A notorious bag thief, who police had previously attempted to deport, was tragically killed when he was struck by a car driven by an Italian socialite while trying to steal her purse.
Sixty Five-year-old businesswoman, Cinzia Dal Pino, retaliated violently after a 52-year-old Moroccan national, Nourdine Naziki, snatched her purse from her car window. Disturbing CCTV footage released to local media shows Dal Pino chasing down Naziki and striking him four times with her Mercedes SUV.
Socialite Runs Over Moroccan Bag Thief
Instead of alerting authorities, local media claims Dal Pino calmly returned to the restaurant where she had been dining to retrieve a borrowed umbrella. Naziki's family in Morocco has expressed their outrage over the incident, demanding justice and criticising Italian authorities for placing Dal Pino under house arrest instead of detaining her.
"Not even an animal is killed in this way," Naziki's sisters told Moroccan channel Chouf TV. "We ask for justice for our brother, Cinzia Dal Pino must remain in prison," they added. Dal Pino, charged with voluntary homicide, is under house arrest with an electronic ankle tag. Her lawyer, Enrico Marzaduri, claims that she is deeply remorseful and did not intend to kill Naziki.
Marzaduri asserts that she only wanted to prevent him from fleeing with her belongings. "She didn't want to kill," he said. According to Marzaduri, what happened "went beyond her wishes." According to her lawyer, Dal Pino was concerned that the man might use the house keys and documents in her bag to commit further crimes against her.
Police had been tracking Naziki before his death and sought to deport him, but their requests were ignored by authorities, allowing him to remain free in Viareggio.
Dal Pino Identified Through Vehicle's License Plate
Dal Pino, a prominent socialite in the Italian coastal city, was identified by her SUV's license plate and apprehended by police shortly after the incident. CCTV footage of the attack shows Naziki walking near a storefront when Dal Pino's vehicle abruptly appears and strikes him at high speed.
After reversing back and forth four times, Dal Pino, wearing high heels, calmly exits her vehicle, retrieves her purse, and drives away. Emergency services were called to the scene, and Naziki was transported to a hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Dal Pino confessed to police that she had pursued Naziki and only wanted to reclaim her purse. "He had threatened to kill me with a knife. I was scared. I didn't mean to kill him; I just wanted my belongings back," she told police.
"There were important documents in my bag, and I couldn't call the police because my phone was in there," Dal Pino said. Investigators later confirmed that no weapon was found on Naziki, and Dal Pino was initially incarcerated on suspicion of manslaughter before being released under house arrest.
Her attorney dismissed the video evidence, claiming, "I understand from the autopsy that it was certainly the initial impact that proved fatal, and there are no tyre marks on the body. She just wanted to stop him and was aiming for his legs. She is suffering for what she did and is feeling remorse for what happened."
Public Opinion Remains Divided
Local archbishop Monsignor Paolo Giulietti expressed shock at the incident, stating, "Other than self-defence, the video shows astonishing behaviour. How do you drive your car over a person's body several times? How could we think that a quiet and esteemed lady, a capable entrepreneur, could carry out such an action?"
Giulietti noted that when we celebrate violence, even in the name of self-defence, we allow evil to triumph. Those who rejoice in this incident demonstrate how easily evil can corrupt our judgment. "I say, let's not rejoice; this is not self-defence, and it is not justice. Nothing, absolutely Nothing, can justify murder," he added.
"Not just because we live in a state of law. But because every person, in every situation they find themselves in, has the right to live," the Italian cleric said. Italy's deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, shared a different perspective on Facebook, stating, "This drama is the consequence of a crime."
"If the man who lost his life hadn't been a delinquent, this wouldn't have happened." In contrast, Naziki's family described the 52-year-old, a 24-year resident of Italy, as a "good man." They demanded justice for his brutal murder. According to the family, the woman ran over him four times and then fled the scene without offering assistance.
Meanwhile, a provocative banner reading, "Who has money has power; the law is not equal for everyone," was spotted on a building site in Viareggio.
In a similar incident from 2017, a pregnant woman in North Carolina was caught on camera driving her SUV into a thief who had stolen her purse in a Walmart parking lot. The 26-year-old woman was subsequently charged with misdemeanour assault with a deadly weapon.
The cases of hit-and-run accidents discussed above highlight the importance of effective law enforcement and the delicate balance between vigilantism and justice. While timely prosecution can deter crime, it's crucial to evaluate each case of self-defence on its merits. The justice system must ensure that any legal action is proportionate and that individuals are not unfairly punished.
