"Gabriel showed a lot of character when he reacted the way he did," said Mikel Arteta, Arsenal club coach. Victim of an assault at home in his garage on August 21, the former defender of Lille, today at Arsenal, did not let it go. As he returned to his London home with a friend, the 23-year-old was followed by three men. One of them, who can be seen hooded and armed with a baseball bat, hoped to steal his car, his phone and his watch. On the images extracted from a CCTV camera, unveiled by the Daily Mail on Wednesday, we see Gabriel raise his hands and give the keys to his Mercedes to his attacker. But the next moment, the player retaliates with his fists and manages to scare the thief and his accomplices away.
“He was not injured.
But he was very shocked, ”said Martin Lewis, prosecutor at Harrow Crown Court.
Police quickly got hold of one of the attackers, thanks to DNA found on a beanie that fell to the ground during the scuffle.
The other two accomplices have still not been apprehended.
For its part, the Arsenal club have given their player all their support.
In a recent interview, the Gunners coach highlighted the "strength of character" of his defender who was able to face his attackers.
“It's not easy to go through such a situation, especially when your family is there, a few meters in the house.
He was able to react quickly.
At the club, we did everything we could to help him manage this episode.
And to move forward, ”testified Mikel Arteta at a press conference.