A Cuban teacher, known on TikTok as @la_proferepa, shared a video on Thursday detailing an armed robbery her 21-year-old son endured in the Versalles neighborhood of Pinar del Río. The incident involved a criminal pressing a knife to her son's best friend's neck, demanding the keys to his bike-moped.
The teacher recounted that the robbery occurred on Wednesday night near the "Las Cuatro Esquinas" cafe, located at the junction of 190 and 45 streets. Her son and his friend, a young man with mobility issues since birth and the godfather of his wedding, had gone out to buy pizzas locally.
"A thug came up, put a knife to his neck, and told my son: if you don’t give me the bike, if you don’t hand over the keys—I know you have them—I’ll kill him," she narrated, visibly shaken by the ordeal.
To protect his friend, her son handed over the keys without resistance, allowing the thief to escape with the vehicle.
The Impact on the Family
The teacher described her son as a "hard-working, responsible, educated young man," who steers clear of trouble and vices. She added that everyone praises her for raising such a well-mannered 21-year-old.
The two-minute and 13-second video came at a difficult time for the woman. That same day, she had rushed to Pinar del Río because her mother required hospitalization due to severe diarrhea, taking her two grandchildren along as she cares for them while her daughter works late into the night.
Raising Questions About Public Safety
Amid these compounded adversities, the teacher posed a direct question to the authorities: "How long is this going to last? Blackouts? Isn’t there a patrol to prevent these things from happening?"
Her complaint highlighted the lack of police presence in the area where the assault took place, an issue echoed by similar accounts from other provinces.
The Broader Crime Pattern
This incident adds to a documented trend of violent bike-moped thefts involving knives in Cuba, with cases reported in Las Tunas, Havana, Matanzas, and now Pinar del Río during 2026.
In April, a 13-year-old was threatened at knifepoint in Cárdenas, Matanzas, to steal his bicycle, in an eerily similar incident.
The Cuban Citizen Audit Observatory (OCAC) reported 2,833 verified crimes in 2025, marking a 115% increase from 2024 and a 337% rise from 2023, with thefts being the most common crime at 1,536 cases.
In Pinar del Río, the issue has legal precedents: in February 2025, eight Cubans were sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for vehicle thefts in Consolación del Sur and the provincial capital.
A Cry for Change
The teacher, who became viral in May for dancing with her students in a video that received over 181,000 views, concluded her message with a sentiment shared by many Cubans: "So many things make you feel that this country I love so much is falling apart."
Understanding Crime and Safety in Cuba
What happened to the teacher's son in Pinar del Río?
The teacher's son was robbed at knifepoint in Pinar del Río, where a criminal threatened his friend's life to steal his bike-moped.
How has crime in Cuba changed in recent years?
According to the Cuban Citizen Audit Observatory, verified crimes increased by 115% in 2025 compared to 2024, with thefts being the most frequent offense.
What measures are being taken to address these crimes?
While there are legal actions, such as the sentencing of individuals involved in thefts, there are concerns about the lack of effective police patrols to prevent such crimes.