The young man, who was returning to his accommodation to complete the payment of a bill, was intercepted in complete darkness and ended up without his mobile phone.
MADRID, Spain.-A Mexican tourist identified as Carlos was the victim of an attempted assault and subsequent robbery on Wednesday night in Old Havana, in the middle of a blackout that left the streets of the historic center completely dark, a reporter from CubaNetdirect witness of the event.
Carlos, a young man who had traveled to the Cuban capital to spend a few days sightseeing, was staying with his girlfriend in a house located in Obra Pía, between Oficios and Mercaderes, on the third floor. Both were dining at the La Vitrola restaurant when, when paying, they realized that they did not have the correct currency to make the payment.
The tourist explained to the restaurant staff that he had to return to his accommodation to get the money. The workers recommended that he not go out due to the blackout that affected the area and the total darkness in the streets at that time. Despite the warning, the young man decided to go to his accommodation.
On the way he suffered a first assault attempt. According to the reporter, who was at the scene and assisted the foreigner, Carlos had to run to escape and ended up hitting his leg in the middle of the escape.
Then several young people approached, pretending to want to help him. However, taking advantage of the confusion, they stole his mobile phone.
The video recorded by the reporter and sent to CubaNetshows the area in complete darkness. The images confirm that the street was practically unlit, with the only light coming from some homes or mobile devices. In the frames, figures of people can be seen moving among the trees and dark areas, which coincides with the context described by the reporter about the vulnerability of the tourist then.
So far it is not known if the authorities have taken a statement from the tourist or if an investigation has been initiated into the events.
