Arsenal defender Gabriel fought off a thug wielding a baseball bat in an attempted robbery at his home in north London, new footage has revealed.
The Brazilian star and his friend, Rodrigo Tavares, were returning from a night out when they were pursued by a gang of masked and hooded criminals into the garage of the footballer’s home in Barnet.
One of the crew, Abderaham Muse, is seen holding a baseball bat menacingly above his head as he demands the keys to Gabriel’s £45,000 ($60,000) Mercedes as well as his mobile phone and watch.
Footage from Metropolitan Police shows Muse lunging at the 23-year-old star, who responds by striking him in the face and grappling with him in the far corner of the garage.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">My CB !! <a href="https://t.co/qx14Nk3zQ5">pic.twitter.com/qx14Nk3zQ5</a></p>— Mason (@maseafc3) <a href="https://twitter.com/maseafc3/status/1465815408427081744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The 6ft 2in Gabriel managed to grab the thief’s hat in the scuffle before Muse ran off. His accomplice also made his escape along with another member of the gang who was stationed outside. Neither of the other pair has been caught.
The incident happened in August but footage has only just emerged after Muse, 26, was jailed for five years last month when police used DNA from the hat to link him to the scene.
“No injuries were suffered but a great deal of shock was caused. They happened to pick on two victims who were very fit and able to look after themselves,” prosecutor Martin Lewis told Harrow Crown Court.
Judge Anupama Thompson said Gabriel had not been targeted because he was a Premier League footballer, but simply because he appeared to be wealthy.