A suspected thief was set on fire in the ejido of Matamoros, Chiapas, close to the Guatemala border, in an act of mob justice on Monday.
Antonio “N,” 29, was apprehended by around 60 people at his home who beat him, tied him to a tree and set him on fire, saying they would bring him to justice as authorities would let him off without punishment.
Some of the group managed to aid him by stripping him of his flammable clothes and eventually brought water to put the fire out. Hours later he was found near a river with third-degree burns.
The assailants had accused him of stealing more than 10 motorcycles including a violent robbery in a nearby municipality, from which he fled on the vehicle.
A video was uploaded to social media in which Antonio could be heard screaming as he rolled on the ground burning. A voice can be heard shouting “Bring water, bring water,” before the flames were extinguished.
While Antonio was captive, police officers arrived to try to liberate him, but the mob refused to hand him over and pledged that they would do justice without the help of authorities.
With reports from Milenio and La Silla Rota
