DCI Arrests Suspect in Viral Panga Attack on Mombasa Watchman

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has apprehended one of the suspects seen in the viral CCTV footage assaulting a security guard with a panga. According to DCI, the suspect was captured at a guest house in Bondeni “A” area in Mombasa where he had been concealing himself after the violent robbery incident. A combined team of officers from Mombasa DCI Regional Headquarters, DCI Urban, and Tononoka Police Station carried out the operation that resulted in the suspect’s dramatic arrest on Wednesday. The brutal assault, recorded on CCTV footage, displays two men launching a fierce attack on an unsuspecting security officer. Timestamps on the 20-second CCTV video indicate the incident took place on the morning of Sunday, January 25, 2025, at 5:43 am. In the footage, the security personnel, wearing a reflective jacket, was on duty monitoring the area when two men suddenly appeared, one holding a panga and the other a wooden club. The panga-wielding attacker struck the surprised watchman on the shoulder while he was still seated, forcing him to block another strike with his bare hand. His accomplice repeatedly hit the watchman twice on the back with the wooden club as the victim attempted to flee from the terrifying ordeal that lasted mere seconds. The attackers seized the watchman’s mobile phone before escaping the scene, leaving their victim injured and traumatized from the violent encounter that shocked many Kenyans online, with the DCI revealing they recovered a collection of incriminating evidence during the raid. “Upon his arrest, officers recovered a cache of incriminating evidence: six assorted mobile phones, a blood-stained panga, two knives, and a greyish kanzu that matched the attire seen in the CCTV footage of the brutal incident,” stated DCI. The piece of cloth recovered from the suspect’s hideout corresponded with the attire clearly visible in the video, directly connecting him to the violent robbery incident. Notably, it appears the panga used in the assault might have been blunt, as the watchman’s hand showed no visible cuts despite blocking the blow. The arrested suspect is currently in custody, undergoing processing before his court appearance, where he will face robbery with violence charges that carry severe penalties. Meanwhile, detectives have intensified their search for the second suspect, who remains at large, with investigators following forensic leads to track down the elusive accomplice soon.