Chinese Photographer Uses Chokehold to Capture Camera Thief in Spain
A Chinese photographer visiting Spain has gone viral online after he was filmed using a chokehold to subdue an alleged thief who had tried to steal his camera. The whole thing was captured by onlookers standing nearby.
While passersby watched the scene unfold, Daming spent minutes with his arm tightly locked around the man’s neck while shouting in various languages for the man to stop resisting before he would loosen the grip. The photographer later shared a 2-minute video of the incident on his Instagram account with the caption “Barcelona, Spain catching thieves, Chinese Kung Fu” (Warning: the footage shows the thief gasping for air and may be difficult to watch):
Two Catalan Police officers of the Regional Motorcycle Group (GRM) soon arrived on the scene on motorcycles and lifted the man off of Daming, and the crowd that had gathered around broke into applause at the successful “instant karma” capture and arrest.
Daming, who recovered his camera gear and was not injured in the scuffle, is now being hailed on social media as a “hero” who stood up for himself in the face of street crime as a tourist.
“A foreign thief in Barcelona tried to steal a Chinese photographer’s camera,” writes Dott. Orikron in an X post of the video that has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. “In the spirit of cultural exchange, he showed him a Chinese martial arts trick until the police arrived to take him away.”
“A Chinese photographer’s camera was stolen in Spain,” writes Chinese journalist Li Zexin on X. “The thief picked the wrong guy… He was choked until the police arrived. The citizens burst into applause.”
If you're in need of professional wedding photos with a side of bodyguard, Daming has got you covered! He has an instagram too. pic.twitter.com/MZqsMFbYcw
— Dott. Orikron 🇵🇹 (@orikron) April 30, 2025
ElCaso.com reports that the arrested man was identified as a 27-year-old man of North African origin with 9 prior criminal convictions. Authorities have launched an investigation into the attempted robbery and are currently looking for two accomplices who fled the scene after the thief was restrained by Daming.
