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Yoe Labrada reported this Wednesday in the Facebook group Revolico Tunas.Buenas Vista Jose that he was the victim of an armed robbery in the heart of Las Tunas, where a man armed with a knife snatched his motorbike while threatening to stab him.
The robbery occurred around 1:00 pm, at the back of Jesús Argüelles Street with José Mastrapa Street, during daytime and in a busy area of the provincial capital.
"Today I was attacked in the back area of Jesús Argüelles on José Mastrapa street, at 1 p.m. broad daylight. The thug pulled out a knife and forced me to let go of my bike; if I hadn’t, he would have stabbed me," wrote Labrada in his post.
According to the victim, the attacker used a ruse to get close: "He pretended to be from Manatí looking to buy a bike," a tactic that allowed him to gain trust before drawing the weapon.
Labrada described the assailant as a medium-height man, of mixed race, who was wearing a black hooded coat and carrying a caramel-colored handbag.
The stolen bike is a metallic blue electric bicycle, brand KUKI/BWAY, which appeared to be practically new —the seat still had the protective plastic from the factory— and featured circular rearview mirrors, a front wire basket, and disc brakes.
The victim claimed to have seen the face of the attacker clearly: "I saw his face well; if I see him, I will recognize him anywhere," she asserted, and offered a reward for anyone who provides information about the whereabouts of the vehicle or the responsible party.
Labrada also alerted the community about the reach of the criminal group: "Be careful of these freeloaders who don’t work and are out stealing; it's two or three who are doing this."
The case adds to a documented rise in armed robberies that are causing alarm in Las Tunas, a province that is among the most affected by crime in Cuba.
According to the Cuban Citizen Audit Observatory (OCAC), in the first half of 2025, the province reported 101 cases of theft, making it the second most affected in the country, only behind Matanzas.
In 2024, criminal activities in Las Tunas exceeded those of the previous year by 1%, with the capital accounting for 40% of the provincial crimes.
The pattern of the robbery reported by Labrada—use of a knife, prior deception by posing as a buyer, and acting in a group—matches similar cases recorded in other provinces, such as the attack on a young motorcyclist in Las Tunas in May 2025, ambushed with stones and chased with a knife to steal his motorcycle, or the murder of a Cuban in Havana who was killed to steal his electric motorcycle in January 2024.
In response to the perceived inaction of the authorities, victims systematically turn to social media to report and alert their communities, a practice that has become common throughout the island since electric motorcycle owners began to organize to report thefts and assaults in late 2021.
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