Moment 'pickpocket' is pinned down by furious tourists who accused him of stealing a wallet at Venice's ancient Rialto bridge

Published: 15:33, 21 July 2026 | Updated: 15:52, 21 July 2026 This is the moment a 'pickpocket' was pinned down to the ground by furious tourists who rallied together to stop him. The suspected thief allegedly stole a wallet from an East Asian group on Thursday near the famous Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy.  Shocking video footage shows two men with the help of other tourists holding down the suspect from either side and restraining him on the ground. They then turned him over and pinned him to the floor, holding his arms behind his back as one of the dozens of shouting tourists crowding him searched his pockets before police arrived. The man has reportedly been well-known in the area for years as a pickpocket and has been reported several times. City councilor and anti pickpocket activist Monica Poli stumbled across the commotion and lifted him from the floor after he asked for help. She said in the clip: 'We know him, we call the police,' while the men holding him down said one of their wallets was in his bag. Following the dramatic incident, Ms Poli told Corriere: 'I was nearby, and hearing screams, I rushed over, thinking something had happened. This is the moment a 'pickpocket' was pinned down in the street by furious tourists who rallied together to stop him 'As I approached, I saw the pickpocket, who has been reported numerous times for assault, battery, and indecent exposure. 'He was lying motionless on the ground, held down and pinned down by the group of tourists, who implied they held the citizen responsible.' She added: 'The tourists were telling me they'd been robbed. It wasn't easy to communicate with them, probably Koreans, since they didn't understand English very well.  'My regret is thinking about how many times I reported that man. I have a newspaper article from ten years ago. 'At the time, he was one of the suspects in a prosecutor's investigation, today I find him in Rialto, it's as if nothing has changed.'  The suspect was taken in by police, but the wallet was never found.