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ROME (AP) -- If you get mugged in Naples, don't fight back.
An American tourist was beaten by an angry mob in the streets of the southern Italian city after he chased down two men who had just stolen his camera.
The tourist, identified by Italian police as 25-year-old Matthew Thomas Godfrey of Utah, was taking pictures of a church in central Naples Monday night, when two men snatched his camera and fled on a scooter. Godfrey's hometown was not immediately available.
Naples police say the American chased the thieves into a narrow alley when a group of local residents attacked him with punches and kicks, allowing the muggers to escape.
Police arrived on the scene and took Godfrey to a hospital, where he was treated and released. With his description of the muggers, suspects were later caught and police were working to identify the residents who took part in the assault.
The brawl is not unusual in a city that has occasionally seen large groups of residents siding with suspected criminals.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
