In Port-au-Prince, a violent mob attacked and killed 13 suspected gang members on Monday. The mob pulled the individuals from police custody during a traffic stop before beating and burning them with gasoline-soaked tires.
This brutal incident highlights the growing lawlessness in the city, with criminal gangs controlling up to 60% of the area since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, the AP reported.
Haiti National Police released a brief statement claiming that officers had stopped and searched for illegal items, confiscated weapons from suspects, but said “unfortunately lynched by members of the population.”
Port-au-Prince #Haiti today police and the population killed and burned Bodies of 14 gang members armed with rifles and handguns pic.twitter.com/urh2bIvEnZ
— Edson Samson (@Mr_Edson_Samson) April 24, 2023
The bodies of a number of young men, allegedly intercepted while armed, being burned in the street in Port-au-Prince’s Canapé Vert neighborhood. This was the least graphic video I was sent. #haiti pic.twitter.com/OzjXQ2MtXY
— Michael Deibert (@michaelcdeibert) April 24, 2023
The statement did not provide details on how the crowd was able to take control of the suspects.
According to the AP, members of the crowd took the suspected gang members away from the police and brutally attacked them with stones before placing tires on them, dousing them in gasoline, and setting them on fire.
The situation in Port-au-Prince is increasingly dangerous, with law enforcement struggling to maintain order in the face of rampant gang violence.
