Teen Has Cruel Message Tattooed On His Forehead As Punishment For Stealing A Bike

In Brazil, a 17-year-old teenager allegedly stole a bike from a one-legged man and was caught in the act by a tattoo artist. The tattoo artist, named Maycon Wesley Carvalho dos Reis, then proceeded to take justice into his own hands as he and his friend, Ronildo Moreira de Araujo, punished the teen by tattooing the humiliating words “Eu sou ladrão e vacilão” onto his forehead. The words translate to “I’m a thief and a loser,” according to BBC News. The pair also recorded the act on a smartphone and uploaded the footage online.

In the video, the boy is seen sitting on a white plastic chair and seems utterly terrified by the prospect of getting tattooed by Reis. At one point in the clip, Moreira, who was behind the camera recording the whole procedure, is heard laughing and tells the boy that it was going to hurt. Reis then grabbed the teen by the hair and proceeded to ink the message onto his forehead.

After Reis finished tattooing the teen, the men forced him to look into the camera while showcasing his bloodied and clumsily made tattoo. The teen, who at this point was close to tears, was then asked whether he liked the tattoo, as the men continued laughing at him. Furthermore, the tattoo artist sarcastically said that they had done the boy a favor by giving him the tattoo that he wanted. It is also believed that Reis and Moreira, aged 27 and 29, cut the boy’s hair so that he could not hide the tattoo.

The incident reportedly took place on Friday, June 9 in Sao Bernardo do Campo. The teen went missing after the attack but was reunited with his family on Sunday, June 11. According to his family, the unnamed boy had not returned home since May 31. They also claim that he suffers from mental illness and is a drug addict. The teen’s uncle further revealed that the boy was well-known around their neighborhood and was eventually found by his friends, who then brought him back home to his grandmother’s house, according to the Sun.

The boy’s family found out about the incident after the video went viral and immediately contacted the police. The footage is believed to have been widely shared by the local community on WhatsApp. Subsequently, the police identified Reis and Moreira as the men in the video and arrested the pair on Saturday, June 10. Furthermore, Reis and Moreira reportedly confessed to their crimes and insisted that it was done as punishment. They were both charged with torture.

The teen has now spoken to Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo about the incident. In the interview, he denied trying to steal the bicycle and insisted that he merely fell over it while he was intoxicated. Reis and Moreira then caught the boy and incapacitated him by tying his hands and feet with a rope. The teen further revealed that he begged the men not to tattoo his forehead and instead asked to them to put it on his arm. Reis and Moreira, of course, rejected his plea and proceeded as planned. The teen also said that he would have preferred to have both his arms and legs broken by the men instead of receiving the humiliating tattoo. Police have yet to comment on the attempted robbery and whether he really intended to steal the bicycle, as alleged by Reis and Moreira.

Fortunately, an crowdfunding campaign has now been launched online in an effort to help finance the removal of the tattoo by laser. As of June 12, the crowdfunding effort has reached over 19,000 reais, which already exceeds the initial goal set by the online campaign.

[Featured Image by Alex Zaitsev/iStock]