‘I grabbed him, threw him on the ground’: Woman Stops Restaurant Robbery

Early Morning Confrontation

What began as a routine breakfast after a late shift turned into a viral moment of defiance in San Isidro de El General, Costa Rica.

On the morning of 3 September, 25-year-old Sol Vargas Garita had just finished work at Otto’s and stopped by a nearby 24-hour restaurant for food. She was alone at the counter when a man suddenly grabbed her purse, which contained nearly 100,000 colones (about US$150).

“I saw him and thought: he’s not taking it,” Vargas recalled. “So I grabbed him, threw him on the ground, and, yes, I hit him. I even made him bleed.”

Holding Her Ground

Surveillance footage shows Vargas wrestling the suspect to the floor and keeping him pinned until staff managed to alert police. While one worker hesitated, another immediately phoned authorities. Officers later took her statement and filed a report.

Despite the ferocity of her response, Vargas insists she has no formal training. “It was just my reaction. Nothing more,” she said, adding with a laugh that her mother described one of her moves as a “Brazilian technique.”

Viral Fame

Though Vargas did not upload the video herself, the footage quickly spread across social media. “I woke up with a thousand messages. Everyone was tagging me, even a friend who had no idea where the video came from,” she said.

Her clip has since been shared widely, earning her praise as well as warnings. Many online users admired her courage, while others pointed out the risk of confronting someone who might have been armed. Vargas, however, was unfazed: “If he had a knife or gun, he would’ve pulled it out.”

Past Encounters

This was not Vargas’ first confrontation. Just two months earlier, she says, a man in a market harassed her while she was walking home in a skirt. “He grabbed my behind, not just touched it—so I turned, hit him, and warned him never to do it again,” she explained.

Although she let that man go without police involvement, she stressed she has always stood up for herself.

Owner’s Reaction

Restaurant owner Francisco Bermúdez admitted the incident left him stunned. “I was speechless,” he said. “That young woman defended herself incredibly well, and thanks to her, the situation didn’t get worse.”

Bermúdez noted it was the first such attempted robbery at his business, despite warning staff to always remain alert.

Looking Ahead

While Vargas insists her reaction was instinctive, the experience has motivated her to consider self-defense training.

“I already had the initiative to react, but with more preparation, I think I could defend myself better. It’s important for women, especially, to be ready in case something like this happens again.”

Watch the video here: