The victim believes he “could have been killed” if he hadn’t managed to escape his attacker
Smithfield Square in Dublin(Image: David Dear/Construction Photography/Avalon/Getty Images)
A Dublin man feared he “could have been killed” after he was mugged at knifepoint in a terrifying scam in Smithfield.
Dylan was staying at the Generator hostel on Smithfield Square on Tuesday night when the horrifying ordeal unfolded. The 27-year-old told Dublin Live he was standing outside the hostel at around 1:30 am on Wednesday morning when he was approached by a woman who claimed to be homeless and asked him for money.
Kind-hearted Dylan went to a nearby ATM and withdrew €20 to give to the woman, however a man wearing a balaclava and brandishing a knife then appeared and threatened him. “I had the €20 in my hand and I was kind of shook looking at the man,” he said.
“The woman took the money off me and ran off and I began to chase her. The man then started wrestling me to the ground. I don’t know how I wasn’t stabbed.”
Fortunately, Dylan managed to get away from his attacker. “I managed to get away. I jumped up and ran. But I think if I had lay there any longer when he had me on the ground I probably could have been killed.”
The thieves managed to make off with Dylan’s wallet and a number of other belongings. He also injured his knee during the incident, with the whole ordeal leaving him “a bit shook”.
“The police came at the same time with an ambulance,” he said. “They said my blood pressure was a bit elevated because I was in a bit of fear.”
A Garda spokeswoman told Dublin Live they are investigating the attack. She said: “Gardaí received a report of robbery that occurred in Smithfield, Co. Dublin on the 13th May 2026 shortly after 1:00am. Investigations are ongoing.”
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