In Naples, movie scenes, a thief chased by riders

(ANSA) – NAPLES, APRIL 28 – Those who saw them speeding, struggling with their motorbikes through the narrow alleys of the city, thought they were filming a scene from a film. Perhaps, given the work clothes of some of the protagonists, a Neapolitan version remake of the hilarious chase in ‘La tatassa’ by Ficarra and Picone. Instead, the fugitive and his pursuers weren’t pretending. Maybe they thought in their hearts they were playing the part of the good guys or the bad guys. After all, what would you have thought if you saw a man fleeing with a car, then behind a gentleman whose car had been stolen, on top of a motorbike escorted by a group of six or seven riders in work clothes? With the epilogue of the arrival of a Carabinieri patrol? Basically, what distinguished it from a movie scene was only the absence of cameras and a few too many bruises. It all started in Piazza Garibaldi, right in front of Naples Central Station, with a 37-year-old Neapolitan ‘lead actor’. It was he who stole a car on the street, started driving and fled. Not before trying to run over the owner. At that point the unthinkable happens. A small fleet of riders on scooters witnesses the scene and signals the victim to get on the saddle. The chase begins. During the race through the crowded streets of the centre, thanks to the riders’ ability to maneuver in the narrowest alleys, the owner of the recently stolen car dials 112 without ever losing sight of the fugitive who does not give up and rams several cars along the way . The turning point is in Via della Veterinaria: due to his high speed he hits a 25-year-old motorcyclist, throwing him violently to the ground. He leaves the young man on the asphalt and the car on the street with the doors wide open. He desperately flees on foot. The Carabinieri of the Naples mobile radio unit identify him and stop him as he is now in trouble as he is running. In handcuffs, he will have to answer for improper robbery, personal injury and negligence. He is in prison, waiting to tell the judge about his last hours at liberty. The young centaur was admitted to the Villa Betania clinic under yellow code, with no life-threatening danger. For the riders the end of the chase. The owner of the car and they are happy for the good deed done. Perhaps a little fewer customers were waiting and had to eat pizzas, croquettes and arancini that had now cooled. (HANDLE).