[cowk]

Disclaimer: some parts of the story are pretty fishy, but the events was confirmed by the police so

tl;dr: Some guy randomly knocks out another guy on the street, then an ambulance AND an off-duty cop with a gun appear in like 3 seconds.

[Source]

Man beaten brutally at the crosswalk opposite the Vígszínház on Friday night, a police officer immediately draws a weapon

A video of the incident was also recorded, clearly showing one man taking another to the ground as he was walking peacefully, and then starting to kick him. The Budapest Police Headquarters (BRFK) told Telex that an off-duty police officer detained the perpetrator.

A man took another person to the ground for seemingly no reason and began kicking him on Friday night at the crosswalk opposite the Comedy Theatre (Vígszínház), 24.hu reports. Footage of the incident was also captured, showing the victim peacefully walking across the street when a young man runs up to him from a side street, tackles him to the ground, and kicks him several times. Based on the video, the victim appears to have lost consciousness.

Passersby quickly surrounded the perpetrator, and an ambulance stopped almost immediately next to the victim. The video shows one of the passersby drawing a gun on the perpetrator and aiming it at him until several others go over to help detain the man. In response to an inquiry by Telex, the Budapest Police Headquarters wrote that an off-duty police officer took action at the scene.

24.hu also asked the BRFK about the incident, and they told them that the suspect has been apprehended by police, his accountability procedure is currently underway, and proceedings have been initiated for attempted grievous bodily harm.

My take: Some news sites mention that the person recording the video actually seems to focus right on the soon-to-be victim, which makes it possible the victim was drunk or had done something right before the recording started (maybe that was the reason for the KO, too?).

The real wtf moment here, though, is the ambulance and the guy with the gun. First of all, Hungary has very, very strict gun laws; pulling a gun on the street is extremely rare, even for police officers. Most people live their whole lives here without ever seeing an actual firearm in public. So the chances of capturing something like this on video are like one in ten million.

The other funny thing is that just a few hours before this happened, the Hungarian minister of health dropped a media tantrum because it came out that the average ambulance response time is an absolutely unacceptable 26–27 minutes 🤭 and then this happens...

[Location]

[kellyhound]

The attack comes amid a broader police effort to improve public safety in Budapest. In July, the Budapest Police Headquarters launched a series of targeted checks across the capital, focusing on locations identified through crime data, residents’ reports and consultations with local authorities. During the operation’s first 30 days, officers checked the identities of more than 11,000 people and made 252 arrests.

The latest annual figures offer some wider context. According to the BRFK, the number of registered crimes in Budapest fell by 22% in 2025 compared with the previous year. Police also reported a decline in offences committed in public spaces.

Too many thugs on the street, just like this 22 year old head kicker.

[cowk]

Originally Posted by kellyhound ↗

According to the BRFK, the number of registered crimes in Budapest fell by 22% in 2025 compared with the previous year. Police also reported a decline in offences committed in public spaces.

Haha, let me tell you, those numbers are juked AF. General public safety is declining everywhere in the city, mainly because there's a crystal epidemic fueled by the new PET bottle recycling system.

[Mr.NoCredit]

Pretty crazy incident.

Several positives here even though the one guy could ultimately suffer brain damage.

Hopefully not.

[cowk]

Originally Posted by Mr.NoCredit ↗

Pretty crazy incident.

Several positives here even though the one guy could ultimately suffer brain damage.

Hopefully not.

No serious inuries. The agressor was a Bri'ish tourist 🤭

Source

Earlier, we reported that a man was beaten unconscious in downtown Budapest on Friday evening. Without any warning, the attacker tackled a passerby to the ground. Bystanders held down the aggressive man, while paramedics nearby assisted the injured victim.

According to RTL Híradó's Sunday evening report, the attacker was an intoxicated 21-year-old British man. RTL obtained the full footage, which also shows what happened right before the attack. The British man chased three other people and then raised his hands to celebrate himself. After that, he targeted a man who had just crossed the pedestrian crossing and attacked him. The person who recorded the video wrote that he has been driving a taxi for years, but has never seen anything like this.

The attacker was stopped by a cyclist who, according to RTL's information, pulled a gun on the man. An off-duty police officer saw what was happening and took immediate action. Security guards from a nearby nightclub held the man down until the police arrived.

The victim of the attack was a 43-year-old man, who was taken to the hospital with minor head injuries. He regained consciousness in the ambulance; according to witnesses, he was confused and didn't know what had happened to him.

The attacker was interrogated by the police on suspicion of aggravated assault. He claimed he didn't remember anything. He was not taken into custody and remains free pending trial.

[cowk]

Lol they just let the guy go :D

Source

The Budapest Police Headquarters revealed to Magyar Hang why they did not take into custody and subsequently arrest the British citizen who brutally attacked a passerby on the capital's Szent István Boulevard. As they wrote, "the conditions for pre-trial detention were not met" regarding the suspect, so he was released. Incidentally, the aforementioned conditions include the risk of flight, hiding, and re-offending, as well as the risk that the suspect would jeopardize the evidentiary procedure while at large (by threatening witnesses or destroying evidence). According to the newspaper, the decision may have also played a role in the fact that the victim was not more seriously injured.

[yah]

Originally Posted by cowk ↗

mainly because there's a crystal epidemic fueled by the new PET bottle recycling system

So, what's the connection between the crystal epidemic & the PET bottle recycling?

[cowk]

Originally Posted by yah ↗

So, what's the connection between the crystal epidemic & the PET bottle recycling?

So a few years ago the government introduced a 50 HUF (around 16 cents) mandatory deposit on all PET bottles, glass bottles, cans and some paper boxes too. Stores have to clearly show that there's a deposit on top of the product's price, and they were forced to install these huge, complicated recycling machines that scan QR codes, crush glass, and compress plastic cans.

Now the areas around those recycling stations are like active war zones . Homeless people started collecting those bottles like it's a full-time job, they fight with each other, harass locals, piss on the street, etc. Bottles have to be mostly intact to get the deposit back, so they carry these massive trash sacks around. You can see them on the trains collecting bottles out in the agglomeration, then hauling them into the inner city where they can deposit them in large quantities in the larger recycling centers. You can imagine, those hub train stations end up looking like Paris (said in a very derogatory manner) .

On top of that, they're bringing low-quality designer drugs into the city too, unknown crystals, or tobacco soaked in random chemicals. They can get completely shit faced off the deposit return from like 10 cans. Obviously, they hang out in groups, mostly near train hubs and those recycling centers. I live in a middle-class-ish area, and here they move into local forests, abandoned industrial buildings, etc., then they patrol their can routes, get enough bottles, get shitfaced again, rinse and repeat :D Also, I'm pretty sure the ones moving in from the agglomeration are managed by regional criminal gangs, since it's basically a turnkey distribution network to push dope into the city :D