A pleasure trip to Florence turned into a nightmare for two French tourists on the evening of August 18th when they were assaulted and robbed in the city center by a gang of minors armed with pepper spray and broken bottles. Carabinieri have arrested three 16-year-olds in connection with the attack; two hold Italian citizenship and one is a Romanian citizen. The youths are also under investigation for three other street muggings committed in the city the previous night.
According to reports, the three suspects attacked the French tourists, using pepper spray and striking one victim with a broken bottle to steal a mobile phone. The tourist sustained a bleeding injury before the assailants fled with their loot. The victims reported the robbery to the Carabinieri, who immediately launched an investigation.
Reviewing urban security camera footage, a patrol unit identified and located the minors. A search was conducted, leading to the discovery of the recently stolen mobile phone, which was stained with blood. Also found in a case was an ID document belonging to the phone’s owner, along with a knife, a pepper spray canister, and €215 in cash.
Based on the investigation, the minors are believed to be responsible for three other muggings committed in the historic center the previous night, having evidently managed to evade public surveillance on each occasion. By order of the juvenile court, they have been transferred to a juvenile penitentiary institute.