Woman sends would-be muggers running
Aziz Hartley
February 23 2005 at 09:21AM
In an impromptu display of her judo skills, a Cape Town woman has sent two would-be thieves running for cover. The woman, who gave her name only as Hilda - she refused to give her surname - was heading down Kloof Street on Sunday evening after returning from a walk on the mountain.
At the steps to the Lifestyle Centre, Hilda, a Norwegian living in the city, was confronted by two men. One of them had approached her from behind and began fiddling in her rucksack. "I saw one guy signalling to his accomplice, who bumped into me.
"When I saw him put his hand into my bag I became mad. He could not answer me when I asked what he was up to. “I grabbed him, hit him and threw him down the stairs. His friend tried to escape, but I got hold of him, too.”
Hilda said the pair of would-be muggers dashed off, but ran into three security guards. “I’m not a black belt, but I’ve done some judo,” Hilda said. “I normally don’t go about throwing people around, but it felt like my personal space was being invaded. I felt empowered afterwards.” Hilda declined to be photographed.
Princeton Security area manager Gareth Collins said the two would-be muggers were handed over to police.
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