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A young man was detained, beaten, and tied to a tree by residents of reparto Sueño in Santiago de Cuba this Sunday after being identified as a suspect in several mobile phone thefts in the area over the past few weeks.
According to images and testimonies disseminated by the social communicator Yosmany Mayeta, the man was chased by residents of the neighborhood to the park located between A and B streets, between 7th and 8th avenues, near the Cardiocentro and the Provincial Hospital, where he was captured.
Eyewitnesses reported that the young man "received a severe beating from an enraged crowd" and was left "almost unconscious," even tied up by the neck while waiting for the authorities to arrive.
At the time of the report, the National Police had not yet arrived at the scene, and the identity of the young man and his health status following the incident were officially unknown.
The episode is not isolated in Santiago de Cuba. In October 2025, residents of the city nearly lynched a thief, and in February 2026 another similar case was reported in the same city, where residents detained an alleged thief amid public outrage.
This Sunday, another thief captured in Santiago de Cuba expressed remorse to the neighbors who apprehended him.
The Sueño neighborhood has a direct history of insecurity: in March 2025, the police captured armed assailants after a series of violent robberies in that same area, where there were reports of threats involving knives and theft of phones, wallets, bicycles, and chains.
The practice of vigilante justice has spread to other provinces: in May 2026, a suspected thief was tied up by neighbors in Camagüey after attempting to break into a home.
The figures from the Cuban Citizen Audit Observatory confirm the seriousness of the situation: in 2025, there were 2,833 criminal incidents documented in Cuba, an increase of 115% compared to 2024 and 336% compared to 2023, with theft being the most common crime, accounting for 1,536 cases.
Santiago de Cuba was the fourth most affected province, with 323 crimes recorded that year, reflecting a security crisis that the State has been unable to contain.
Mayeta warned that the scene "also brings to light the dangers of vigilante justice, a practice that can ultimately lead to fatal consequences," while the residents of the Sueño neighborhood "claim to be tired of impunity and the lack of responses to issues of public safety."
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