A female martial arts expert thwarted a robbery attempt at her shop in Argentina. The incident was captured on CCTV and left the would-be thief empty-handed and humiliated. It unfolded on May 22 in Resistencia, Chaco province.
The surveillance footage shows the intruder attempting to force his way through a service hatch at the kiosk. Yanela Caceres is a local kickboxing champion. She reacted swiftly to the threat.
As the man tried to enter her shop, Yanela unleashed a barrage of punches and prevented the robber from gaining entry.
The crook’s initial plan seemed simple. According to local media, he approached Yanela asking for a drink of water and hoped to catch her off guard.
Yanela recounted the events leading up to the confrontation. She stated: “First, he asks me about a single cigarette. We don’t sell it like that anymore, so I tell him that, and he then asks me if he can have some water.”
With the water located at the back of the store, Yanela temporarily closed the service window to retrieve it. Upon returning with a small bottle, she opened the hatch to hand it over. At that moment, the robber tried to push down the window and force his way inside. Yanela’s training and quick reflexes took over.
Yanela explained: “When I handed him the bottle, he pushed down on the window and tried to get into the store. He wanted to grab me, and I reacted as can be seen in the video.”
Yanela managed to land several powerful blows before attempting to secure him in an armlock. Just as she was about to lock him in place, the hoodie-wearing thug broke free and fled. He left the scene empty-handed and possibly regretting his decision to target her shop.
Yanela later revealed that her knuckles were bleeding from the force of her punches, but she emerged from the altercation unscathed. The video of her bravery has since circulated widely, earning her praise from the local community and beyond.
It remains unclear if a formal robbery complaint has been filed with the local authorities.
