The photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

A shirtless pickpocket wrestled with four police officers and slumped with them on the ground in a bid to escape. He has lost the case at the Appeals Court.

The unemployed African man, 33, resisted arrest and repeatedly pushed two lieutenants and two policemen at a street in Frij Murar area around 6pm on Nov.22, 2018. They sustained bruises and contusions.

In court he denied the assault and argued that he only asked them to give him two minutes so he could bring his ID from his residence. The Dubai Criminal Court imprisoned him for three months plus deportation.

His female lawyer argued that two of the officers said he did not beat them. “In reality, cops suddenly zeroed in on him and seized him. It was normal to ask to know who they were and why they wanted him.

“He told them to give him some time to bring the ID but they considered it resistance. He hesitated just asking for time to fetch his ID.” The Appeals Court overlooked the contentions and upheld the penalty.

On the record, an Emirati lieutenant and his colleague were combing the area for pickpockets after a wave of complaints. They spotted the defendant strolling through shops. They stopped him and asked for his ID. He said it was inside his room at a nearby hotel. They suspected him and decided to take him to a police station to check his status in the e-system. He saw a steel mesh cage in the police minivan and refused to enter.

The lieutenant seized his shirt to stop him from fleeing. The defendant left the shirt with him. The colleague clutched his arm. He resisted and ran away. The lieutenant chased him and wound his arms around him.

He posed fierce resistance and kept twisting his body. They slumped with him on the ground. They clutched his trousers, told him to enter the van and promised not to harm him. He refused, screamed and people gathered.

An Omani policeman and Emirati peer were on patrol when they heard screams from the centre of a crowd. They saw both lieutenants struggling with the defendant. They intervened trying to subdue him and shackle his hands behind his back.

They lifted him from the ground. He resisted, pushed them several times and tried to squeeze himself through them. He wrestled both too. They fell down with him. They and the lieutenants joined hands to subdue, shackle and take him inside the van.