Yesterday afternoon in Lisbon, something happened that usually only happens in video games. At around 1 p.m., four men on two motorcycles ambushed the driver of a BMW M760 outside a hotel. One motorcycle hit the car from behind to make the occupants get out. The second pulled up and, at gunpoint, they took two Rolex watches and a gold chain, worth around €100,000 in total.
The motorcyclists robbed him and seemed to be gone, just like in dozens of similar cases before. But suddenly, the victim started the engine and hit the gas. Three kilometers of pursuit through the city ended on Avenida de Berlim, right by a fire station: the BMW hit the motorcycle from the side, throwing its occupants onto the road.
One of them was then hit by a passing car — a driver who had nothing to do with the whole story. Resuscitation efforts failed and he was pronounced dead at the scene. A gun was found next to his body. He had no identification documents: he was reportedly South American, having come to Portugal from Spain specifically to target expensive watches. His three accomplices fled.
Who Is the Hero-Killer
His name has not been released, but Portuguese media have established that he is a man in his early forties. He was born in Luxembourg but has lived in Portugal all his life. In the Minho area, where he lives, he is known by the nickname “Suíço” — “Swiss”. He owns substantial property, lives in Braga and has most of his assets in Vila Nova de Famalicão. He describes himself as a wealth manager (gestor de fortunas) and was in Lisbon on business. According to people who know him, he is not someone who lets things go — he has reportedly been involved in fights before.
What Happens to Him Now
The man who was robbed is currently being treated as a witness and is cooperating with the investigation. But that status could change.
Self-defense does not apply here: Article 32 of the Portuguese Criminal Code requires an attack to be ongoing or directly imminent, while by the time the chase began, the robbery was already over and the criminals were fleeing. Legally, this is considered taking the law into one’s own hands. From there, there are two possibilities: negligent homicide (Article 137), if investigators conclude that he only intended to stop the fleeing robbers, or ordinary homicide (Article 131), if they conclude that the car was deliberately used as a weapon.
One mitigating factor is that other car. If the fatal injuries were actually caused by the passing vehicle, the chain of causation becomes more complicated.
The Rolex Gang
Police have not officially confirmed that the attackers were part of the “Rolex gang”. But the series is continuing: on Saturday, a €52,000 watch was snatched in Intendente, and on Sunday, an €18,000 watch was stolen on Avenida da Liberdade. In July, also on Liberdade, a €35,000 Rolex was stolen; in May, an 85-year-old man was robbed in Guincho. The number of such incidents in Greater Lisbon is already in the dozens. Of course, not everyone can be a macho man and kill a robber by knocking him off a motorcycle — and Portugal isn’t Latin America yet — but the symptoms aren’t great. So don’t flaunt your watches, and try not to get too close to people who look like delivery riders.
