Story By: Sibel Abdiu, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
Video Credit: AsiaWire
This is the moment a binman is hit in the back with an axe by a scrap collector after an argument over a bin in the street.
The incident occurred in the Sultangazi district of the city of Istanbul, Turkey’s most populous city as rubbish collector Umut Salgin, 38, was emptying dumpsters on the side of the road.
In the video, Salgin, 38, in a grey T-shirt and orange trousers, can be seen arguing with a man by the dumpsters who reports claim routes through the rubbish to find items of interest.
Pictures Credit: AsiaWire
Salgin had reportedly told the man not to tear apart his wooden carriage which he used to transport his salvaged items close to the bins because it harmed the environment.
A friend of the scrap collector can then be seen becoming involved in the argument and when Salgin turns away from the pair the friend smacks him in the back with an axe.
Salgin drops to the ground in pain as the axeman takes a few steps away. The binman then gets to his feet but crouches down again holding his back.
Local media report the police and an ambulance were called to the scene and Salgin was taken to the Sultangazi Haseki Research and Training hospital in a stable condition.
Reports state the police managed to identify the two suspects and they were detained.
Salgin told local media: “When we went to the scene he was tearing his carriage apart. We were not able to put the dumpster on the lorry because of him. I told him to move slightly away from the dumpster and warned him for harming the environment.
“They were drunk anyway. He said to me ‘who are you? You get your salary and taxes from me’ then I said to him “you are tearing the carriage apart and polluting the environment, also we can’t move the dumpster because of you’. As soon as I turned my back, he hit me with the axe and ran away.”
One of his colleagues, who has not been named, said: “We were about to put the dumpster onto the lorry and our colleague wanted the man to move away from it. He started offending and cursing us. Then our friend turned his back to take the dumpster but he hit him with an axe from the back and Rana away. There were two of them. The other one had a knife.”
It is unclear if the suspects have been charged.
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