A quick-thinking mother set her pit bull on three thieves attacking her family.
Her husband, who works as a taxi driver, had just arrived home after doing the shopping.
The woman left the car first and went to open the gate to their home.
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In the CCTV footage, she turns to see two thugs attacking her loved ones across the street after opening the gate.
Initially unsure what to do, she turns and runs inside the house.
Meanwhile, her partner is seen being manhandled outside his taxi as a third suspect jumps into the driver’s seat.
One thief demands the car keys, but the cabbie refuses to hand them over as there’s a child strapped in the back seat.
The mother then appears with the family’s pit bull by her side.
She sets the stocky canine onto the thieves.
One suspect runs to the other side of the car as his accomplice immediately jumps out of the driver’s seat.
The dog chases one fleeing thief as the other two scarper down the road.
Moments later, the separated suspect is seen sprinting down the street to join his pals as the family attends to the crying child.
The lucky escape took place in Penha District in the Brazilian city of São Paulo at around 8.30pm last Friday (Nov 15)
The suspects only managed to steal a bag with documents and two mobile phones, according to the authorities.
The investigation is ongoing.
According to the National Secretariat of Public Security, Penha District averages 11 burglaries and 11 thefts per day.
The spike in crime has left locals feeling afraid for their security, as reported by Need To Know.
One resident, administrator Suzana Alves, said: “We are afraid 24 hours a day.
“There are no more set times, there have been robberies here at four in the afternoon.
“We are thinking of leaving, but we need to figure out where to go, what to do with our apartment, etc.
“It’s not easy.”
Engineer Irlan Montes, who has been robbed twice this year, said: “It’s always the same method, at gunpoint by two guys on a motorbike.
“They aim for the head, demand that you hand everything over, and then leave.”
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