Detroit, residents felt police were acting too slowly—so they took matters into their own hands. Using a baseball bat, several neighbors pursued and beat a man whom the victim's family and other locals accused of the sexual assault,...

Ex-Cop Executed for 9 Murders
 Ex-Cop Executed for 9 Murders 
Dec 12, 2012 5:53 AM CST

Ex-Cop Executed for 9 Murders

'Death-Row Romeo' went on a 3-month crime spree in 1986

(Newser) - Last-minute appeals weren't enough to save serial killer Manuel Pardo from lethal injection. The cop-turned-killer was executed last night at Florida State Prison for his three-month crime spree in early 1986 during which he robbed and murdered six men and three women, reports NBC News . The Navy vet's...

Egyptian Vigilantes Target, Shame Sex Harassers

Groups seek to protect women, force cops to act

(Newser) - Vigilante groups have sprung up in Egypt to combat the country's chronic sexual harassment problem. Women have long faced catcalls, groping, and assaults on Egypt's streets and police tended to ignore the problem during the years of authoritarian rule, the New York Times reports. The citizens' groups that...

Cops: Couple Killed Daughter's Alleged Pimp

Barry Gilton and Lupe Mercado charged with murder

(Newser) - Just days before a Texas man killed a man who was allegedly molesting his daughter , another set of parents reportedly took the law into their own hands. San Francisco couple Barry Gilton, 38, and Lupe Mercado, 37, are accused of killing the man who was allegedly pimping their 17-year-old daughter....

Trayvon Protesters: Beware 'Indignation Fatigue'

Let's ease up on the hoodies and T-shirts for now: Meghan Daum

(Newser) - Now that the Florida state attorney's office has begun investigating the Trayvon Martin shooting, "it might be a good idea to give the tweeting and the T-shirts and the hoodie meme a rest," writes Meghan Daum in the Los Angeles Times . For starters, it's hypocritical for...

Bronx Vigilante Shoots Man Dead as He Beats Gal Pal

'Why don't you stop?' gunman asked

(Newser) - A Bronx vigilante ordered a man on the street to stop beating his girlfriend—then shot him in the face when the attacker refused to comply. "What are you hitting her for?" the vigilante asked David Williams as he punched the 19-year-old mother of his toddler son. "Why...

Thugs Beat Up Real-Life 'Superhero'
Thugs Beat Up
Real-Life 'Superhero'
Jan 12, 2011 7:00 AM CST

Thugs Beat Up Real-Life 'Superhero'

Life imitates Kick-Ass in Seattle

(Newser) - Self-proclaimed superhero Phoenix Jones could have used some superpowers, or at least some tools from Batman's arsenal, over the weekend. The costumed vigilante, who patrols the streets of Seattle several times a week, had his nose broken and was threatened at gunpoint after he tried to break up a fight,...

UK Court Frees Dad Jailed for Beating Burglar

He brutally struck man who threatened family, causing brain damage

(Newser) - A UK appeals court today freed Munir Hussain, who had been sent to jail for brutally beating a man who had invaded his home and threatened to his family. The Buckinghamshire businessman returned home with his family one evening to find burglars there; they tied him and his family up...

Vigilante Video Divides Mexico
 Vigilante Video Divides Mexico 
MORE VIDEO VIOLENCE
Oct 27, 2009 2:40 AM CDT

Vigilante Video Divides Mexico

Some say alleged teen thieves got what they deserved

(Newser) - A video of five teenage boys being beaten by vigilantes and forced to French-kiss each other has sparked a debate on crime and justice in Mexico. Officials and human rights organizations have reacted with outrage to the abuse of the alleged thieves, but many ordinary Mexicans fed up with soaring...

iPhone App Tracks Sex Offenders
iPhone App Tracks Sex Offenders
Sep 30, 2009 5:00 AM CDT

iPhone App Tracks Sex Offenders

1 million users download program, but info isn't perfect

(Newser) - Concerned parents—or vigilantes—with an iPhone can download a new set of applications that track crime, list fugitives, or even pinpoint the locations of freed sex offenders. Using public records, developers have built programs like Offender Locator, which uses the phone's GPS to identify homes of nearby felons, complete...

Philly Neighbors Beat Man Wanted for Child Rape

11-year-old Philly girl was repeatedly raped after day care

(Newser) - Philadelphia vigilantes attacked a man they suspect raped an 11-year-old girl on Monday, leaving him in critical condition, the Inquirer reports. Police thanked the mob for helping nab Jose Carrasquillo, 26, considered a person of interest because physical evidence links him to the rape site. "I'm glad," ...

E-Vigilantes Punk Scammers, Just for the Fun of It

Baiters delight in wasting crooks' time

(Newser) - Bait scammers are turning predators into prey, Ars Technica reports. “419 scammers” are crooks who demand upfront payment in return for money or services they never provide, but vigilantes are turning the tables by sending them on wild safaris or furtively coaching them into foolish practices—some spending as...

Pakistani Vigilantes Strike at Taliban

Desperate police encourage citizens to take actions

(Newser) - As Pakistan’s overtaxed military and police forces wage a desperate battle against the Taliban, vigilantes are striking back at the militants on their own, the New York Times reports. Last August, citizens in a quiet farming valley hunted down and killed the Taliban fighters who murdered six policemen, lining...

No Charges for Texas Man Who Shot Neighbor's Burglars

Laws covering deadly force under scrutiny

(Newser) - A Texas grand jury’s decision to take no action against Joe Horn, who killed two burglars on his front lawn, has focused attention on the state’s “deadly force” laws, the Houston Chronicle reports. Horn’s life was not in danger until he confronted the thieves fleeing his...

Online Suicide Brings Fury of Neighbors

Parents who harassed teen now getting harassed themselves

(Newser) - The two parents who used MySpace to harass a teenage girl so relentlessly that she committed suicide are now the target of internet vigilantes, the Los Angeles Times reports. When prosecutors could not mount a case, angry neighbors posted the family's address, photos, and phone numbers on blogs. Their workplaces...

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