The incident occurred in the Jabaquara neighborhood, south of São Paulo, Brazil, where the suspect was visiting his mother-in-law with his wife.

The moment in which a thief tried to rob a passerby on the road, without imagining that the man was an off-duty soldier, went viral on social media.

The incident occurred in the Jabaquara neighborhood, south of São Paulo, Brazil, where the suspect was visiting his mother-in-law with his wife when he was approached by an armed motorcyclist who intended to rob him.

Thanks to a security camera video , the exact moment in which the events occurred was documented, showing the soldier's defense against an attempted assault.

The images show the subject arriving at the house in a white car , and stopping at the entrance. When he got out with his partner, he was approached by a thief on a motorcycle, who had been watching him for several minutes to steal his belongings.

Keeping calm, the soldier waited patiently until, in less than a second, he took out his service weapon and fired several shots at the criminal.

Writhing in pain, the thief lay in the middle of the street, while the police officer, after making sure that the threat had been neutralized, made a call, presumably to the emergency services.

Unofficially it was revealed that the assailant did not survive the legitimate defense of his victim , dying on the spot due to the gunshot wounds he suffered.

The scene of a thief who tried to rob a man and ended up dead because he didn't know that he was an off-duty soldier he wanted to rob went viral on social media, where it sparked a debate about carrying weapons and defending against criminals.