QUEENS, NY — A thief picked the wrong target when he tried to swipe a phone from a jiu-jitsu-practicing lawyer at a Taco Bell on Junction Blvd. The incident, captured on security cameras, shows 28-year-old Kyle defending himself with his martial arts skills.

 

Kyle was enjoying a cheese quesadilla when the would-be thief made his move. The criminal, unaware that Kyle held a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, attempted to steal his phone.

 

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Footage from Taco Bell’s security camera reveals Kyle immediately grabbing the thief's head and pushing him to the ground. "He wanted my phone. He had come up behind me and was asking me for money or something. I told him no, and then he came back and lunged for my phone," Kyle explained in a Reddit post.

 

The altercation occurred while Kyle was seated at a counter near the door. The thief, with one hand on Kyle’s phone and another on the door handle, tried to make a quick getaway. But Kyle, reacting quickly, scooted out of his chair, wrapped his arm around the thief, and brought him to the ground. He then retrieved his phone from the floor.

 

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The defeated thief got up and fled the restaurant, with Kyle keeping a watchful eye on him. "He was saying, 'I’m good, I’m good.' I figured that he just wanted my phone and wasn’t willing to fight anymore, so I let him go," Kyle recounted.

 

Reflecting on the incident, Kyle mentioned, "The cops never came, so if I held him there, then I’d probably still be there. I’m a purple belt, I started in January 2018. What was going through my mind was probably thinking 'oh s**t, I need to take this guy down,' and then realizing I could have been stabbed."

 

The attempted theft is just one of many crimes in the area, as New York City Police crime data reveals a significant increase in robbery, felony assault, and larceny in the precinct where the Taco Bell is located. Robbery is up 42.2 percent year-to-date, felony assault has increased by 30.2 percent, grand larceny has risen 6.7 percent, and petit larceny has climbed 10.8 percent in the 115th precinct.

 

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