In Mexico, stealing a few stalks of broccoli can get you killed, as an impoverished Mexican man found out as he was beaten and burned to death by an angry mob.

According to the Associated Press, the incident happened in the village of San Miguel Tianguistenco, which is located east of Mexico City and in the state of Puebla. An angry mob caught him and beat him up before burning him while he was still alive.

Local police managed to get him away from the angry mob and into a local hospital. However, the man soon died of his injuries.

Puebla state's chief prosecutor, Gilberto Higuera, held a press conference on Thursday and vowed to find and punish those responsible for the man's death.

"A poor person, out of necessity, went into a field to take a pair of broccolis, and according to the preliminary information I have, that gave rise to them abducting him, beating him, and burning him," he said.

Around 150 Townspeople Ganged Up on Mexico Man Who Stole Broccoli

The poor, impoverished man who stole broccoli from a field was set upon by an estimated 150 people from the village of San Miguel Tianguistenco, according to Julio Huerta, the Puebla state interior secretary.

After he was caught by the angry mob, initial reports indicated that he was beaten up with a baseball bat by some of the people from that mob, while others were dousing him with gasoline. He was then lit up before police arrived and intervened.

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According to NBC-4 Los Angeles, media and Mexican authorities identified the man only by his first name, Apolonio, as Mexican law protects the identity of both the victims and suspects.

Mexican officials condemned the angry mob's attack on such a small and petty crime, with Secretary Higuera stating, "This is truly an act we cannot overlook ... we are going to charge all of those who committed this savage act."

Vicious Angry Mob Attacks on the Rise in Mexico

This was not the first time an angry mob had beaten somebody to death in Mexico, as cases of this happening in the country seem to be rising. A similar incident happened in 2019, also in the state of Puebla, where an angry mob of villagers ganged up and killed seven men who were accused of kidnapping.

However, small and petty infractions, such as the case of Apolonio, have also resulted in deadly reprisals. In June of last year, another incident in Puebla happened when a crowd of 200 people attacked Daniel Picazo, 31, a young political adviser.

According to CBS News, Picazo was lynched after accusations that a suspected child kidnapper had entered the town were spread on group messaging apps on phones. Police attempted to rescue Picazo, but the angry mob got the better of them and took him out of the car. He was then placed into a sports field where he was beaten, doused with gasoline, and set on fire while still alive.

Eventually, the municipality where this happened told everybody that the messages that led to the attack on Picazo were all fake news. They then condemned the act and called it barbarism, not justice.

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Written by: Rick Martin

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